COVID-19 Community Guide

The health and wellbeing of our community and the neighbors with whom we interact are our top priority. This website serves as the central information hub to keep all members of our community informed of updates, policies, and protocols on the evolving circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Masks are required in indoor instructional spaces and are encouraged and optional elsewhere indoors

Masks are required in indoor instructional spaces on our campus when there are two or more people present for a sustained period of time. This policy encompasses all classrooms, instructional spaces, labs, studios, concert and lecture venues, libraries, as well as Student Health Services. 

Vaccination requirements for the 2022-2023 academic year

For the 2022-2023 academic year, The New School will continue to require that students, faculty, and staff be up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccinations, including a booster when eligible, or obtain a university-approved medical or religious exemption.

Campus Access Updates Begin Monday, September 19

Reduced required testing by vaccination status:

• Up-to-Date (Vaccinated with at least one booster when eligible) - Voluntary
• Not Up-to-Date with an approved exemption - No later than every 7 days
• Not Up-to-Date with no approved exemption - No academic building access. Contact SHS or HR immediately.

Binx PCR tests will continue to be available and free for students, faculty, and staff at Arnhold Hall. Testing sites at the University Center and Parsons will close on Friday, September 16 at 4pm.

Even though testing is voluntary for most of the community, please test if you are symptomatic, before and after you travel, or engage in any higher risk activities.

If you test positive on a non-binx test (PCR or rapid), begin isolation immediately, upload the result to the SHS Portal, and do not take any additional tests until advised to do so by a medical provider. 

Visit our data dashboard for updates about the vaccination, testing, and positivity rates on our campus.

Guiding Principles

Our plan for a healthy and safe on-campus experience is guided by three core principles:

• Protecting the health and safety of the entire New School community — students, faculty, and staff — and the neighbors with whom we interact.
• Maintaining the highest-quality teaching, learning, research, and cultural expression in every college, department, and specialty.
• Ensuring equitable access to classes and other learning activities for all students.

Our Shared Responsibility 

Taking steps to minimize the risk of COVID-19 infection is a shared responsibility and every member of our community must do their part to help keep each other safe. It is our goal to address non-compliance without escalation. Repeated or egregious disregard for university policies and procedures will be escalated to Human Resources for employees or the Office of Student Conduct for students. 

Departmental COVID-19 Coordinators

Faculty and staff can reach out to the following COVID Coordination Group members with questions about our spring 2022 health and safety protocols:

• Academic Affairs (including individual colleges): Provost@newschool.edu
• Business & Operations (including Finance, Facilities, and IT): Thomas Whalen, whalent@newschool.edu 
• Enrollment Management and Strategic Partnerships: Craig Tiede, tiedec@newschool.edu
• Human Resources, General Counsel, and Development & Alumni Engagement: Andrea Yenco Cabatotan, yencoa@newschool.edu
• Marketing & Communications, Continuing and Professional Education: Amy Malsin, malsina@newschool.edu
• Student Success: Susan Austin, AustinS@newschool.edu
  

Future Updates

This site will be updated on a regular basis. The university will continue to monitor the trajectory of the pandemic, especially virus prevalence in New York City. In addition, the message feed on this page features community announcements from the president and/or provost of The New School.