On-Campus Health and Safety
With the majority of classes and student services held remotely, campus access is extremely limited. This page outlines the health and safety protocols students, faculty, and staff must follow when they visit campus. Additionally, you can read about the initiatives underway to keep a safe campus environment for everyone.
How Baruch is Keeping the Campus Safe
Cleaning and Disinfecting
Baruch College conducts regular and frequent cleanings of facilities and spaces and follows the Center for Disease Control and the New York State Department of Health’s cleaning and disinfection requirements. For a detailed explanation of these protocols, visit the Safe Campus Reopening Plan page.
Enforcing Mask Usage
All visitors to College buildings are required to wear a mask. You must wear the mask at all times while on campus, unless alone in an office. Baruch’s Public Safety will provide disposable masks to any individual arriving without a mask at the entrance points to the buildings. You may use your own acceptable masks or face covering. Acceptable face coverings include but are not limited to:
- Cloth masks (e.g. homemade sewn, quick cut, bandana, commercially available)
- Surgical masks
- Face shield (with a face covering underneath)
Visit the Baruch College Safe Campus Reopening Plan for full details on mask protocols and acceptable masks.
Practicing Social Distancing
All building occupants are required to wear a mask and maintain at least 6 feet distance from each other. Baruch has installed plexiglass or other similar protective shields at security desks and other areas that have face-to-face encounters.
Elevator Safety
Campus visitors should use stairs and escalators, instead of the elevators, where possible. Elevators are only being used by essential staff and those with physical limitations. Only 3-4 individuals are allowed in an elevator at a time, and floor markings and signage will help enforce appropriate social distance and capacity. Public safety will ensure individuals waiting for the elevator will stay 6 feet apart.
Classroom Safety
Due to Baruch’s wide offerings of distance learning, very few students will need to attend on-campus classes for Fall 2020. For classes held on campus, we have analyzed traffic flow and space capacity to ensure that class times and locations will minimize congestion and promote social distancing. Classroom sizes will be limited and floorplans have been configured and marked to create six-feet distance between occupants.
Any student enrolled in an on-site class who is unable to attend because of a high risk for severe illness, will have the option to take class take remotely. Please notify your instructor if you wish to exercise this option.
Hallways and Common Areas
Signs throughout campus will remind visitors of the CDC guidelines for COVID-19 safety in enclosed areas. They will also reinforce physical distancing measures, particularly in areas where lines are likely to form. Seating in lobby areas is discouraged and blocked off. Baruch’s custodial staff will clean and disinfect any lobby in use daily with particular attention to high touch surfaces.
Restrooms
Campus Facilities has determined occupancy limits for restrooms in use for the fall, posted signage, and blocked access to stalls and sinks to encourage safe physical distancing. All restrooms will have signage on proper hand washing hygiene. There will be an adequate supply of paper towels and soap in every restroom.
Health & Safety Mandatory Training
Before coming to campus for the first time, faculty and staff must take the mandatory Covid-19 health training on Blackboard.
Violations and Complaints
We will rely on the campus community to comply with safety requirements. Individuals seeing someone violating requirements should make a report to Public Safety. Public Safety or other staff observing the non-compliant behavior will verbally remind any non-compliant individual of the rules. If the individual fails to respond to the reminder or violates the requirements a second time, Public Safety will be notified and will report the behavior to the individual’s supervisor, or in the case of a student to the Dean of Students. The Dean of Students will review and take appropriate disciplinary action. If a faculty or staff member violates requirements a third time, Public Safety will report the individual to the Campus Reopening Committee to receive authorization to restrict the individual’s access to campus.