On July 30, the Office of the President hosted a series of town halls via Zoom to answer student and parent questions about the fall semester. Faculty and administration discussed modifications to classes, campus life and student conduct and provided new information from the Fordham Forward reopening plan.

For details on how specific Fordham Lincoln Center departments are modifying instruction, read Part 2 of this story here.

COVID-19 Testing and Monitoring

The university will conduct free testing for all students, faculty and staff upon their initial arrival to campus, according to Jeffrey Gray, senior vice president for student affairs. 

Each Fordham campus will have one COVID-19 testing site through a collaboration with The Broad Institute in Massachusetts. Testing will begin Aug. 15 by appointment through a portal to be released soon. People will receive their test results after 24 to 48 hours.

Students traveling from states on New York’s mandated quarantine list, as well as any international country, were initially required to get tested during their quarantine period. However, an Aug. 7 email update from the Office of the Dean of Students at Lincoln Center stated that this is no longer required. According to the email, “The University will test these students on campus when they arrive and after their quarantine period and they can enter campus for classes or to move into their residence hall.” Rose Hill students received the same update.

Students from nonrestricted states are “strongly encouraged” to present proof of a negative test from 10-14 days prior to their first planned arrival on campus. If they do not have this, Fordham will administer a test. It is unclear if students will be allowed back on campus before they receive their test results.

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These calendars were provided to show example return schedules for students arriving on campus from states on the non-restricted and restricted states list, respectively. Students should continue to monitor the list as it may change in the coming weeks.

Regardless of where the initial test takes place, all returning students will receive a test from Fordham within 14 days of arrival. The university will also conduct “random surveillance testing”; throughout the semester, groups of students will be randomly selected to receive a test.

As previously announced, the university will use the VitalCheck system to monitor the health of all students, faculty and staff. Each user will have an initial 10- to 15-minute telemedicine visit with a doctor upon registration, according to Public Safety Director John Carroll. Users will then answer a series of health questions via text each day to obtain a pass to enter campus.

Regarding travel, Gray said, “We ask that you engage in travel behavior with prudence and caution.” Anyone who goes off-campus will have to show a VitalCheck pass upon return. Though Fordham will not restrict interstate travel, Gray discouraged students from traveling to states on the mandatory quarantine list.

Carroll stated that Fordham has purchased 100,000 reusable cotton masks, enough for each student to receive approximately four should they need them. Keown also encouraged all students to bring their own “go bag” with snacks, Gatorade, a thermometer and Motrin or Tylenol for a fever, to have ready in case they need to quickly isolate.

Housing

Moving In

Move-in to on-campus housing will be an extended process. Students will be able to sign up to deliver belongings to campus from Aug. 7-15, although they are still encouraged to pack lightly in case of changing circumstances. Official move-in will take place between Aug. 22 and 25 as previously announced.

All rooms have been reportedly cleaned and sanitized.

Students need not get tested before dropping off belongings early; however, those traveling from “hotspot” states would need to provide proof of two-week quarantine. Students can bring up to two helpers on both belonging drop-off and official move-in. These helpers will be allowed in the lobby on move-in day to help load bins, but not in the rooms.

Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) Dean of Students Keith Eldredge confirmed that Fordham will coordinate with moving companies to deliver belongings in storage to the dorms on Aug. 24 and 25, and Alex Fischer from the Office of Residential Life told students to expect more information on the subject soon.

Quarantine

Students returning to campus from states on the mandatory quarantine list of restricted states, as well as any international country, are required to provide proof of a two-week quarantine before moving in. A hotel receipt; airline reservation; or the owner’s name, address and arrival date at a private residence in a nonrestricted state will grant access to campus. Pre-move-in quarantine spaces will not be available in the dorms. Dean Christopher Rodgers at Rose Hill reported in the Q&A tab that “New York State requires a single room with a private (not a shared) bathroom to complete quarantine,” and unlike larger schools such as NYU, Fordham does not have enough rooms to accommodate this — even temporarily. 

Additional guidelines for quarantining were outlined in a July 31 email.

Rodgers also indicated that Fordham will be watching for any change in the state’s requirements that would allow students to quarantine on campus and will inform students accordingly.

Late move-ins due to the quarantine requirements will be coordinated through ResLife. Affected students will be sent an email to sign up for alternative check-in dates.

Students who fall ill and test positive during the semester will be expected to return home if possible, according to the Dean’s Office. If not, they will be isolated in designated spaces on campus and provided with medical oversight through health services, as well as food delivery. If Fordham’s capacity to quarantine students is exceeded, they will provide additional off-campus accommodations. Students must be in isolation for 10 days and be fever-free for 24 hours before being released.

Additionally, Eldredge wrote in the event’s Q&A, “We will engage in contact tracing to track down anyone who might have been exposed to an infected individual for long enough to have put them at risk of infection, and those students (which will include suitemates) will be asked to quarantine in their apartment for the designated time frame as determined by Student Health Services following DOH guidelines.”

Withdrawal and Housing Refunds

Students will have until the start of classes, Aug. 26, to withdraw from housing for the fall. They may either withdraw entirely and receive a full refund for their room and board costs (excluding the housing deposit), or defer for the fall and be guaranteed housing in the spring, receiving a refund for the fall only. The Dean’s Office also confirmed that if conditions force the university to once again close operations, students will receive prorated refunds for the unused portion of room and board charges at the end of the semester. It is unclear if this means students will be refunded for the period after Thanksgiving break.

Students are permitted to live on campus even if they take all their classes online.

It is unclear whether students whose time in housing must be shortened for reasons other than university closure — including medical reasons, such as illness and quarantine requirements — will be issued a partial refund or lessened housing costs. The Observer reached out to the Office of Residential Life and the Office of Student Financial Services for confirmation, but received no response as of Aug. 7.

Facilities

According to John Puglisi, associate vice president for facilities management, facilities at the Lincoln Center campus are being prepared to receive students in a safe way that will accommodate social distancing and meet the necessary ventilation standards.

Elevator policy is particularly important at Lincoln Center, where “there is a very heavy reliance on vertical transportation.” 

In accordance with guidance from the state, the elevator capacity will be limited to six occupants per car in the Lowenstein Center, and four occupants in the 140 West Building. Elevator riders will be expected to wear masks, as required in all common areas of the campus, to face forward and to remain silent while in the elevator.

“We’re trying to balance getting people up and down through our buildings with the safety aspect and making sure that we’re doing it safely. It’s obviously not an optimal situation,” Puglisi said, but the department is confident in the safety of its approach. 

Campus buildings will have 24-hour ventilation, a distributed air system and “near-medical grade quality” filtration units to “maintain a high level of indoor air quality.”

All campus facilities including libraries and study spaces will be opened, barring any changes to directives from New York state. The school will make sure that common areas, potentially including vacant event spaces, are available to commuters for study, according to Puglisi, Gray and Associate Dean Robert Moniot. 

These spaces will have limited capacity to ensure that de-densification and social distancing is maintained. The school is working on making lockers available to commuter students as they have been previously.