Barnard Residential Life and Housing expanded residence hall guest allowances three weeks into the summer term.

Barnard summer residential students are now able to host non-affiliate guests in their residence halls, according to an email sent from Barnard Residential Life and Housing. This change is effective immediately. The full text of the announcement to students can be found below. 

Additionally, BC/CU ID holders must still be signed in as a guest by a current resident in order to enter residence halls. All guests are required to attest their COVID-19 vaccination and booster status and report that they are not exhibiting any symptoms. Students can only host one guest, who must be accompanied by their host at all times.

The continuation of this guest policy during the summer will be contingent upon sustained low COVID-19 positivity rates in Barnard’s surveillance testing. 

At the end of the email, Barnard Residential Life and Housing indicated that the updated summer residential guest policy will serve as a pilot program to potentially expand the student guest policy during the academic year. 

Email from Barnard Residential Life and Housing sent to students on Monday, June 13, at 3:46 pm:

Dear Summer Residential Students,

We hope your summer is off to a great start. We write today with information about guest allowances in the residence halls.

Effective today, June 13, summer residential students will be permitted to host non-affiliate guests in the residence halls, and BC/CU ID holders who are also summer residents will continue to be permitted in residence halls when accompanied by a current resident of that building.

• Barnard and Columbia students who do not reside in a building (whether residential elsewhere on campus or not) must be signed in by a current resident to be able to enter the building in which they do not reside.
• All non-affiliate guests and BC/CU students will be required to complete a form attesting that they are vaccinated and boosted for COVID-19 and are feeling well upon their visit.

We will continue to watch our surveillance testing results and positivity rate, and if numbers steadily remain low, we will maintain this guest policy for the duration of the summer. 

Additionally, we will use this summer as a pilot for expanding the policy, and encourage you and your guests to adhere to guidelines and expectations, so that we might apply this policy for all students during the upcoming academic year.

Students are also reminded of the following:

• Guests must be accompanied by their host at all times.
• Students may host one guest at a time, and the total number of people in a room or suite shall not exceed double the space’s assigned occupancy. For example, a suite of four residents shall not exceed a total of eight people in the space at one time (four residents, four guests).
• Enrolled Barnard students, regardless of the program of which they are participating that provided them housing, are accountable to the residential guest policy.

We hope you are having a wonderful summer!

Sincerely,

Leslie Grinage

Dean of the College

Lizeth Ramirez

Director, Residential Life and Housing

Reporting contributed by Science Editor Kyle Murray and Staff Writer Eli Knodell

Hewitt via Bwarchives