COVID-19 Alert Status and Response
St. Lawrence alert level guidelines may be subject to change. We continue to follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to reduce the spread of the virus. St. Lawrence University senior staff have taken into account a variety of factors to ensure the safety and well-being of our entire campus and surrounding communities.
This is a guide only of indicators used to determine alert levels. Factors include:
- Number of cases among students in the Canton area and employees reporting for work at campus facilities
- Number of close contacts of positive cases
- Nature of student and employee clusters: possibility of imposing stricter rules on specific groups
- Capacity of staff to manage on-going cases and support students
- Capacity of staff for ongoing student disciplinary issues
- Nature of employees who test positive—essential functions and effects on student services and safety
- Quarantine/isolation capacity on campus
- Effect on mental health of students and employees
- Local hospital and public health capacity
Note: Confirmed cases and quarantine bed usage cannot correlate exactly. One positive case may have 3 close contacts, another may have 20. So either the confirmed cases or quarantine beds could be the prompt to consider a new alert status, coupled with other factors.
Precautionary Quarantine: The University reserves the right to place residence halls, extended family units, sports teams, or other defined groups in “precautionary quarantine” to limit spread of a potential exposure, until more information is gathered through testing and investigation. Precautionary quarantine means students stay in their own residence hall rooms, leaving only to pick up meals at (a) designated distribution center(s) and to be tested.
St. Lawrence Alert Levels
- Green: Low Risk (New Normal)
- Yellow: Moderate Risk
- Orange: High Risk
- Red: Campus at Risk of In-person Learning
Green: Low Risk (New Normal)
What it means:
Cases are rare and transmission controlled. Factors that we will consider:
- Approximately 0-5 confirmed student cases and contacts in exposure quarantine either on campus or at home; or
- Up to approximately 20% of quarantine beds used (2); or
- Up to approximately 5% of any work group or shift report employee confirmed cases and related employee quarantines among on-campus workers
What to expect:
- Practice everyday precautions: hand washing and disinfecting of shared equipment.
- In-person learning.
- Full capacity for spaces on campus.
- Student gatherings compliant with Student Handbook expectations
- Mandatory mask wearing for unvaccinated Laurentians, on the honor system.
Additional Details:
Employee Status
Employees returned to campus.
Student Status
In residence with no restrictions related to COVID
Academic Delivery
In-person
Academic Buildings
Open to students and employees
Library
Open to all
Residence Halls
Open to students and their guests
Dining
Normal
Support Spaces (i.e. Fox Center for Academic Opportunity, Vilas, Admissions, etc.)
Open to all.
Athletic Facilities
Open to all after Fall semester begins
Bookstore
Open to the public
Admissions
Normal
Visitors
Open to all with compliance with mask policy.
Yellow: Moderate Risk
What it means:
Incidence of the virus remains low, but indicators show increased or potential for increase in transmission. Factors that we will consider:
- Approximately 5-10 confirmed student cases and contacts in exposure quarantine on campus or at home; or
- Approximately 21-40% of on-campus quarantine beds used (3-4); or
- Approximately up to 10% of any work group or shift report employee confirmed cases and related employee quarantines among on-campus workers
What to expect:
- Practice everyday precautions: hand washing and disinfecting of shared equipment.
- In-person learning.
- College may reduce capacity of some on-campus spaces.
- Student gatherings may be limited to extended family units only.
- Additional restrictions to be determined as needed; examples could include imposing curfews or restricting students to the campus only.
- Frequency of testing may be increased for some populations
- Mandatory mask wearing for unvaccinated Laurentians, on the honor system.
Additional Details:
Employee Status
Continued on-campus work
Student Status
Phase 3, inter-residence hall interactions, but not outside guests.
Possible limited restrictions on gatherings.
Academic Delivery
In-person
Academic Buildings
Open to students and employees
Library
Open to all
Residence Halls
Open to students but no guests.
Dining
Normal
Support Spaces (i.e. Fox Center for Academic Opportunity, Vilas, Admissions, etc.)
Open to all.
Athletic Facilities
Open to all after Fall semester begins
Bookstore
Open to the public
Admissions
Normal
Visitors
No outside guests in the residence halls. Other visitors welcome in compliance with mask policy.
Orange: Higher Risk
What it means:
Incidence has increased above baseline modeling and indicators show rates of infection are increasing. This is defined as:
- Approximately 15 - 20 confirmed student cases and contacts in exposure quarantine; or
- Approximately 41-60% of quarantine beds used (up to 6); or
- Up to 20% of any work group or shift report employee confirmed cases and related employee quarantines among on-campus workers
- If more than 30% of students are in precautionary quarantine.
What to expect:
- Practice everyday precautions: hand washing and disinfecting of shared equipment.
- In-person learning.
- Additional steps may be taken to de-densify campus and may include:
- Possible moving classes online and requiring students to stay in their rooms or apartments, except to get food or go for testing.
- Prohibiting gatherings of any size – instructional or non-instructional – until transmission rates decrease.
- Additional restrictions to be determined as needed; examples could include imposing curfews or restricting students to the campus only.
- Frequency of testing may be increased for some populations
- Mandatory mask wearing for unvaccinated Laurentians, on the honor system.
- Visitors are not allowed on campus and travel is strongly discouraged.
- Take-out food from Dana or Northstar Café will be considered.
- All Athletic facilities and library will be closed to the public.
Additional Details:
Employee Status
Work from home is possible for those with manager’s approval.
Student Status
Access “Phase 2” with intra-dorm movement only.
Academic Delivery
Online or in-person at faculty discretion
Academic Buildings
Closed to the public
Library
Closed to the public
Residence Halls
Open only to building residents – follow regular guidelines; option to exit if no health status restrictions; no refund after end of drop/add period
Dining
To Go options offered
Support Spaces (i.e. Fox Center for Academic Opportunity, Vilas, Admissions, etc.)
Open at managers’ discretion
Athletic Facilities
Closed to the public
Bookstore
Online only
Admissions
No tours
Visitors
Essential service providers
Red: Highest Risk of In-Person Learning
What it means:
Significant increase in incidence with limited quarantine, isolation and/or local hospital capacity. Factors to consider:
- 21+ confirmed student cases and contacts in exposure quarantine on campus or at home; or
- 61% or more of quarantine beds used (7 or above); or
- Up to 30% of any work group or shift report employee confirmed cases and related employee quarantines among on-campus workers
What to expect:
- Practice everyday precautions: hand washing and disinfecting of shared equipment.
- Frequency of testing may be increased for some populations.
- Campus may be shut down:
- Classes are online only.
- Campus is restricted to essential operations; only residential students and employees needed to support residential students or essential research and clinical activities will be allowed on campus.
- On-campus students in Phase 1, students remain in their own hallways. Off-campus students in the Canton area are also asked to return to their permanent homes.
- No gatherings of any size are permitted.
- Visitors are not allowed on campus and travel is strongly discouraged.
Additional Details:
Employee Status
Work from home if not essential campus services
Student Status
Phase 1, students interact with their hall mates only.
Academic Delivery
Online only
Academic Buildings
Closed except to faculty who must access equipment for instruction
Library
Closed
Residence Halls
The University has the right to decide to send students home. If the University sends students home, Room and Board refunds will be prorated until the point when 60% of the semester has elapsed. If the University sends students home after 60% of the semester has elapsed, there will be no refunds.
Dining
To Go/Delivery
Support Spaces (i.e. Fox Center for Academic Opportunity, Vilas, Admissions, etc.)
Closed
Athletic Facilities
Closed
Bookstore
Online only
Admissions
No tours
Outside Spaces
In use with masks
Visitors
Essential service providers