Here is some information about what to expect.
Please refer to this page frequently for the latest updates regarding the handling of the COVID-19 virus. If you are experiencing any symptoms related to the virus, please fill out the Self Report Form.
Please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions for up-to-date information and resources about returning to campus after Winter Break.
Returning to Campus - Spring 2022 Important Update
As you prepare to head in different directions for Winter Break, we want to take the time to provide you with an important update related to Prescott College’s ongoing efforts to safeguard the health of our campus community.
Our On Campus Community holds a very high vaccination rate at 95%. As a result, despite living within a county that holds a substantial positivity rate, we have had very few COVID cases on site this fall. Both the Delta and new Omicron variants pose potential increases in transmission and possibility of severe illness. Early studies show that a booster shot in the series provides protection against the Omicron variant. Therefore, Prescott College will require verification of a COVID booster for eligible individuals upon return to campus.
Eligible individuals are those who:
Upload proof of Booster HERE
Students
Medical and religious accommodations should be submitted to accommodations@prescott.edu. Requests will be reviewed upon receipt for approval.
Employees
Medical Accommodations and Religious Exemptions are to be submitted to hr@prescott.edu
In addition, if you are feeling sick prior to traveling back to campus, please monitor your symptoms and test prior to arrival. Thank you for doing your part in keeping our campus community healthy. Wishing you and your families a happy winter and holiday season.
Best,
Senior Leadership and Risk Management
Returning to Campus - Fall 2021 Campus Protocols
COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements
Prescott College requires all on-campus students, faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at the start of the semester. The CDC criteria for fully vaccinated individuals is as follows:
Proof of Covid-19 vaccination
Upload proof of COVID-19 vaccination here.
Exemptions
Individuals may request an exemption for medical reasons associated with a health condition or for sincerely held religious beliefs. An individual requesting an exemption must follow the steps below.
Individuals with an approved exemption may be required to comply with additional COVID-19 protocols and other preventive requirements as specified in the exemption approval and updates to the Prescott College COVID-19 website. In the event of an outbreak on or near campus, individuals holding exemptions may be excluded from all campus facilities and activities, for their protection, until the outbreak is declared to be over.
We appreciate your continued effort in mitigating the transmission of COVID-19 and helping take the steps necessary to return to more face to face engagement. We will continue to update our website with protocols and announcements as we continue to navigate this dynamic situation. For more information or if you have any questions, please contact Kristine Preziosi at kpreziosi@prescott.edu.
Masks on Campus
The CDC has issued new interim mask guidance for fully vaccinated individuals. In response to the Delta variant, in areas of high transmission, as identified on this map, individuals are recommended to wear masks indoors even if fully vaccinated. Currently, Yavapai County is an area of high transmission. Recommendations from Yavapai County Health Services include individuals masking indoors, in school settings and areas of high density inside.
Prescott College adopts this interim guiidance effective immediately. When alone, individuals working in private offices may do so without a mask. Masks are required in common spaces and face-to-face interactions indoors.
This guidance includes and not limited to:
In addition, faculty conducting coursework and/or field trips to areas of high risk or involved with vulnerable populations may ask participants to test prior to attendance for particular activities.
Our campus vaccination numbers are starting to climb but we need to continue to be part of the solution towards increasing the national percentage of vaccinated individuals.
We are quickly approaching the start of our semester and I want to remind everyone of the emails I have sent regarding COVID-19 vaccination requirements. Many of you have submitted proof of vaccine and I want to encourage you all to do so prior to the start of the term, our protocols and practices rely heavily on our vaccination rates on campus. As a reminder, individuals who are not fully vaccinated or do not have an approved exemption, will not be able to participate in On-Campus Prescott College activities..
For those of you in Yavapai County searching for vaccination clinics, please check the Yavapai Community Health Services and click the button to schedule a vaccination appointment.
Please refer to our COVID-19 home page for protocol updates, vaccination submission forms, and accommodations requests.
Thank you for continuing to work towards doing your part to end this pandemic.
Best,
KP
COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements
Prescott College requires all on-campus students, faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at the start of the semester. The CDC criteria for fully vaccinated individuals is as follows:
Proof of Covid-19 vaccination
Upload proof of COVID-19 vaccination here.
Exemptions
Individuals may request an exemption for medical reasons associated with a health condition or for sincerely held religious beliefs. An individual requesting an exemption must follow the steps below.
Individuals with an approved exemption may be required to comply with additional COVID-19 protocols and other preventive requirements as specified in the exemption approval and updates to the Prescott College COVID-19 website. In the event of an outbreak on or near campus, individuals holding exemptions may be excluded from all campus facilities and activities, for their protection, until the outbreak is declared to be over.
We appreciate your continued effort in mitigating the transmission of COVID-19 and helping take the steps necessary to return to more face to face engagement. We will continue to update our website with protocols and announcements as we continue to navigate this dynamic situation. For more information or if you have any questions, please contact Kristine Preziosi at kpreziosi@prescott.edu.
We have been updating you on COVID protocols as community health, access to vaccines and CDC guidelines change. With the decline in daily positivity rates in Prescott, Arizona and country wide, we are anticipating returning to an active face-to-face fall term for On Campus students. The realization of this will be dependent upon continued community efforts and CDC guidance.
Beginning Fall 2021, we will be requiring all undergraduate and graduate students who plan to be on campus to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at the start of the semester. The CDC criteria for fully vaccinated individuals is as follows:
Reasonable accommodations for medical and religious exemptions from vaccinations will be accepted. Accommodation requests can be directed to Mari Longpre at mari.longpre@prescott.edu.
All students planning on attending in person classes Fall 2021 can upload proof of vaccination here.
We appreciate your continued effort in mitigating the transmission of COVID-19 and helping take the steps necessary to return to more face to face engagement. For more information or if you have any questions, please contact Kristine Preziosi at kpreziosi@prescott.edu.
Best,
KP
Welcome back to Spring 2021!
I know that for many of you, our new lifestyle is pretty much second nature at this point. But all of us need a little reminding now and then. Here is a reminder as to our campus protocols. For more information please visit our website https://covid.prescott.edu/
As a reminder please continue to:
If you have tested positive for COVID-19, had close contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 or you become symptomatic:
Individuals who come to campus or participate in college activities who have knowledge of being infected with COVID will be sanctioned.
We are definitely beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel with vaccination distributions and national downward trends in new cases, we need to work together to continue to protect our Prescott College Community and see each other through. Please maintain your personal responsibilities in protecting one another by making good decisions and keeping community health in mind.
Best,
KP
I have attached information regarding upcoming mass vaccination clinics to this email. I know that some of you have had challenges scheduling appointments and have received notices indicating that there are no longer appointments available.
Unfortunately, this is not something within our control to mitigate. Spectrum and Yavapai County Health Services are collaborating to meet the demand and create opportunities for individuals on a larger scale. It is up to individuals to schedule those appointments.
If you have return appointments expected at certain dates, you should stick with those. If you are wanting to schedule an appointment and haven't done so yet, please follow the instructions in the attachment.
I will continue to update the community as I Iearn of new opportunities.
If you are out of state, suggest following the links for vaccinations within your county health website. Most counties are scheduling vaccinations for groups 1A,1B (education) and individuals 65 and older. If you need a verification of employment letter to submit to a provider, please contact Susan Krause in HR to get one
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks for your patience in sorting out some of the bumps!
Best,
KP
* If you have yet to schedule a vaccination appointment through Spectrum and you are wanting to participate in getting the vaccine, please read the copied information from the Yavapai County Health Services page below*
Yavapai Regional Medical Center has vaccination appointments Jan 21 and Jan 22 from 8:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M. Prescott Gateway Mall Sears Building, East doors, 3400 Gateway Blvd in Prescott To be in compliance with CDC Priority Groups these appointment slots are being made available to Education/Child Care workers. Appointments are REQUIRED. Please do not share these scheduling links with family, friends, patients, or others. You will NOT be admitted without a scheduled appointment.
Appointments must be scheduled using the link below and will be open for scheduling until all slots are full. NOTE: 2nd doses will be scheduled when you schedule your 1st dose, click the 2nd dose link from the confirmation page when scheduling.
https://calendly.com/yrmc-covid-vaccine-east/yrmc-covid-vaccine-clinic
Some of you have reported having trouble scheduling the first dose of Vaccine through Spectrum Healthcare. At this time, all available appointments have been filled. Upon recommendation from Spectrum, they suggest that individuals continue to check back on the site daily. There may be shifts or expanded appointment times that become available. Another option is to also add your name to the waiting list through the "Zero Waste" portal. This allows you to be called in the event that an appointment opens up.
In addition, there are mass vaccination clinics occurring in Phoenix please look here for more information regarding that opportunity.
More Information
• Appointments open at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 19 ADHS registration sit
We are beginning to work with our employees residing outside of Prescott to help identify providers in their area.
We will continue to try and identify additional opportunities and communicate these to the community. Please let me know if you have any questions. I am sorry for any additional challenges this poses and I am hopeful that we will be able to work together to get everyone access.
We have established a testing date and time for the return to work and the beginning of classes. For employees who have not yet tested and students who need to test, please read the following information
This Sunday, January 17th from 8am-12pm in the Crossroads Center, we will have testing available for employees and students who will be returning to campus.
Spectrum healthcare will be administering the test at the Crossroads Center. Testing supplies have been in high demand and Spectrum may not have rapid testing available. If Spectrum has difficulty in obtaining enough rapid tests, they will send the tests to the lab and that will be approximately a 2-4 day turnaround.
To expedite the testing process:
Step 1:
Please go to the website below to register and remember to bring your insurance card with you.https://spectrumhealthcare-group.com/
Midway down the website click on COVID -19 testing "more information"
Scroll down then click on "I want to test"
Follow the prompts to pre-register!
Step 2:
*Please contact Peter Madsen at peter.madsen@prescott.edu to establish a testing time/appointment.*
Step 3:
Fill out this Test Reporting Form and upload your results prior to returning to campus.
This is all free to you, if you are billed by your insurance company post-testing, you may reconcile that with Human Resources. If you are a student and you are billed a co-pay, you may submit a Cares Grant Application for reimbursement.
In addition to the testing that was offered on Sunday, January 3rd, COVID testing will be available for employees on January 11 and 17.
Staff are expected to return to resume on-campus operations on January 4, 2021 and should plan travel and testing dates with their supervisors accordingly. Individual department supervisors may need to adjust employee return-to-campus dates in order to manage risk and to assure essential on-campus operations.
Prescott College Community Members may NOT enter the Prescott College campus before, during or after Block 1 without having a negative COVID test result from an approved testing site in Prescott. Tests should be arranged 3-5 days after travel to Prescott and 2-3 days prior to stepping on campus. Please plan the use of office space, classroom space, or visits to departments around your proof of a negative COVID test from an approved testing site in Prescott.
Pre-travel to Prescott Testing Following Winter Break
Individuals travelling during the holiday should be tested for COVID-19 prior to traveling away from Prescott to help protect other communities. Individuals traveling back to Prescott from another location should be tested for COVID-19 and have received a negative test prior to travel to protect the Prescott community. If you are exposed to someone who tests positive or if you receive a positive test prior to travel, you must fill out the Self Reporting Form and should not travel back to Prescott.
Post-travel Testing Required
All students, staff, and faculty must test again after traveling back from holiday break and attest results before returning to Prescott College facilities or in-person activities. Testing times provided by Prescott College are listed at the end of this document. You should also consider making appointments for testing with an external provider if another time would be more convenient for your planned travel and return to Prescott College. All test results must be submitted on this Test Reporting Form prior to returning to any Prescott College facilities or in-person activities. The timing of return to Prescott College facilities and activities after a positive test will be determined by school administration based upon emergent CDC Guidelines.
We have established a testing date and time for the return to work!
This Sunday, January 3rd from 9-10:30, we will have testing available for employees who will be returning to the office on the 4th. (additional testing days include January 11 and 17)
Spectrum healthcare will be administering the test at the Crossroads Center. Spectrum will provide rapid Anti-gen and molecular tests that will be able to identify the current infection of COVID-19 with test results that day. If Spectrum has difficulty in obtaining enough rapid tests, they will send the tests to the lab and that will be approximately a 2-day turnaround. We will know by this Friday if there are enough rapid supplies.
To expedite the testing, please go to the website below to register and remember to bring your insurance card with you.
https://spectrumhealthcare-group.com/
Mid way down the website click on COVID - 19 testing "more information"
Scroll down then click on "I want to test"
Follow the prompts to pre-register!
This is all free to you, if you are billed by your insurance company post testing, you may reconcile that with Human Resources.
Best,
KP
Given the dynamic nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have completed a very successful Fall term. This was done by careful and ongoing planning as well as strategic changes to protocols and schedules to minimize risk. While such changes can be disconcerting, they have proven both necessary and effective to maintain our face-to-face programing and to keep our students, faculty, and staff safer than in most other institutions.
Please read this all the way through as there is important information regarding COVID-19 risk management requirements for returning to Prescott College after holiday travel as well as for testing, course start dates, and the elimination of spring break for the Spring Term Schedule for On Campus Programs.
Changes to the Start of Spring Term
With the rise in positive cases across the country and the increasing risks for holiday travel, Prescott College will delay the beginning of classes for On Campus Undergraduate Programs by one week, thus moving the start date for most on-campus Block One courses to January 19th and Block Two courses to February 16th. We are implementing this delay to increase the time period between holiday travel and the beginning of on-campus courses. This is intended to minimize the transmission of COVID-19 and allow the time necessary for testing and quarantine. In addition, the first week of most on-campus courses will be delivered online so that students can continue quarantining while awaiting the test results which will clear them for return to on-campus courses. The delayed start of Blocks One and Two will also eliminate Spring Break in order to further reduce risk to Prescott College and other communities. All Students and Employees should test prior to traveling back to Prescott College and must test again 3-5 days after holiday travel and before returning to Prescott College facilities. (Testing schedule is further down in this document).
Please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions for up-to-date information and resources about returning to campus after Winter Break.
New Block Dates
Employee Information
While this change adjusts the start to On Campus classes, staff members will begin work January 4, 2021 as already scheduled to accommodate the beginning of term for online and graduate programs. Please inquire with your supervisor to clarify anything within your specific department.
Changes to Spring Break- 5 Floating Holidays
To accommodate the delayed start and to minimize further exposure amongst the community, we have eliminated Spring Break. As a result all employees will be granted 5 floating holidays to utilize before the end of the fiscal year. This will replace the time that is lost due to the elimination of Spring break.
Faculty Addendum
Faculty are asked to plan for a start of term by doing the following;
Student and Employee Specific Testing Dates
Please refer to the chart below to identify your testing date. Please note that although the majority of students in On Campus Classes will be tested on the 17th, there are some that will be tested as early as the 11th. Staff are expected to return to resume on-campus operations on January 4, 2021 and should plan travel and testing dates with their supervisors accordingly. Individual department supervisors may need to adjust employee return-to-campus dates in order to manage risk and to assure essential on-campus operations.
Prescott College Community Members may NOT enter the Prescott College campus before, during or after Block 1 without having a negative COVID test result from an approved testing site in Prescott. Tests should be arranged 3-5 days after travel to Prescott and 2-3 days prior to stepping on campus. Please plan the use of office space, classroom space, or visits to departments around your proof of a negative COVID test from an approved testing site in Prescott.
Hello Prescott College Community,
I want to update you on our plans for On Campus Undergraduate courses for this fall semester 2020. As you know, our understanding of COVID-19 and the risks that might still exist this fall continue changing, and our plans may change accordingly.
We intend to resume face-to-face instruction this fall semester as much as circumstances allow. We’re a resilient college able to be nimble and respond to new developments. We will continue monitoring the COVID-19 landscape for the information we’ll need to design the best ways to advance our programs while keeping our community safe. We will review the latest recommendations and guidance from public health organizations, and from local, state and federal agencies. Our Risk Management Team will then work with faculty and staff to plan various scenarios that enable us to re-open our campus and offer modified field and community-based programming. Within the next few weeks, we will update our protocols and policies supporting a modified On Campus experience for fall semester.
We understand how all of this uncertainty is troubling and can feel overwhelming at times. That’s normal. It’s hard to know what to expect when so many things are changing. Remember, students are our first priority. We want you to be safe and to receive the high-quality education you came here for. We’re here to support you as we navigate the remainder of this semester together, and prepare for a modified return to campus this fall. We will keep you updated if circumstances change.
Please stay safe.
Sincerely,
John Flicker
The Spring 2020 graduation ceremony is being reconfigured. For the safety of our community both near and far, there will be no face to face gathering in Prescott in May. Students from all programs will have the option of engaging in the virtual ceremony on the previously scheduled date in May or waiting until it is again safe to travel and gather when we will celebrate graduates in person. In both cases, we will stay true to centering the ceremony on student voices and the values of Prescott College. We will be updating you via the Prescott College Graduation page as plans emerge.
As the novel 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread, Prescott College is working to keep you as informed as possible. Senior leadership has met with faculty, department directors and managers to discuss how we will best organize our work together both on-campus and at home to assure educational/business continuity while minimizing the spread of coronavirus. Central to our decision is to plan around remote work to ensure the essential functions we need to serve the on-campus and online students are operational while supporting the work of our employees and their health.
Supervisors of each department will work with their teams to identify the essential functions and needs of their department to assure business/educational continuity and minimize the risk of coronavirus (COVID-19). Departments will establish key/essential functions and employees. Supervisors of each department will create plans for cross-training and rotation schedules using a work from home option for essential functions that do not require on-campus presence. All department level continuity and staffing/scheduling plans must be approved by the member of the Senior Leadership Team who supervises this area of the College. This will allow for a coordinated College-wide approach for continued performance of essential functions and continuity of business with the goal of protecting our community from coronavirus.
Key/Essential Employees – If your role is essential to the operation of the college and requires your physical presence, we ask that you report to work during your regular business hours. We are asking you to not take personal leave during this time.
Staff and Faculty – You are encouraged to telework if it is feasible for you to do so, given your job duties. If your job requires your physical presence but you don’t wish to be on campus during the health crisis due to special circumstances (compromised immune system for example) or you are sick or feeling sick, you can use sick leave or personal leave. We will allow for negative leave accrual during this challenging time. Speak to your supervisor in all cases. They will define expectations for telework and communicate with Human Resources.
Supervisors – You are expected to communicate with Human Resources regarding employees who are teleworking (for example, send a list of teleworking employees to the Human Resources office). You should also clearly define performance expectations, in writing, with all of your teleworking direct reports.
Do not hesitate to contact your department supervisor or the Human Resource office if you have questions or need further clarification.
Dear Students and Employees,
Prescott College’s top priority is the health and safety of our students, our employees and our community. At this time, the risk of contracting COVID-19 in Prescott is low, and there are no confirmed cases in Yavapai County.
We know that many members of the PC community have been traveling this week during spring break to parts of the country and world where there may be community spread of COVID-19. Like many colleges and universities in the U.S. Prescott College is elevating efforts to minimize the transmission in our community.
Employees and students who are unable to travel back to campus due to illness or travel complications are urged to stay home.
Accordingly, we are delaying the start of On-Campus Undergraduate classes to Wednesday, March 18, and moving from in-person instruction to online instruction wherever possible for a minimum of 2 weeks (March 16-March 30).
On-Campus Students, please submit this form to report whether you will be traveling back to campus or remaining away at this time.
We are taking these steps out of an abundance of caution. Public health officials have not yet made this a requirement for public or private institutions. Nevertheless, given all that we know and what we can anticipate based on information from the Centers for Disease Control, we believe this is the most prudent course of action at the current time.
As of now, the Arizona Department of Education is not recommending closures to schools. We currently have no cases of Covid-19 on our campus or in Yavapai County. The Risk Management Team is continuing to monitor communications from the CDC, Arizona Department of Health, peer institutions, and government agencies as we take steps in responding to the emergent concerns regarding Covid-19.
In response to potential illnesses and travel delays, we will be allowing those OCU students who are unable to travel back to campus, continuity in access to their academics. As of March 16, all classes will be offered in hybrid delivery. Michelle Whitman and An Pfister will be available for e-learning support. The college will remain open and face to face instruction and all functions of the college will continue.
Staff and Faculty who are ill or experiencing travel constraints should contact their supervisors and contact hr@prescott.edu for any questions or concerns regarding sick leave.
Revisions have been made to the student attendance policy in response to CDC guidance and concern over the spread of Covid-19.
