Colby-Sawyer’s foremost priority remains the safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff. Travel increases the risk of exposure to and transmission of COVID-19. Consistent with the CDC, U.S. Department of State, and State of New Hampshire guidelines, the following travel restrictions are in place at Colby-Sawyer until further notice:
Terms
Local Area
New Hampshire towns of Andover, Bradford, Newbury, New London, Springfield, Sunapee, Sutton, Warner, West Lebanon, and Wilmot.
Essential travel
Essential travel for students includes travel outside the local area to engage in research, internships, etc. related to one’s major or area of study. In other such cases, prior approval to participate as a student in a Colby-Sawyer class or coursework, including those held at or in conjunction on and off campus (including Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center etc.); to engage in educational or experiential activities at other institutions as invited or arranged; or to participate in other educational or experiential activity required for degree completion. Students are also permitted to attend scheduled medical appointments, and off campus employment. See below for further information pertaining to the process for approval. Approval for all essential travel for student will be made in conjunction with their Academic Advisor, Dean of School, and/or Vice President of Academic Affairs.
Non-Essential Travel
Non-essential travel for students is considered conference attendance, seminars, meetings, club or organization events outside/beyond the identified local area (as defined below) without prior approval/exception etc.
Policy
With the exception of arriving for the start of term and returning home at the end of term, students *enrolled on-campus who are studying on campus are not permitted to travel outside of the local area for non-essential or non-pre-approved travel.
The local area is limited to the New Hampshire towns of Andover, Bradford, Newbury, New London, Springfield, Sunapee, Sutton, Warner, West Lebanon, and Wilmot. There are no exceptions. In the event of a family emergency, or other situation which the student considers “essential for travel”, students must complete a COVID-19 Domestic Travel Waiver Request Form which will be reviewed by the Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students (VPDOS) office who will make a final determination. Students are not permitted to travel beyond the local area without approval from the VPDOS office.
*All petitions for a travel exception must be made Monday-Friday, between 8:00am-5:00pm at least 48 hours prior to anticipated departure. To complete the COVID-19 Domestic Travel Waiver Request Form, students must provide where they are going, where they will be staying/visiting, the purpose of the travel, and how long they plan to be travelling.
*Should there be a need to travel in an emergency situation after regular business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm), students should contact the Department of Campus Safety at 603-526-3300 to advise where they are going and how long they anticipate being away. It is likely that a Student Development Administrator will contact them while they are away to gather necessary information and/or provide them with instructions for their return.
Students are encouraged to seek employment on campus or within the identified local area. Students whose employment is located outside the local area must submit a COVID-19 Domestic Travel Waiver Request Form and provide the location of your employment outside the local area and estimated hours to be worked each week.
Students may leave campus to work in the local area, visit local area businesses, ski areas, or attend medical appointments during which and they are expected to practice preventative behavior when off campus including wearing a mask and maintaining a physical distance of at least six feet.
Students are expected to socialize on campus and are not allowed to visit the homes of friends off campus or attend off campus parties including those of non-residential Colby-Sawyer students.
Further, visitation to other student’s rooms on campus must not violate the health and safety policies (masks, size of gathering/occupancy, physical distancing, etc.) or the college’s guest/visitation policies.
Students who travel outside of New England (New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island) should note the destination on their daily wellness questionnaire. Students traveling outside of New England may be required to quarantine for 10 days or 7 days with a negative PCR test as determined by the Baird Health and Counseling Center. Students who develop COVID-19-related symptoms during or after travel must not return to campus and should notify their primary care provider. Students who return to campus after traveling and develop symptoms while on campus should report them when answering their daily health questionnaire. Baird Health and Counseling Center will contact the student and discuss next steps.
Colby-Sawyer 15 Passenger Vans may be operated by authorized drivers who can transport no more than seven passengers at a time. Colby-Sawyer 15 Passenger Vans will be permitted to provide local transport to essential services like the grocery store and pharmacies. Van occupants are required to comply with all applicable restrictions and policies. At a minimum, this includes wearing a mask or face coverings, sanitizing their hands and practicing social distancing.
Colby-Sawyer 15 Passenger Van service to Concord, South Station and Logan Airport has been suspended until further notice.
Non-compliance with Travel (Essential/Non-Essential Travel) policies is a violation of the CSC COVID-19 Safety Commitment and college policy. Violations by any student, will be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with the college’s Code of Community Responsibility (CODE), which will likely result in revocation of on-campus living, learning, or employment privileges. Please note: as per college policy, no refunds for tuition, fees, or room and board are given for violations of the Code and/or other student conduct/disciplinary matters.
This policy will be updated as circumstances change.