In an email sent to the student body earlier this evening, Claremont McKenna College (CMC)’s Associate Dean of Students for Student Engagement Devon MacIver revealed that CMC would be moving training for its First Year Guides (FYGs) online for the day after at least one student tested positive for COVID-19.
The email stated that the college had “had a member of the FYG team test positive for COVID 19. Social tracing has started and our team is reaching out to students and informing them of protocol moving forward.” According to CMC, students will need to be flexible as they return to campus, as this online pivot is the college’s “first big ask.”
CMC also informed students that “[a]s a precaution, and to attempt to reduce any potential for spread, we are going to pivot our training online for tomorrow. It is likely we’ll pivot future days as well, but for now we’re just reshuffling tomorrow and will work through the rest of training and evaluate online vs in-person.”
The news comes after previous announcements from CMC regarding regulations on student behavior for the coming year. These restrictions include a mask mandate in indoor settings, a prohibition on cross-campus dining, and a ban on consortium-wide parties until after September 20th. In its original announcement, CMC said that “as new guidelines become available, we will update our information accordingly on the CMC website.”
In an email sent yesterday, CMC also announced that it would implement an anonymous reporting mechanism for students to report violators of COVID-19 safety protocols. The announcement stated that “[s]anctions will escalate based on the seriousness of the offenses and any repeated violations. Disciplinary warnings, probations, and suspensions are all possible outcomes for disregard of health-related requirements.”
Pomona and Scripps Colleges, two other members of the Claremont Consortium, have also announced restrictions on student activity as the Fall 2021 semester begins.
CMC had not responded to a request for comment by the time of publication.