Campus Announcements

Effective immediately, face masks are optional inside York College buildings. Faculty, however, may require face masks in classrooms and laboratory spaces. Please note that transmission of COVID continues to increase in our area, and that York County has been designated as an area of high COVID-19 transmission by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC recommends wearing face masks in large group settings where the risk of transmission is higher, and indicates that mitigation efforts like vaccinations, handwashing, and social distancing continue to be effective. 

Due to a recent increase in cases of COVID on campus, as a precautionary measure masks will be required in all York College campus buildings, effective immediately. Please consider moving nonacademic in-person meetings and gatherings to Zoom when social distancing is not possible.

Complying with this mitigation step is very important as we approach finals and commencement exercises. In-person classes will continue, and an in-person commencement is still planned for May 14.

Thank you.

To the York College Community:

After careful consideration of the available COVID-19 infection data in and around our community, masks will be optional in classrooms and labs, effective Monday, March 21. It is important to note that individual faculty, however, could continue to require masks in classrooms and labs depending on their circumstances. In addition, classes and clinicals at off-campus sites might also continue to require masks as part of their ongoing COVID-19 mitigation policies.

We will continue to be vigilant regarding COVID-19 cases. If we detect a concerning rise in cases, we may reinstitute our mitigation efforts, including mandatory masking in classrooms and labs.

Sincerely,

Pamela Gunter-Smith, PhD

March 2, 2022

To the York College Community: 

Based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations and the low positivity rate on campus, masks will be optional on the York College campus beginning immediately, EXCEPT DURING CLASSES where there is no opportunity for social distancing.

The CDC has changed its mask recommendation based on COVID-19 Community Levels, a tool to help communities decide what prevention steps to take based on the latest data. York County is currently classified as a green county, and the recommendation from the CDC is “wear a mask based on your personal preference, informed by your personal level of risk.” “People may choose to mask at any time. People with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask.”

Please consider that some members of our community may be uncomfortable meeting with others who are not wearing masks. I ask that you respect and accommodate their request to wear a mask when meeting with them, or meet via Zoom.

Please note the following:

• Random surveillance testing for students and employees who are not up-to-date with the vaccine will continue.
• Monitor where you are geographically; other counties may not be green, and the CDC may recommend masking.
• Keep a mask on hand at all times. You may choose or need to wear one depending on the situation and if others ask you to do so.
• If you are planning a gathering, you may want to ask attendees before the event what they prefer:
  masks required, masks optional, or meeting via Zoom.
• Check the College’s coronavirus website for update information on quarantining and isolating.

Thank you for your cooperation throughout the fall and spring semesters. I am proud to say that we have worked together to get to the point where this change is possible. We will monitor the situation for changes in York County’s CDC level and our own positivity rate on campus. Changes – including reverting back to the mask requirement – may be necessary in the future. I strongly encourage you to be up-to-date on your vaccination status.

Sincerely,

Pamela Gunter-Smith, PhD

February 17, 2022

In response to the continuing decline in York County’s COVID-19 positivity rate and the low rates among our campus community, the College’s COVID-19 restrictions have been updated – effective immediately – as follows:

Cultural Series events are open to the public. Masks are required; KN95 or N95 masks, or cloth masks over surgical masks are strongly encouraged.

Residence hall visitation is now open to all YCP students, including commuters and off-campus students. Parents and guardians may now visit their students in the residence halls; however, visitation remains closed to all other non-YCP guests (friends and other family members).  

Dining facilities are open to employees for indoor dining.

Prospective students may visit classrooms as arranged by Admissions and with permission of the instructor.

Meetings may include food ordered from Chartwells provided there is adequate space for distancing. Participants must be masked unless they are eating.

The campus community is reminded of the importance of mandatory surveillance testing and masking indoors. Keep up the good work!

In anticipation of the return of our students for the Spring semester under a very high COVID-19 positivity rate in our area, we implemented additional COVID-19 mitigation steps. We indicated that we would continue to monitor the situation both in the area and on campus and adjust our policies as warranted by the prevailing situation. I am pleased that the COVID-19 positivity rate in our area has significantly declined and that our on-campus rate is currently low. As a result, we are now able to relax some of our earlier restrictions.

Changes to Current Policies (Changes are effective immediately.)

Meeting/Gatherings

In-person meetings (includes faculty, staff, and student meetings) can exceed 25 people depending on the capacity of the space.

• For example, Residential Assistants can plan in-person programming. The size of these groups will be determined by the number of attendees and the capacity of the space.

Residence Life Visitation

Residential students are now permitted to visit students in other residential buildings.

Athletic Events and Use of the Grumbacher Sport and Fitness Center by YCP Employees

• York College employees are now welcome to use the Grumbacher facilities.
• Spectators (regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status) are welcome to attend our home athletics events. Spectators must limit their visit to the facility to the athletic event they are attending. They should avoid entrance to all other buildings on campus. The following policies apply to athletic event attendance:
  • Indoor Events
    • Spectators must mask at all times while indoors. Masks must be worn properly—covering mouth and nose.
    • Food and drink are prohibited in the Grumbacher Sport & Fitness Center, except by special permission from Athletics and Recreation administration.
  • Outdoor Events
    • Spectators are not required to mask while outdoors.
    • Masking is required for entrance to restroom facilities.

The following COVID mitigation policies remain in place.

Masking

Our current masking protocol requiring facemasks (preferably KN95 or N95 or a combination of a surgical and cloth mask) inside all York College buildings remains in place.

Surveillance Testing

Weekly random surveillance testing for employees and students who are unvaccinated or not up-to-date on their vaccinations will continue.

Cultural Series Events

These events remain open to only YCP campus community members.

Please understand that the COVID19 situation remains fluid. As such, we must continue to adjust our mitigation practices in response to this ever-changing environment. Thank you for all that you do to help maintain the health and safety of our community.

Sincerely,

Pamela Gunter-Smith, PhD

January 26, 2022

Dear York College Students:

On January 14 I wrote to all students reminding them that to return to campus for the Spring 2022 semester they must again either provide proof of vaccination, or if unvaccinated, provide a negative COVID-19 test no more than three days prior to their return. Many students have not completed this process and are not cleared by Health Services. Please note that a recent change from the CDC indicated that to be considered up-to-date on vaccines, all students must receive a booster five months after their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. For those who received the single dose of Johnson & Johnson, the booster is recommended two months after receiving the shot. Students who are not up-to-date on their vaccine will be subject to surveillance testing.

For those students who have not provided proof of vaccination (complete with the record of your booster shot if you have received one) or a negative COVID-19 test. The deadline to do so is Thursday, February 3. Students who fail to provide documentation by that deadline WILL NOT HAVE ACCESS to their network account. Students will not regain access to their accounts until they have completed the process. To regain access, students must submit their vaccination card here or their test results here. Once the documentation is approved by the Health Center, the network access will be restored. For assistance with technical issues, contact the LTS Helpdesk at 717-815-1559.

Due to the high positivity rate in our surrounding community, we have implemented restrictions to meetings and events on campus in order to have a safe start to the semester. In addition, we are aware that the start of the semester often is a time when we see an increase in off-campus social gatherings and parties. I ask students to be vigilant regarding their off-campus conduct. In normal years, these parties reflect risky behaviors. During a global pandemic, they are reckless and show disregard for the health and safety of the York College community. I ask you to avoid them and to follow on-campus protocols at all times.

Sincerely,

Richard T. Satterlee, Ph.D.
Dean of Student Development and Campus Life

January 19, 2022

To migitigate the spread of COVID, the user areas of the Grumbacher Sport & Fitness Center will be limited to eligible York College students only to begin the Spring 2022 semester. On Jan. 25, access will be suspended for all YCP employees; employee spouses and dependents; retirees; YCDS employees and students; and guests. We anticipate these restrictions will be temporary and will notify the campus community of any changes.

With concern for the health and safety of our campus community, on Jan. 24, York College will begin limiting spectator access for all on-campus, indoor athletic events to YCP students only. We anticipate this restriction will be temporary and will notify the public and campus community as changes occur. Students will be required to present their York College ID in order to enter indoor events. Masks are required.

January 14, 2022

We look forward to welcoming all of our students back for the Spring 2022 semester. This document will provide you with what you need to know regarding COVID precautions for your return to campus. The following will be addressed below:

1. COVID quarantine and isolation guidelines
2. Return to campus documentation for both vaccinated and unvaccinated students
3. Surveillance testing

QUARANTINE AND ISOLATION GUIDELINES

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) adjusted quarantine and isolation times in late December. In a significant change, the CDC’s quarantine and isolation guidelines are dependent upon whether or not someone eligible for a booster vaccination has received one. We reviewed them with York City’s Public Health Director, and due to the fact that as a college community we live and work in such close proximity to each other, we are going to continue to require longer isolation periods for individuals who are positive with COVID during the upcoming semester. A summary of the isolation and quarantine requirements is below.

If you tested positive for COVID (regardless of vaccination status) - Isolate

• Isolate for 10 days from date of test or onset of symptoms with mandatory use of mask until day 10.

If you were exposed to COVID

Fully vaccinated and received a booster dose (must be 2 weeks since your booster date) or Completed the Primary Series of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine within the last six months or the J&J vaccine within the last 2 months

• No quarantine.
• Mandatory use of mask until day 10. Reminder: Masks are required inside all campus buildings.
• Test on day 5 or before if you develop symptoms.

Unvaccinated or individuals who completed the primary series of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine over six months ago and have not received a booster, completed the primary series of the J&J vaccine within the last 2 months and have not received a booster, or are unvaccinated

• Quarantine at home for 10 days. Return to campus on day 11
  – OR –
  Quarantine at home for 7 days. Test on day 5. If negative, return to campus on day 8. Negative test must be submitted to YCP Health Center.

• Mandatory use of mask until day 10. Reminder: Masks are required inside all campus buildings.

Regardless of vaccination status, all members of the YCP community are required to wear masks in campus buildings. Booster shots are widely available; if you are eligible, we strongly recommend that you receive one. Unvaccinated students are required to complete the Daily Symptom Checker. Report any exposure or symptoms to Health Services (for students) or Human Resources (for faculty/staff).

RETURN TO CAMPUS DOCUMENTATION

Unvaccinated students

• You must have a negative test 3 days prior to your return to campus. Students are encouraged to obtain this test on their own at home.  
• You may use an at-home rapid test. Take one picture of your rapid test with the date and time collected along with your YCP identification.
• For those students who are unable to find a test on their own, a testing clinic will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

When: January 25, 2022
Where: YCP Health Center, Student Union building
Time: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Cost: $100 (billed to your student account)

This testing is for all students returning to campus for Spring Semester 2022, including residential, commuter, and graduate students. Please plan accordingly as testing will not be offered by YCP outside of these hours. Any student who tests positive during this clinic will be required to isolate off campus per YCP Health Center guidelines. Isolation housing will not be provided.

We strongly encourage all students to test prior to their arrival to campus.

Students attending the campus testing clinic should download the app and create an account prior to coming to campus. Instructions can be found here.

All unvaccinated students must upload their negative COVID-19 test here.

Vaccinated Students

• You must upload vaccine information. If you have previously uploaded vaccine information, you will be required to submit this again. A link and instructions on how to do this will be provided next week.

Surveillance Testing

Surveillance testing is mandatory. The following students will be entered into a pool to participate in surveillance testing during the spring semester:

• All students who are not vaccinated.
• Individuals who are not up-to-date on their vaccines (completed the primary series of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine over 6 months ago and have not yet received a booster, or completed the primary series of J&J vaccine within the last 2 months and have not received a booster).

January 11, 2022

To the York College Community:

I want to congratulate members of our campus community for taking the steps necessary to allow us to remain on campus and in-person throughout the Fall 2021 semester. In fact, we maintained a significantly lower positivity rate compared to our region. With your help, we will do the same this semester.

As we prepare for the Spring 2022 semester, we are once again addressing a surge in COVID-19 cases caused by the highly contagious Omicron variant. News reports are sharing that many other institutions have chosen to begin the semester remotely. Our plans for students to live and learn on campus and for employees to work in their offices remain in place. We will continue to take steps to ensure we do so in the safest way possible.

Campus community members are STRONGLY encouraged to be fully vaccinated and boosted when eligible. We will continue random surveillance testing in the Health Center for students and employees.

We will also continue to require face masks inside all campus buildings. As was the case last semester, we anticipate that we will need to implement further restrictions for some events and programs and for the use of some campus facilities to mitigate against the spread.

We are working to finalize additional guidelines for our community, based on recommendations by the CDC and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Both organizations continue to update their guidance daily.

Additional mitigation steps will be forthcoming in a correspondence to be sent by the end of the week. It is important to understand that the situation with COVID is uncertain. As a result, our plans are subject to change. Your patience is appreciated. I forward to seeing all of you on campus soon.

Sincerely,

Pamela Gunter-Smith, Ph.D

December 13, 2021

October 14, 2021

York College Students:

As we return after Fall Break, I write to alert students that our current COVID dashboard shows an uptick in the number of cases. While we only have 52 positive cases on campus since August 21, we currently have 11 active positive cases among the student body. 

This means that we all must be vigilant to mitigate against further spread. Everyone in the community needs to continue to follow the mask mandate while indoors. While compliance has generally been quite good, I remind everyone of the importance of wearing masks even in the dining hall – except when seated at tables. Please remember that washing your hands and staying home if you feel sick are still important. 

We should be proud of achieving a vaccination rate over 77%, but we should not stop there. Those in the community who are unvaccinated are encouraged to get the vaccine. We also continue to require surveillance testing for those who are unvaccinated. It also is important this winter to get the flu vaccine, which is now widely available.

Our primary goal remains keeping the campus community safe and caring for one another during the pandemic. During this time between Fall Break and the Thanksgiving, we need to continue to be vigilant in our efforts to prevent the spread of the virsus.

Sincerely,

Rick Satterlee, Ph.D.
Dean of Student Development and Campus Life

September 22, 2021

Dear Students and Faculty Members--In order to maintain the safest environment for students and faculty members when traveling abroad, we are requiring that all students and faculty members who are traveling internationally on college-sponsored activities be up-to-date on vaccinations (5/25/22). This does not constitute an automatic approval of any study abroad activity but will be necessary for students and faculty members in order to take part in any college-sponsored travel.

Faculty members who are leading study abroad will be able to work with the Student Success Office to determine who has uploaded a vaccination card.  Students who have approval to study abroad on their own must let the Student Success Office know of their intention and to make sure their vaccination card is on record at the College.

Thanks,

Laura Niesen de Abruna

August 24, 2021

Dear York College Students:

As President Gunter-Smith reminded us in her most recent correspondence to the York College community, we are still in the grips of a pandemic and must continue to be vigilant and respond accordingly.

In an August 9 correspondence, I reminded students that to return to campus for Fall 2021 they must either provide proof of vaccination, or if unvaccinated, provide a negative COVID-19 test no more than 3 days prior to returning to campus. To date, many students have completed this process, and I greatly appreciate their compliance. Still, many students have not taken appropriate steps and are not cleared by Health Services.

For those students who have not provided proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test, I am announcing today that the deadline to do so is Wednesday, September 1.  Students who fail to provide documentation by that deadline WILL NOT HAVE ACCESS to their network account. Students will not regain access to their accounts until they have completed the process. To regain access, students must submit their vaccination card here or their test results here. Once the documentation is approved by the Health Center, network access will be restored. For assistance with technical issues, contact the Helpdesk at 717-815-1559.

In addition to compliance with providing documentation and receiving clearance to be on campus by Health Services, I ask students to be vigilant regarding their off-campus conduct. President Gunter-Smith stresses in her correspondence that most concerns with the spread of the virus last year stemmed from off-campus social gatherings. In normal years, these parties reflect risky behaviors. During a global pandemic, they are reckless and show disregard for the health and safety of the York College community. I ask you to avoid them and to follow on campus protocols at all time.

Sincerely,

Richard T. Satterlee, Ph.D.
Dean of Student Development and Campus Life

August 4, 2021

Travel Policy-COVID 19 Restrictions

Academic Year 2021/22

Faculty/Staff Personal Travel

The College does not exercise authority or control over, or accept liability for, personal travel for employees. Personal travel during the pandemic is up to the individual; the College recommends that individuals consider the risk factors, including the infection rate and COVID-19 restrictions, for either the domestic or international location to which they are traveling.

Faculty/Staff Professional and Business-Related Travel

The prohibition of business-related travel is lifted for the Academic Year 2021/22.

Essential travel--Staff (i.e., Admissions, Advancement, Athletics) may begin essential College travel that is required as a part of their employment responsibilities and may travel to domestic and international locations with approval of their respective Vice President or Dean. Travel to destinations with very high COVID-19 levels is discouraged (Level 4 Travel Health Notice) and will be considered by Vice Presidents or Deans when assigning travel. Employees who have travel as a part of their job responsibilities are required to be fully vaccinated prior to travel.

Non-essential travel—Faculty and staff may begin non-essential College travel (i.e., conferences, seminars, institutes, etc.) upon approval of their Provost, Vice President or Dean.

Travel by officially recognized student organizations (i.e., club sports, musical ensembles, special interest clubs, academic clubs, honor societies)

Regional travel (states bordering Pennsylvania) for these organizations is permitted for AY 2021/22. Travel must be approved in advance by the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs. When using campus vehicles, clubs and organizations must ensure all participants wear masks as per College policy. When traveling, students are required to follow all COVID restrictions in place at the College, and in place at the site they are visiting. Clubs and organizations traveling out of the region (states beyond those that border Pennsylvania) or that include multi-night stays (especially involving air travel) must be approved at a minimum of two weeks in advance by the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs. The Assistant Dean of Student Affairs will consult with the respective Academic Dean regarding travel requests from academic clubs and honor societies. Factors that will be considered when making the decision regarding travel out of the region include: 1.) the rate of infection of COVID 19-in the travel location; and 2.) the policies in place at the event or conference students are attending.

Field trips/class excursions/student participation in academic conferences

Field trips/class excursions and student participation in academic conferences will also be permitted in AY 2021/22. These trips and conferences must be approved at a minimum of two weeks in advance by their respective Academic Dean and Provost. Factors that will be considered when deciding regarding travel out of the region include: 1.) the rate of infection of COVID-19 in the travel location; and 2.) the policies in place at the conference or event.

Study abroad

All study abroad opportunities were suspended for Fall 2021. We anticipate study abroad opportunities will resume for intersession and Spring 2022. Planning study abroad opportunities to countries with a Level 4 Travel Health notice is not advisable. All study abroad opportunities for intersession and Spring 2022 must be approved by the Provost.

Athletics

Travel to competition for intercollegiate athletics is expected. Travel requirements and COVID-19 restrictions will be made in consideration of policies and guidance from the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) and the NCAA.

*Please note: York College of Pennsylvania reserves the right to alter/suspend/lift these restrictions as new information from the Center for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Pennsylvania Department of Education becomes available.

**All members of the campus community are expected to adhere to all U.S. and international requirements regarding travel.