WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Williams College students will be required to provide proof of a recent negative test for COVID-19 before they can return and be tested by the college for the start of the spring semester.
On Friday, Dean of the College Marlene Sandstrom issued a campuswide email that begins to lay out the restrictions the college will have in place as it begins its second academic term during the pandemic.
The bottom line: students will face tighter restrictions due to the nature of the winter season, the current spread of the novel coronavirus nationwide and the increase in the number of students planning to be on campus.
"This message is intentionally sobering," Sandstrom wrote. "Because fall term went well, we have the sense that many students are now thinking spring will be similar or even easier. The very high number of students planning to study on campus in spring seems to support this.
"We absolutely do want everyone to have a good term, and are doing everything in our power to make it happen. But that also includes an obligation to give you a realistic sense of the challenges, so that you have enough information to decide for yourself if an on-campus spring is the right option for you."
According to her email, between 300 and 350 more students have decided that a return to the North Berkshire campus is the right choice for them.
That alone creates logistical problems, starting with dorm room assignments.
Sandstrom informed returning students who were not on campus in the fall that they will have less of a choice where they will be living this spring.
"[We] will have to weave your room assignments around students who are already assigned rooms from last fall," she wrote. "You may even be assigned to a pod of people whom you do not (yet) know well."
And once on campus, the students can expect fewer opportunities to socialize.
Sandstrom noted that the first couple of months of the "spring" semester actually take place in winter, and there will be fewer chances for outdoor gathering than students enjoyed in August, September and October.
And indoor gatherings will have an added restriction. Unlike the fall, students living on campus will not be able to visit off-campus houses, including those on Spring Street or other streets that were considered part of "campus" for quarantine purposes in the fall.
As they did in the fall, students will be required to receive two negative COVID-19 tests on campus (in addition to the pre-arrival test) before they are released from isolation in a dorm room, a process that takes about five days.
Students again will be able to sign up for appointment times for the initial COVID-19 test during the Feb. 10-14 arrival period, and if they miss their appointment, they will need to find a hotel room while waiting for another appointment slot.
Even as the college prepares its students for their return next month, it is reserving the option of delaying that return if COVID-19 case counts and local hospital capacity warrant.
Sandstrom said she and Williams President Maud Mandel will announce by the end of January whether the spring semester will start will all remote classes.
In the meantime, Sandstrom mentioned twice in Friday's 2,000-word email that it is not too late for the students who already chose to study on campus to switch back to remote learning.
"If, after considering carefully, you want to switch to remote study or a personal leave, please complete this enrollment status form as soon as possible," the email concludes. "And you can always contact the deans if you need help with specific questions.
"Thank you in advance for approaching this decision with care. I wish you happiness and health over the next several weeks."
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Williamstown Fire Committee Talks Station Project Cuts, Truck Replacement
By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Prudential Committee on Wednesday signed off on more than $1 million in cost cutting measures for the planned Main Street fire station.
Some of the "value engineering" changes are cosmetic, while at least one pushes off a planned expense into the future.
The committee, which oversees the Fire District, also made plans to hold meetings over the next two Wednesdays to finalize its fiscal year 2025 budget request and other warrant articles for the May 28 annual district meeting. One of those warrant articles could include a request for a new mini rescue truck.
The value engineering changes to the building project originated with the district's Building Committee, which asked the Prudential Committee to review and sign off.
In all, the cuts approved on Wednesday are estimated to trim $1.135 million off the project's price tag.
The biggest ticket items included $250,000 to simplify the exterior masonry, $200,000 to eliminate a side yard shed, $150,000 to switch from a metal roof to asphalt shingles and $75,000 to "white box" certain areas on the second floor of the planned building.
The white boxing means the interior spaces will be built but not finished. So instead of dividing a large space into six bunk rooms and installing two restrooms on the second floor, that space will be left empty and unframed for now.
The Charter Review Committee on Wednesday voted unanimously to endorse an amended version of the compliance provision it drafted to be added to the Town Charter. click for more
Developer David Traggorth asked the trustees to make the contribution from its coffers to help unlock an additional $5.4 million in state funds for the planned 54-unit apartment building at the south end of the Cable Mills site.
click for more
The donors, who wish to remain anonymous, say the gift reflects their desire to not only support Williams but also President Maud S. Mandel's strategic vision and plan for the college.
click for more
Neighbors of a proposed subdivision off Summer Street last week asked the Planning Board to take a critical look at the project, which the residents say is out of scale to the neighborhood. click for more