BCC Announces Vaccination Requirement for In-person Students

06:10PM / Friday, November 12, 2021Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass — Berkshire Community College (BCC) announced a deadline of Monday, Jan. 3 for all returning students attending in-person classes to be fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus and show proof of vaccination status.

Following the same guidelines, the College is requesting that new students for the spring semester provide vaccination information within the admission process when accepted after Jan. 3 and be fully vaccinated by the beginning of classes on Jan. 24, 2022. BCC is one of 15 community colleges in the Commonwealth, all of which now require vaccinations to attend spring semester classes.

In accordance with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), a person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after the second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, or two weeks after the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

BCC defines "in person" as taking courses with any on-campus component or visiting campus facilities such as the library, computer lab, athletic facilities or other student services.

With three vaccines available — Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson — those who plan to be on campus should note the following timetables in order to meet the Jan. 3 requirement:

Moderna: The last day to receive the first dose is Monday, Nov. 22; last day for the second dose is Monday, Dec. 20.

Pfizer: The last day to receive the first dose is Monday, Nov. 29; last day for the second dose is Monday, Dec. 20.

Johnson & Johnson: The last day to receive the single-shot vaccine is Monday, Dec. 20.

To show proof of vaccination, students and employees can either upload their vaccination cards online through a secure form or provide a hard copy to the Student Engagement Office or the Human Resources Office (for employees). For complete information, visit berkshirecc.edu/covid.

To find a vaccination site, visit getvaccinatedberkshires.org/locations.

Unvaccinated students may take courses with no on-campus component and access services remotely. Students may submit a reasonable accommodation request, upon receipt of which the college will engage in an interactive process to determine eligibility. The requested accommodation must not create an undue hardship to the college nor present a direct threat to the health or safety of others in the learning and working environment. In the event a reasonable accommodation is approved, students may be subject to additional health and safety protocols.

Requests should be submitted immediately to allow time for the full process to occur before the deadline.

Tags: BCC, COVID-19, vaccinations,

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Pittsfield Projects See $1M in Community One Stop Grants

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:10AM / Monday, October 05, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — City projects were allocated $1 million through the Community One Stop for Growth portal in fiscal year 2027.

This includes hundreds of thousands of dollars for the adaptive reuse of two downtown buildings into apartments: the former St. Joseph's High School and Berkshire County Savings Bank.

Developer David Carver of Scarafoni Associates & CT Management Group plans to convert the former Catholic high school on Maplewood Avenue into 19 units, four of which will be designated affordable. The City of Pittsfield was allocated $500,000 from the Housing Choice Grant Program to support accessibility improvements and elevator installation for the project.

Allegrone Companies saw $350,000 from the Underutilized Properties Program to support interior demolition and remediation for the adaptive reuse of a long-vacant, historic building overlooking Park Square into housing units and commercial space.

Since 2021, the Community One Stop for Growth has distributed more than 1,900 awards totaling more than $1 billion in funding for housing and economic development growth goals in Massachusetts communities.

Pittsfield has received 30 awards, totaling $11.7 million.

Over the summer, Housing Secretary Juana Matias visited the shuttered St. Joe's school that functioned as a shelter during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The then 120-year-old Catholic high school ceased operations in 2017.

The City Council approved a 10-year tax increment exemption agreement that freezes the current property value base, starting at 100 percent forgiveness in the first year, decreasing by 10 percent annually; a local incentive is required to submit an application to the EOHLC.