October 17: Update from the Dean of Students - Thanksgiving Break and Spring Semester

October 17, 2020

Dear Bay Path Wildcats & families -

We are well into the fall semester and I am so pleased to share how proud I am of our community. You are all demonstrating tremendous resilience in these complex times and I could not be more grateful for your commitment to the health and wellbeing of yourselves and one another. You are working hard through new learning environments and staying diligent about your academic success. These trying times that test our ability to adapt and forge on will ultimately make us all stronger.

The many provisions of The Path Forward, our plan to minimize risk of spreading the virus, are proving effective. Now, with cases of COVID increasing nationally and locally, we must be ever more vigilant in adhering to the guidelines we have established. Accordingly, if you are a resident student and plan to travel for Thanksgiving or are requesting to stay due to extenuating circumstances, please fill out the Thanksgiving Break Resident Information form. If you are a student who regularly comes to campus or takes on-ground courses, please notify Health Services at healthservices@baypath.edu of your travel plans.

Residential students approved to remain in housing for Thanksgiving Break must test on Monday, November 23, 2020, regardless of their last testing schedule date. All students returning to campus after the break for on-ground classes or residency will be required to test again Monday, November 30, 2020. I know the testing schedule can seem inconvenient but with increased risk due to Holiday gatherings, it is important we all do our part to keep one another safe. Please adhere as best as possible to the testing schedule.

Students will be expected to return home for winter break. After final exams, the department of Residential Life will be collecting keys. You can leave your belongings in your rooms over break but be on the lookout for an email which will entail the return check-in process as we get closer to the end of the fall semester.

Spring semester at Bay Path will be very similar to the fall semester: classes will be primarily online or hybrid, residence halls will be low occupancy, and regular testing and daily symptom tracking will continue. For traditional undergraduate courses running over the fifteen-week semester, the calendar will be slightly adjusted. While it will start as planned on January 19, the week of spring break will be eliminated in an effort to minimize virus exposure. These courses will end a week early, on April 26. The academic calendar will not change for courses running in the accelerated sessions over the spring semester.

Monday, October 19th, registration instructions and special guidelines will be sent from our University Registrar. I encourage you to work with your advisor and student success team as you plan for the spring.

The Office of Residential Life and Learning will be collecting updated housing information for the Spring 2021 Semester through the Spring 2021 Housing Status Form on the portal. Please note that this information is critical to ensure that your status is current with Student Financial Services, and that you are properly billed for the Spring semester.

Current Residents: Please complete the form linked above to confirm if you intend to remain in housing for the spring, or if you plan to exit housing and live off-campus.

Students wishing to change from commuter to residential status: Please complete the form above to initiate the process of entering housing.

If you have any questions, concerns, or need any support at all, please don't hesitate to reach out. We are all here to help you be successful - the faculty, the staff, and the administration. You can always reach out to me, to your advisor, or to advising@baypath.edu.

I hope you have a wonderful Holiday with those with whom you choose to spend it.

Dean Anne
Anne Chapdelaine
Dean of Students & Director of Persistence