Message to Students About the Spring Semester Return

Dear students,

Happy New Year, and warm greetings from all of us at Berklee who are making preparations for our return to campus for the spring semester. We are writing to you today with important updates and information that we hope will be helpful to you in planning the start of the semester, which will begin as planned in person on January 18. 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Berklee students, faculty, staff, and administration have shared a steadfast commitment to the health and safety of our community. This community-wide effort has been the cornerstone of the development of protocols and guidelines that have provided safe learning, teaching, and working environments. We understand that the pandemic feels unrelenting, and that the impact on mental and physical health and well-being has been challenging for us all and, for many in our community, has resulted in unexpected difficulties and hardships. We are grateful for your continued strength and vigilance, and most especially your patience, as we continue the critical work to provide the best experience we can for our students and for all in our community who support them. 

Given the rapid spread of the Omicron variant in Boston and beyond, many in our community have already experienced additional disruptions to their regular routines. Similar to higher education institutions throughout the U.S. and abroad, we expect Berklee’s COVID-19 positivity rates also to increase significantly this semester; however, early data suggest that while Omicron is more transmissible than previous variants, it causes less severe symptoms among those who are fully vaccinated and have received booster shots when eligible. 

Because of Berklee’s 97-percent vaccination rate, even though our positivity rates will no doubt rise, information from our medical partners confirms that on-campus activities will pose fewer health risks with this variant. With this in mind, it is important that we all continue to adhere without exception to the safety protocols as detailed in our current guidelines, included below, and to exhibit behavior that is consistent with our commitment to treat each other with kindness, respect, and care. 

You will note that some of our protocols have been updated to reflect the latest information and guidance from the CDC, our partners at Tufts Medical Center, and state and local authorities. 

Please familiarize yourself with the updated information below, as it will be key in maintaining a healthy on-campus learning environment. Compliance with these protocols will determine individual eligibility to commence and continue on-campus activities throughout the spring semester, and your cooperation is greatly appreciated. 

Finally, please note that this email contains the most recent updates to our plans; berklee.edu will be fully updated to reflect these changes by the end of Monday, January 10.

What We’re Tracking and Why

In cooperation with our medical partners at Tufts Medical Center, we will continue to monitor the latest COVID-19 developments. Our decisions will align with federal, state, and city guidelines, and we will continue to provide updates to our community as new information becomes available. In addition to testing compliance and positivity rates, metrics we will monitor include the following: 

What: Isolation capacity for our on-campus population
Why: Like all institutions, Berklee has a limited capacity to isolate students in private rooms, and careful monitoring is required for contingency planning.

What: Staff/faculty COVID-related absenteeism rates
Why: This assists Berklee in properly assessing coverage for classes, lessons, and essential services and activities. 

What: Boston-area hospitalization capacity
Why: This assists us in identifying new and potentially serious trends in the broader Boston population, and in making critical decisions to protect our community. 

What: Severity of positive cases among our community
Why: This provides critical information that helps Berklee and the Tufts  Medical team to understand when immediate new action may be necessary. 

What:  Booster compliance by our community members 
Why: Like the vaccine, boosters are recommended by state and federal officials as an essential precautionary measure and have proven to be effective at preventing serious disease.

Planning for Spring Semester: Enhanced Health and Safety Protocols

Masking

For the safety of all in our community, masks are now required at all times, regardless of vaccination status, in all campus facilities and for all Berklee activities, including rehearsals and performances. 

Please note that we are no longer able to accept simple cloth masks, bandanas, gaiters, scarves, or other non-medical mask alternatives. Acceptable masks for on-campus activities are now limited to the following, all of which are readily available online: N95, KN95, KF94, 3-ply surgical mask, or a surgical mask doubled with a cloth mask. The latest safety protocols require that masks must be changed daily, and cannot be reused, so please take appropriate steps to ensure that you have sufficient masks on hand.

For emergencies only, three-ply surgical masks will be available at Public Safety desks, Student Affairs offices, the Berklee Testing Center, and division offices across campus. Single masks will be available until supplies are depleted, and so we ask that you take seriously your responsibility to obtain your own masks.

Vocalists and wind and brass instrumentalists must use specialized masks. Wind and brass instrumentalists must also have and use bell covers. These specialized masks and bell covers are available for purchase at the Berklee Bookstore. 

Please note that at this time we are no longer able to allow exceptions to the masking policy for lessons, classes, ensembles, or rehearsals at faculty or administrator discretion. In consultation with their students and the appropriate chair and dean, faculty may opt to hold private lessons and lab classes that require unmasking remotely.

Testing 

Upon our return to campus, we will resume our weekly PCR testing requirements at the Berklee Testing Center: All vaccinated members of the Berklee community are required to test weekly. Those with approved exemptions are required to test twice weekly.

Testing Compliance

Weekly COVID-19 testing will be strictly enforced throughout the spring semester. If you fail to maintain your testing cadence, you may lose your access to Berklee facilities through the deactivation of your ID. The Office of Community Standards and Conflict Resolution may also investigate and review your conduct. If you miss your usual testing cadence, you will be notified by email of the need to test immediately and resume your normal cadence. If you do not return immediately to your testing cadence, you will then be notified that your ID has been deactivated and your facility access revoked.

Boosters

Berklee has mandated that all who are eligible to receive a booster must do so by February 15. If you are not yet eligible to receive a booster, your deadline will be 30 days after your date of eligibility. If you haven’t already received your booster, we encourage you to schedule an appointment as soon as possible. Visit vaxfinder.mass.gov or vaccines.gov to learn about availability in your area. Boosters are also available for free at the Tufts vaccination clinic and Fenway Park clinic. Booster clinics for our community will be held at the testing center on the following dates. Please note that testing hours will be shortened from 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. on these dates to accommodate the booster clinics. 

• January 31: 12:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m. 
• February 7: 12:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.
• February 14: 12:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.

Community members may sign up for a clinic spot here.

Submit Your Vaccination and Booster Documentation 

• If you entered Berklee in the summer of 2019 or later, you have a Magnus Health account.
  
  Log in to that account to submit your proof of COVID-19 vaccination under the "Berklee Immunization Form and COVID-19 Vaccine Documentation" requirement.

• If you entered Berklee in the spring of 2019 or before, please email your proof of COVID-19 vaccination to immunizations@berklee.edu.

Performances and Events

All on-campus student and faculty performances will be open exclusively to current Berklee faculty, staff, and students until February 1. We will review the policy for potential changes after this date as we assess operations through January.

Performers may be allowed to unmask during performances with the following increased precautions: 

• Audience members must be distanced from performers by at least two empty rows. 

• Event leaders will require and be responsible for ensuring that all participants undergo: 

  • an additional PCR test at the Berklee Testing Center five to seven days prior to the performance, and 

  • a rapid test on the day of the performance at the Berklee Testing Center. On days when the Berklee Testing Center is closed, rapid tests will be available for event leaders to distribute.  

Clean, high-quality masks are required in all rehearsals, including specialized masks for vocalists and wind and brass instrumentalists. Bell covers for brass and wind instruments are also required.

When possible, we strongly encourage physical distancing during rehearsals and performances. 

Isolation and Quarantine

Berklee and our partners at Tufts Medical Center will follow the updated guidance from the CDC on quarantine and isolation periods. 

Isolation

In order to align with new guidance from the CDC, our protocols for quarantine and isolation are changing. Effective immediately, if you test positive for COVID-19, you will be required to isolate for five days, so long as you have no symptoms or your symptoms are resolving and you do not have a fever, regardless of your vaccination status. We have strongly invested in additional isolation space, more than doubling our capacity from fall 2021. In the event that our capacity is not sufficient, we may have to consider other alternatives, including the unlikely but possible option of isolating in place. Please note: if you tested positive before January 7, your isolation duration remains unchanged. 

Quarantine

If you are identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive and are vaccinated and boosted, if eligible: you are not required to quarantine.

If you are identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive and are unvaccinated or have not received but are eligible for a booster: you must quarantine for five days if you are in close contact with someone who tests positive. 

If you test positive or are in close contact with someone who does, it is critical that you wear a mask at all times around others to protect them from potential infection, whether or not you have symptoms and regardless of your vaccination status. 

If you need to quarantine, please plan to do so in your residence hall or off-campus housing. Grab-and-go dining options will be made available for residential students in quarantine. 

Dining Services

We are working with our food service partners to find appropriate grab-and-go options for the first part of the semester. Correspondingly, we will take the additional measures below to ensure health and safety while utilizing our dining services:  

• Reduce in-person seating in order to maximize physical distancing in dining spaces

• Utilizing disposables so students can take their meals away as seating will be limited 

• Removing self-service salad stations to reduce congestion 

• Increasing the presence of managerial staff to reinforce masking expectations and physical distancing and to monitor higher congestion areas

• Encourage all to utilize the mobile ordering option at our satellite locations 

Contact Tracing

There are currently no changes to our contact tracing practices. 

Visitors to Campus

There are currently no changes to our visitor and event policies. 

Health and Safety Compliance

The health of our campus depends on our consistent compliance as a community with all health and safety protocols. While tolerance of and flexibility with others are key to our working relationships, when it comes to the safety of individuals and the community we are all obligated to disclose unsafe or irresponsible behavior. To this end, if you see others who are not following our established safety protocols, it is imperative that you report it. Cases of non-compliance, whether inadvertent or deliberate, will be reviewed and addressed by Student Affairs, Human Resources, and the Office of Community Standards and Conflict Resolution, as appropriate. 

Thank You

Again, we want to thank you for your cooperation and understanding throughout this challenging period. Working together, we can convene on campus to enjoy an engaging and exciting semester for everyone. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Sincerely, 

Erica Muhl, D.M.A.
President 

Mac Hisey
Senior Vice President, Administration and Finance; Chief Financial Officer; Chief Investment Officer

Betsy Newman, Ed.D.
Senior Vice President, Student Enrollment and Engagement

Lawrence J. Simpson, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs/Provost

Cathy Young
Senior Vice President/Executive Director, Boston Conservatory at Berklee

Christopher Kandus-Fisher, Ed.D.
Vice President, Student Affairs