Dear Members of the TC Community,

We write today to communicate the College’s policies related to on-campus events for the Fall 2021 semester. As our community takes steps towards a safe and successful return to campus, our collective efforts — including the College’s vaccination requirement for in-person activities — will allow campus life to resume with the continued precautions listed below.

In-Person Internal Meetings & Events

Internal meetings and events are only open to members of the Teachers College and Columbia University communities who possess valid institutional identification cards. Internal meetings or events are not open to TC or Columbia alumni.

• Internal events can begin as of Friday, October 1, 2021.
• Events will follow specific capacity guidelines based on room type. These capacity restrictions will require pre-registration for attendees.
  • The event registration system is at the discretion of the planner, but there must be a list of pre-registrants for each gathering. The final attendance list must be retained by the planner.
  • There is no limit on the number of internal events on campus per day.

In-Person External Meetings & Events

External meetings and events are open to a limited number of guests, speakers, or visitors who do not possess valid institutional identification cards. External meetings or events are open to a limited number of TC and Columbia alumni.

• External events can begin as of Friday, October 1, 2021.
• All Fall external events, whether taking place on or off campus, must be approved by the Fall Events Working Group by completing the Fall Events Request Form that will be posted to the web site shortly.
• Up to four external meetings or events are permitted on campus daily.
• External meetings and events must occur between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm.
• No more than 50 external guests can attend these gatherings inclusive of hosts.
• All guests will be required to provide proof of vaccination and complete the daily health screen.
• Attendees of events not held on campus are subject to the same requirements of events on campus but subject to capacity limits of the external space.
  • The event/meeting planner or host is expected to request and receive proof of vaccination for all external visitors in advance of the event. The College will provide the mechanism for obtaining and recording this vaccination documentation.
• All external guests must be pre-registered to attend. Host/Planning staff must be on hand to check in each pre-registered guest.
  • The final attendance list must be retained by the planner.
• The College will soon provide a visitor policy for community members who plan to host an external visitor who is not directly associated with an event.

There will be two Town Hall sessions scheduled this summer to provide more details related to the implementation of this policy. More information will be sent out to the community about dates shortly.

Library Use

The Library will resume full user access and services on September 8, 2021 under Stage 4 of the Modified Operating Plan. The Library may serve as an event/meeting planner or host, on limited occasions, and will adhere fully to the 2021-2022 Visitors Policy. 

• Library space (Russell Hall 1, 2 and 3) will be set up at the College’s defined maximum capacity at all times (i.e. chairs will be added or removed as required).
• Anyone that TC has permitted to access campus will also have access to the Library and will be permitted to take a seat if one is available.
• Librarians will be on each floor to assure that maximum capacity is not exceeded and that any and all safety protocols currently in place are adhered to. 

Please email returntocampus@tc.edu with any questions related to TC’s on-campus events policies or other aspects of returning to campus this fall. We wish you a happy and restful July 4th weekend.

Sincerely,

Lisa Seales
Vice President for Administration 
Co-Chair, COVID-19 Working Group
 
Hank Perkowski
Vice President for Finance and Operations 
Co-Chair, COVID-19 Working Group