We’re back! Well, almost. But the beginning of the 2021 – 2022 academic year at the School of Visual Arts is fast approaching. The College is preparing for its first in-person semester in over a year, and SVA residence halls will resume standard room occupancies. To protect the safety and well-being of its community, the College has instituted a COVID-19 vaccination requirement—you can read more about that here and also on the College’s reopening page, sva.edu/reopening—as well as a number of new Residence Life policies, which you can read about below.
Note that all policies noted are subject to change, based on health authorities’ guidance, transmission rates and forecasting.
- Face masks: Face masks or coverings will be required in all areas of the residence halls that are outside of one’s personal living space. This includes—but is not limited to—hallways, elevators, lounges, laundry rooms, lobbies and trash rooms.
- Guest sign-in: Residence hall guest sign-in will resume in four staggered phases. In the initial phase, which will run through Tuesday, September 14, guests will not be allowed in any building spaces other than the hosting student’s room. Conditions permitting, subsequent phases will allow for more visitation. (Visit the Residence Hall Guest Policy section of the SVA Residence Life page to see details and dates for all phases of the guest policy.)
- Quarantine/isolation: SVA continues to monitor and follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and New York State regarding practices and requirements for quarantine advisories for travel into New York City.
- Gym access: Beginning Wednesday, September 15, students whose rooms are in the 24th Street Residence may resume using the gym facility in the building. Face masks or coverings will be required in the gym and all building common areas.
- Cleaning and disinfecting: SVA continues to implement and modify cleaning protocols in an effort to minimize the spread of COVID-19. The College will educate and inform residential students on the appropriate cleaning protocols within their assigned spaces to reduce the possibility of the spread of COVID-19 within campus housing. More details on SVA cleaning protocols can be found here.
“We are really looking forward to welcoming students back to our residence halls in full force this year, but with safety as our top priority,” says Stefanie Joshua, associate director of Residence Life. For updates and more on Residence Life policies, logistics, options, tours and contact information, visit the SVA Residence Life page.
For details on summer 2022 housing at SVA, visit the Summer Housing page.
We’re thrilled to announce we will resume in-person learning as of the fall 2021 semester. After sacrificing over a year apart — from traditional classroom instruction, campus life and your peers — with the promise of one day reconnecting, the time to reconvene safely has finally arrived.