BREAKING: Mandatory online training required for return to campus

By Kendall Polidori, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Faculty, staff and students enrolled in summer courses will not be able to enter Columbia buildings if the mandatory coronavirus-related online training is not complete the day before their return.  Camilla Forte 

As part of precautionary measures outlined in the Campus Reopening Plan, faculty, staff and summer semester students are required to complete online coronavirus-related training before returning to campus.

In a Monday, June 22 email to faculty and staff, the college said designated faculty and staff can begin returning to campus Friday, June 26. Students registered for summer courses will also be allowed on campus once the summer semester starts on Monday, July 6.

In order to return, two links need to be opened and completed: Together, Columbia Reopening Campus Training and an attestation and quiz, which have been “informed by guidance from state and local officials, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, the Mayo Clinic and other expert sources.”

The training highlights the college’s plans for reopening and everyone’s role in keeping the Columbia community safe, according to the email.

It addresses how to limit exposure to the coronavirus, or COVID-19, on campus; how to follow the campus’ new COVID-19 safety precaution, policies and protocols; how to prevent COVID-19 from spreading; and how to report illness or suspected illness, according to the training guidelines.

Both requirements must be completed by 4 p.m. on the day before a person’s return to campus.

“If you are returning to campus Friday, June 26, you must complete the training by Thursday, June 25 at 4 p.m.,” the college said in the email.

Verification of training will be synced to each individual person’s MyColumbia ID or Campus Card, and if the training is not completed in advance, the ID will not work when scanning into a campus building.

According to the email, if online training is completed after the previous day’s deadline before returning to campus, the training certificate must be downloaded, printed or displayed electronically on a mobile device and shown to a campus security officer.

“Thank you for helping to keep our campus community safe and healthy. We ask you for your patience and your diligence in both completing this training and navigating campus with new rules, policies and procedures,” the college said.

More updates to come.