Accessing Campus

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General Campus Access

The campus is currently open to the public, and welcomes visitors, with restrictions. All those entering campus must follow the College’s health and safety protocols:

Faculty, staff and students (BC and CU)

• The main gates at 117th street are open 24 hours. The 119th street gates and gates into the Quad (by the subway) are generally open 8 a.m. - 10 p.m. Barnard and Columbia ID is required for entry to campus through the main gates, from 11 pm to 6 am

• Members of the Barnard community and CUID holders must swipe their BC/CU ID to gain entry to most buildings, including Barnard Hall, Altschul Hall, the Milstein Center and the "link" glass doors between Altschul and Milbank Halls.
• The Card Reader system is integrated with CoVerified. The system requires all members of the community are up-to-date on required COVID-19 testing requirements in order to maintain uninterrupted card reader access. Otherwise you will receive a red/restricted notice and there will be a delay in service/no access to buildings. More information about assistance with access difficulties or replacement process for lost IDs can be found on the CARES website. 

Prospective Students and Families
We welcome prospective families to visit campus. Please complete a Visitor form on the day of your visit. 

• Campus tours are generally offered several times a week once or twice a day and on select Saturdays and Sundays. Registration is required. The campus tour lasts approximately one hour and covers academics, campus life, student services, and residential living. Due to space limitations, we ask that you limit your party to one additional guest. If the tour registration is full, students can sign up for a waiting list and we will notify students if space opens up on a tour.
• Students and families are also welcome to walk around campus using our self-guided outdoor tour booklet, available at our main gates and also in our Visitor Center.
• A student ambassador is generally available Monday through Friday between 9 AM and 5 PM at the Visitor Center and on select weekends when tours are being held. Upon arrival to campus, please check in at the Admissions Visitor Center where a Barnard Student Admissions Representative will be available to greet you and check you in for the tour or provide you with a walking tour booklet. If the Visitor Center is not open, self-guided walking tour booklets are available at the main gate.

• Visitors may not enter buildings at this time, except for the Visitor Center and the Diana Center, where the Barnard Store and Liz's Place café are located on the first floor. Restrooms can also be found in these locations. Prospective students and families are also encouraged to access our virtual visits to learn more about Barnard’s campus. We also offer an inside peak at our residence halls here.

Other Casual Visitors
Casual visitors are generally permitted on the campus grounds and must complete a Visitor Health Screening Form upon approval (QR code to scan also available at the main gate at 117th St). Visitors may enter the Admissions Visitor Center and the Diana Center for bathroom access and to visit the Barnard Store and Liz's Place Café (limited weekday hours for both). 

Additional restrictions remain in place related to visitors:

• Faculty and staff families and children are not permitted indoors.
• See below for access information to student residence halls.

Any official event or gathering with attendees or speakers from outside the Barnard/Columbia community are not considered visitors and must be handled through separate campus access protocols. For information consult the Events Protocols or contact spaceres@barnard.edu.

Visitors to the Residence Halls

Effective Saturday, September 10, Barnard’s residential guest policy is as follows:

Residential students are permitted to host affiliate and non-affiliate guests in the residence halls.

• Guests must be 18 years or older to enter the residence halls. Minors (17 or younger) are not currently permitted to be signed in as guests.
• Guests must be accompanied by their host at all times.
• Students may host one guest at a time, and the total number of people in a room or suite shall not exceed double the space’s assigned occupancy. For example, a suite of four residents shall not exceed a total of eight people in the space at one time (four residents, four guests).
• Enrolled Barnard students, regardless of the program of which they are participating that provided them housing, are accountable to the residential guest policy.

Barnard ID Holders

• Barnard College students with valid BC ID cards are permitted in any Barnard residence hall, whether or not they are the guest of any specific resident who lives in that building, and will not have to complete an attestation.
• Barnard student ID holders must tap their ID (or complete the entry form at residential buildings without card swipe capacity, if necessary) for the Access Attendant of the residence hall for entry.
• Barnard students are not permitted to sleep in the lounges or other public spaces of buildings of which they do not reside.
• Barnard students may only host guests in the residence in which they reside.

Columbia ID Holders and Non-affiliate Guests

• All non-Barnard College ID holder guests must be signed in to the building by a resident of that specific building.
• Columbia University students with valid CU ID cards, whether residential or not, are permitted in residence halls when accompanied by a current resident of that building. They must be met by their host and complete a form attesting that they are vaccinated and boosted for COVID-19 prior to entering residence halls.
• All non-affiliate guests will be required to complete a form attesting that they are vaccinated and boosted for COVID-19 prior to entering residence halls. Additionally, they must be 18 years or older to enter the residence halls. Minors (17 or younger) are not currently permitted to be signed in as guests.

There are no specified visiting hours for guests.

• Overnight guests are allowed for a maximum of 4 days per 30-day period.
• Overnight guests must be accommodated in their host’s room and are not allowed to sleep in lounges or other public spaces.

Visitors for Official College Business

Visitors invited to campus for official College business by a department, office, or a member of the Barnard faculty or staff must be registered and approved in advance via the Registration Form for Campus Visitors, which is accessible via the Campus Access for Visitors page of the Barnard portal. This is an internal form only; users must be logged into their Barnard account to view the page and complete the form. Some visitors who are approved for extended access may be classed as "affiliates" and will have additional requirements and responsibilities. (The form will provide guidance as to whether the visitor should be classed as an affiliate). The process for bringing candidates for on-campus interviews is also featured on the Campus Access for Visitors page.

The Barnard liaison who is responsible for the visitor's time on campus must ensure that the visitor(s) perform the following:

• Complete a health attestation before entering campus, on every day they are using campus.
• Are fully vaccinated when they are on campus as per Barnard's vaccination policy
• Are escorted by their Barnard liaison (or a designee) inside campus buildings
• Stay only as long as their scheduled meeting and visit only designated approved locations. 

Vendors
Vendors may access campus through the submission of the vendor log/verification form and in compliance with the vendor protocols. The form should be submitted by the cognizant manager/liaison supervising the vendor’s work or performing business with the visitor. The cognizant manager/liaison must be on campus during the visit. All vendors must adhere to College guidelines in place and comply with health attestation and must complete a Visitor Health Screening Form on the day of their visit (available via QR code at the main gate).
 

We welcome prospective students to visit campus. Student-led outdoor tours are held several times a week and require registration. Printed outdoor self-guided walking tour booklets are also available at the front gates of Barnard. A current student ambassador is available in the Visitors Center to answer any questions.

Visit Barnard through our numerous Virtual Campus Visit Opportunities.

See and hear from Barnard in many ways:

• Sign up for student-led tour or take an outdoor on-campus self-guided tour
• Sign up for one of our live online information sessions.
• View our campus tour videos.
• Have questions about Barnard? Speak with current students in our StudentLife@Barnard Virtual Sessions or email askastudent@barnard.edu
• Watch a recorded online information session video on your own time.
• Keep up with the Admissions Blog.

The Student Store in located in the Diana Center is open to visitors.

Barnard Library in the Milstein Center welcomes students to study collaboratively or quietly, research and browse with collections, ask questions and learn from the Circulation & Help Desk staff members, meet with Personal Librarians and Archivists for research consultations and classes, and connect, research, and create with staff of the interdisciplinary Centers.

The Library space on floors LL-5 contain lively interdisciplinary centers, open collaborative study areas, a library instruction classroom, the active Circulation & Help Desk, and areas for quieter study.

Barnard faculty, staff and students can access buildings and facilities on the University campus according to the protocols Columbia has set forth. Barnard students have the same access as Columbia undergraduates, including the Kraft Center. To access campus, individuals must complete all required training and testing and must abide by public health protocols that can be found on the following pages:

Columbia’s COVID-19 Resource Guide for Students

Shuttle Service to Campus through Columbia Transportation

Please review Columbia Transportation for information on shuttle services, including the Intercampus Shuttle Columbia also offers an on-demand Evening Shuttle, powered by Via, that runs between 6 p.m. and 3 a.m. each night. For those interested in using Via outside of the Evening Shuttle service, Columbia affiliates can use a code to unlock 20% off all private rides.

Events and Gatherings on Campus

COVID-19 protocols and restrictions are in place for campus events and gatherings to safeguard the health and safety of the community. These may impact location and size of gathering, availability of food and drink at the event, and other logistics.

Events must be requested and set up through Barnard’s Office of Events Management. Contact  spaceres@barnard.edu for specific restrictions in place and instructions on how to request and host events.

Limitations to events and gatherings will be revisited on a regular basis and the College will be responsive to current pandemic conditions.