Community Conduct

The College requires all students, faculty and staff to acknowledge in writing and adhere to a Community Pledge. With this commitment, everyone promises to abide by a set of rules for behavior on campus. These include directives around physical distancing, face-covering, and other protective measures, which may change from time to time and be individualized based on considerations such as vaccination status. The College asks everyone to rise to this challenge with purpose and focus and to embrace the responsibility of care.

Acknowledgement. The College remains steadfast in its commitment to keeping campus as safe an environment as possible for the Barnard community by following local, state and federal guidelines and requirements. However, the College cannot provide a risk-free environment. All individuals returning to campus will be required to acknowledge the inherent risks of returning to campus during the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021-2022 Community Pledge

All members of the community are encouraged to remind others to comply with health and safety guidelines, as outlined in the community pledge. It is our collective responsibility to be mindful of one another and to act with the utmost respect and consideration of the community around us.

Responding to COVID-19 Conduct Concerns

Barnard will approach instances of COVID-19 student non-compliance in an educational and holistic manner for most first-time reports of concern. The College’s responses to first-time reports may include sending a notice for the student of concern to meet with an appropriate administrator for an educational meeting. These meetings are mandatory. Failure to attend such meetings may result in a referral to the College’s disciplinary process. Some first-time reports will automatically be referred to the College’s disciplinary process.

Alleged violations of health and safety guidelines will be referred to the College’s disciplinary process when, for example:

• The alleged behavior is repeated multiple times;
• The alleged behavior appears to be a demonstration of willful disobedience (e.g., a student remarking that they will not wear a mask and do not have to after being asked to put one one); and/or,
• The alleged behavior is reasonably understood as a direct threat to campus and community health and safety (e.g., visitors in the residence halls; unapproved student events/gatherings)

Each report will be evaluated individually, as with any conduct matter. However, as Barnard takes the threat of COVID-19 seriously, those who go through the disciplinary process and are found responsible for violating policy related to the College’s expectations for behavior in regard to COVID-19 may be subject to elevated sanctions including, but not limited to, removal from on-campus housing and/or restriction of access to campus.

Please note that students’ rights in the College’s disciplinary process for COVID-19 concerns are not suspended, including the ability to appeal. You may refer to the Code of Conduct for an outline of the general process, including jurisdiction of matters that occur on or off campus.

Residential Life:

Alleged violations specific to the residence halls will typically be managed by Residential Life staff.

Community Standards:

Alleged violations specific to the community at large or significantly egregious behavior in campus housing will be managed by the Associate Director for Community Standards and Investigations or any other designee of the Dean of the College.

All members of the Barnard and Columbia communities, as well as community members and others unaffiliated with the College, may submit concerns via Barnard’s Public Reporting Form. The form will send a report notification to an appropriate Barnard administrator for follow-up and/or review. When submitting concerns, reporters should be as detailed as possible, including relevant dates, times, locations, and individuals involved so that the College can properly address the concern. Anonymous reports regarding COVID-19 concerns are also accepted, but please bear in mind that the College’s response to anonymous claims may be limited.

Please be advised that the form is not to be used to report emergencies. For matters requiring immediate attention, please contact CARES Community Safety at (212) 854-6666.

For questions about the Student Code of Conduct  in general and in relation to COVID-19 compliance, you may contact Associate Director Madeline Camacho at mcamacho@barnard.edu.

For questions on safety guidelines on campus, please refer to Health & Safety and Accessing Campus.

Additionally, students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to seek out the Barnard Health Ambassadors (BHAs) on campus, who will have extra masks and can provide assistance with other matters related to COVID-19 health and safety compliance. BHAs will have green branded lanyards to have a visible presence when on campus. You may also email the BHAs at BHA@barnard.edu and follow the student BHAs on Instagram.