General

Are campuses open?
After the successful completion of an in-person semester for the fall, students returned home after Thanksgiving to complete the fall semester. While operating at limited capacity, the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses will remain open until the last day of final exams, December 22. On December 23, the University will close all buildings per the normal winter break schedule, with the exception of libraries, which will remain open with limited hours. Facilities for students who are in residence over the break will remain open, in coordination with Student Affairs and Athletics. The Westchester campus will close on November 25, and reopen Monday, January 25, 2021.

How is the academic calendar affected for the spring semester?
In anticipation of a national resurgence of the COVID pandemic this winter, Fordham has decided to modify its academic calendar for the spring 2021 semester. 

  • The first day of class for FCRH, FCLC, GSB, and GSAS students will be Feb. 1, 2021 – thirteen days later than previously scheduled, so as to reduce the risk of viral spread during the winter season.  
  • Students will continue to have the option this spring to live on or near campus and take courses offered in person or through online or hybrid modalities. Alternatively, students can choose to live in a remote location and take all their classes virtually.
  • Spring break will be cancelled out of concern for the heightened risk of viral transmission concomitant with out-of-state travel, as well as to make up for the lost class days due to the delayed start of the semester. 
  • Fordham will observe only three University holidays during the spring semester: 
    • Presidents’ Day (Feb. 15)
    • A mid-semester break day (March 10)
    • Good Friday (April 2) 
  • Reading Days (May 6-7), Finals (May 10-17), and Commencement (May 22) are unchanged on the calendar.
  • Deans of the other graduate/professional schools (School of Law, Graduate School of Education, Graduate School of Social Service, Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education, and the School of Professional and Continuing Studies) will be communicating their specific spring calendars directly to their students.

For more details on the spring semester, please see the Students and Families FAQ.

Are students, faculty, and staff required to be tested for COVID-19? Will the University provide testing for COVID-19?

All students, faculty, and staff returning to campus for the spring semester will be REQUIRED to be tested with a FDA EUA authorized PCR saliva or nasal swab test. They will not be allowed to enter campus or move into a residence hall without providing the negative test results in advance or bringing a copy of the results with them. They will then be tested again within the first week of arrival. 

As during the fall semester, all students, faculty, and staff accessing campus will be required to obtain a test once a month throughout the spring semester. The deadlines for mandatory testing are February 26, March 26, April 23, May 14. 

We provide on-campus testing for students and employees with results within 24 hours, or as quickly as possible thereafter.

Employees: Please see the Employees FAQ for more testing information.

Students: Please see the Students and Families Testing and Quarantine FAQ for more testing information.

You can track the number of COVID-19 positive cases on Fordham's COVID-19 Dashboard. 

I am traveling from another state or country to return to Fordham in the spring. Will I have to quarantine upon my arrival?

Students, faculty, and staff that are traveling from states that are NOT contiguous to New York (including if outside of the United States) are encouraged to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in New York or a contiguous state, per New York state guidelines, but they can now “test-out” of quarantine by taking the following steps:

  • They must have negative test results of a FDA EUA authorized PCR saliva or nasal swab test administered within three days prior to your departure;
  • Quarantine for three days upon arrival in New York or a contiguous state (quarantine cannot be done in University housing);
  • On day 4, obtain another COVID test either on or off campus;
  • If the pre-departure test AND this second test come back negative, they may exit quarantine upon receipt of the second negative diagnostic test;

In order to access campus, they must upload both test results.

 Please see the Students and Families Testing and Quarantine FAQ for more information.

What if someone on campus tests positive for COVID-19?

Anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 will be required to self-isolate for an amount of time prescribed by the NYS Department of Health or their physician. Close contacts to the infected individual will be directed to quarantine themselves so as to prevent further spread. Provisions for self-isolation and quarantine are as follows:

  • Commuter and resident students who are able to travel to their homes will be directed to isolate or quarantine at their off-campus residences.
  • Residents with a positive test for COVID-19 who are unable to travel home will be isolated in designated residence hall rooms. Residents who are symptomatic or have been exposed to a COVID-19 positive individual will quarantine in their rooms pending their test result if possible. We will supplement these spaces as needed with off campus accommodations.
  • We have made provisions to provide ongoing support services, medical oversight through health services and food delivery to isolated students.
  • Employees who become ill on campus will be provided with guidance by the Office of Human Resources Management and/or Public Safety on how to isolate/return home, as well as quarantine requirements.

Contact Tracing
When an individual has tested positive for COVID-19, contact tracing tracks down anyone who might have been exposed to the infected individual for long enough to have put them at risk of infection. In coordination with the NYC and NYS contact tracing programs, Fordham will deploy its own contact tracing program. Fordham students, faculty, or staff who have received a positive test for COVID-19 will be contacted by a contact tracer and asked to share details of any close contact (defined as anyone they have been within 6 feet for 10 or more minutes during the four days prior to the positive test result or the four days prior to the first onset of symptoms, whichever period is longer). Contacts will be notified by the contact tracer of their exposure and will be provided guidance regarding quarantine and testing.

COVID Alert NY

Fordham strongly recommends that all members of the University community add the COVID Alert NY contact tracing app to their smartphones. COVID Alert NY is a voluntary, anonymous, exposure-notification smartphone app. You will get an alert if you were in close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19. The app keeps personal information confidential and does not track your movements.

What precautions are being taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19?
As Fordham campuses reopen, the University is taking many measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 among our community including:

  • Operating at a lower density and instituting social distancing standards in all facilities
  • Undertaking enhanced cleaning measures
  • Requiring the use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE)
  • Instituting mandatory universal testing for all faculty, students and staff
  • Pursuing daily health screening to monitor, trace, and isolate potential infections
  • Moving all final classes, reading days, and final exams online after Thanksgiving so that students do not need to return to campus until the spring semester
  • Educating around behaviors that minimize risk and support the health of students, employees, and our local community
  • Requiring every member of the campus community to follow the health and safety guidelines laid out in the Fordham Forward plan, and to sign The Ram Pledge

View details related to these measures.

Will I have to wear a face-covering?
Yes, all University staff, faculty, students, and visitors are required to wear a face-covering when in public indoor spaces which include hallways, elevators, stairwells, lounge areas, dining spaces (except when eating/drinking), event spaces, classrooms, laboratories, libraries, shared offices, and conference rooms.

Will I be provided with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)?
The University will distribute reusable/washable face coverings to all employees and students on Fordham campuses. Visitors should bring their own face coverings when visiting Fordham campuses, but Public Safety will have a supply of disposable face coverings for anyone in need. Other PPE will be provided as needed for specific areas and modes of work. Gloves are being supplied to public safety, custodial services, library services, and health services. Hand sanitizer stations and wipes dispensers will be deployed around campus. Learn more about the distribution of PPE.

Will my temperature be taken when I enter Fordham buildings?
Fordham will utilize a screening program called VitalCheck to screen and monitor staff, and students. Visitors, guests, or members of the Fordham community who are not able to utilize the screening program will be required to have a temperature check prior to being given access to campus. Learn more about the VitalCheck screening program.

How will the University monitor the Fordham community for symptoms of COVID-19?
Fordham will utilize a screening program called VitalCheck to screen and monitor staff, students, and some visitors to campus. Visitors, guests, or members of the Fordham community who are not able to utilize the screening program will be required to have a temperature check prior to being given access to campus. Learn more about the VitalCheck screening program.

Will independent contractors, such as bookstore and food services employees, as well as other vendors that frequent campus also be screened before they arrive? 
Yes, all contract vendors who work on campus daily or on a regular basis will be required to adhere to all Fordham policies and protocols regarding testing and surveillance screening. Learn more about Vendor COVID_19 Guidelines.

How will visitors gain access to campus?

Visitors to any Fordham property will need to be screened prior to being given access to campus. Some visitors may be prescreened before arrival on campus. Visitors will undergo infrared temperature checks at designated entry points and face coverings will be available at entry points for all visitors.

How will dining be affected?
Fordham’s dining partner is focused on promoting social distancing, implementing new levels of food safety, and revising all locations to provide safe service to customers from healthy staff members. Location modifications include:

  • Installing new protective barriers to help protect staff and guests
  • Reducing seating capacity and increasing spacing to meet social-distancing guidelines
  • Installing floor markings in dining areas to help guests and staff maintain the approved furniture layout
  • Eliminating self-serve stations
  • Converting all point-of-sale equipment for “contactless” transactions
  • Providing tented areas at many venues to expand on outdoor dining options

Learn more about modifications to dining spaces at Fordham.

Will athletics events be held?
Both the Atlantic 10 Conference and the Patriot League have suspended all collegiate athletic competitions for the fall semester.