Covid-19 Response Procedures
Academic Year 2020 - 2021

Overview:

The Seminary of Our Lady of Providence will be open and operational this fall with adjustments and precautions due to the coronavirus pandemic, which is a dynamic reality. The following document provides precautionary guidelines and protocol for the 2020-2021 academic year. This is a working document and we will continue to monitor the situation and adjust accordingly throughout the year.

The main body of the document is divided into two parts, which corresponds to a twofold objective for the coming year: Prevent the introduction of the virus into community and Contain the virus in the case of an outbreak. Besides this twofold objective, we are also fully committed to providing seminarians with the full support and guidance necessary and outlined by the Program for Priestly Formation. Before addressing those objectives, below is an overview of the academic schedule for Providence College and Rhode Island College:

Academic Schedule:

• Providence College – Fall semester undergraduate classes will begin on Monday, Aug. 31, in-person on campus, with remote accommodations for students and faculty as may be necessary. There will be no holidays during the fall semester. In-person courses will conclude on Friday, Nov. 20. We will shift to remote instruction beginning on Monday, Nov. 30 (the Monday after Thanksgiving), continuing through the semester’s end on Friday, Dec. 11. Reading period will take place on the weekend of Dec. 12 and 13, with remote final exams/assessment Monday, Dec. 14 – Friday, Dec. 18. Calendars for graduate and School of Continuing Education classes are forthcoming.

• Rhode Island College – Rhode Island College will be teaching, learning and working in a predominately remote environment as we start the academic year. Classes will resume Monday, August 31 according to the published academic calendar. While most classes will be offered online, in either synchronous or asynchronous format, select studio and laboratory classes and classes for first-year students may be offered in-person. Classes may be offered in a hybrid format in certain cases.

Part I: Prevent

Preliminary testing:

All in-house faculty members and seminarians will be tested as close to the start date of the semester as possible. It is up to each individual to arrange for testing in their respective state.

Move-in:

Anyone who is accompanying seminarians to the seminary on move-in day who have not been tested should wear a mask indoors.

Community Life - “Households Living in Close Quarters”:

The CDC provides guidelines for “households living in close quarters.” As a community that prays, studies, eats, and sleeps under the same roof, the Seminary of Our Lady of Providence will operate based on this “household principle.” With this in mind, certain practices such as wearing masks and “social distancing” will not normally be required for our community. Meals, liturgies, and dormitory arrangements will continue as usual. Seminarians will be asked to take a more active and intentional role in the upkeep and sanitization of common areas, especially bathrooms.

For this principle to be successful and effective, it is incumbent upon each member of our community to practice strict social distancing protocol when outside of the seminary building. This means avoiding crowds and unnecessary outings, limiting one’s interactions with members outside our community as much as possible, and wearing masks on-campus and elsewhere.

Staff:

Because our staff does not live with us, in-house faculty and seminarians should wear masks and practice social distancing when interacting with our cook, maintenance person, office manager, adjunct faculty members and director of human formation.

Adjunct faculty members:

Adjunct formation advisors and spiritual directors will meet in the larger spiritual direction room, the conference room, classroom, or another larger space such as the sitting area behind the classroom. We will not use the smaller spiritual direction room (adjacent to Dr. Hansen’s office). If an adjunct faculty member is not comfortable with coming to the seminary, meetings may need to take place over the phone.

Mass:

The Precious Blood will not be distributed during Mass and we will continue the practice of suspending the Sign of Peace.

Meals/Kitchen:

There will likely be changes to our meals. For example, food may be served individually plated rather than “family style.” We will work with Sodexo and follow their guidelines for all meals and kitchen related matters. We will have training in the beginning of the year on how to properly wash and sanitize dishes.

“Common touch areas” in the kitchen will be wiped down frequently. (Examples of touch points would include the refrigerator handles, the coffee station, any service utensil that is "shared", door handles, door knobs etc.).

Daily temperatures:

Seminarians will be required to bring an accurate thermometer (preferably digital) to the seminary. Seminarians and faculty should take their temperature on a daily basis and closely monitor their health.

[Self-screening may also be required by colleges. For example, a message from the Dean of Students dated June 26 states: In addition to a mandate that they self-screen each day, all persons on campus will be required to comply with COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, and isolation/quarantine protocols that will be established by the College.]

Pastoral Formation:

There will be no apostolates for the fall semester. (Opportunities in-house will be provided for seminarians to develop skills in teaching, sanctifying, and governing or leading, which is the aim of pastoral formation as described in the Program for Priestly Formation no. 239).

Visitors:

Visitors to the seminary will be very limited. It is likely that we will not have guests overnight. As we continue to monitor the pandemic, some exceptions may be made with special precautions.

House jobs:

Seminarians will take more active roles in the upkeep and sanitization of our common spaces. 

Masks:

Although seminarians will not be required to wear masks while interacting with each other in the dorms and common spaces, we do ask that seminarians wear masks around our staff, as mentioned above. Seminarians should bring several cloth masks with them, as they will be required on the campuses and in places of business.

Thanksgiving Break:

Students at Providence College are being asked not to return after Friday, November 20. After Thanksgiving, classes and final exams will be online. Seminarians, however, will be in the seminary for the final weeks of class and the exam period. Depending on the state of the pandemic in November, we may ask seminarians to stay in-house over Thanksgiving break.

Other Preventive, Nonpharmaceutical Interventions (NPI’s):

Environmental NPIs:

• Frequent cleaning/disinfecting of surfaces, door knobs, and handles

• Sanitizer provided around house, especially in common areas and outside of chapel

• Employee/staff designated bathrooms

Personal NPIs:

• Self-screening

• Staying in your room when you are sick

• Covering coughs and sneezes

• Washing hands with soap and water or using hand sanitizer when soap and water is not available

Part II: Contain

In the event that a seminarian, faculty member, or staff develops Covid-19 symptoms, the following steps will be taken to ensure the safety of the individual and the rest of the community. Each member is responsible for checking their temperature daily, monitoring their personal health, and acting accordingly. The Our Lady of Providence ‘Rule of Life’ already states that any sick member of our community should quarantine. Please refer to page 15, which reads:

If a seminarian is sick, he is asked to remain in his room the entire day in order to rest rather than risk spreading his sickness to others...

Personal Accountability:

As soon as a faculty/staff member or seminarian manifests cold or flu-like symptoms, they should assume that they are contagious and immediately quarantine. This means that outside faculty or staff should not come into the building. Seminarians will quarantine in-house.

Seminarian Quarantine:

The three rooms on the first floor of St. Joseph House will be designated for quarantine. In the event that a seminarian begins to show symptoms of Covid-19, they will quarantine in one of these rooms. Infirmarians will be assigned to bring food to the infirm seminarian and leave it outside of their door.

* We will follow CDC quarantine measures and guidelines. For example, we will use paper/plastic plates and utensils that will be discarded for anyone in quarantine.

Primary Physicians:

Seminarians should contact their primary care physicians if they develop Covid-19 symptoms.

On-Campus Health Services:

Seminarians at Rhode Island College and Providence College should familiarize themselves with Health Services available through their respective colleges.

Rhode Island College Health Services

Christie Rishworth
Interim Director/Nurse Practitioner
P: (401) 456-8055
LOCATION:
Browne Hall (BH)
Residence Halls