The following factors will be considered to assess the public health conditions on campus and guide the College’s response. No single factor or set of factors will trigger an automatic response. Decisions about setting alert levels are necessarily situational — 10 unrelated cases pose a different risk from 10 related cases, for example — and will be made in close consultation with Knox Public Health.
- New confirmed cases on campus per week
- Numbers in quarantine/isolation
- Availability of testing
- Lag in obtaining test results
- Ability to provide essential services: Staffing for Cox Center, Campus Safety, Dining, Facilities, LBIS
- Other factors for consideration:
• Regulatory guidance
• County emergency level
• Relationship among positive cases
• Number of hospitalizations
• Local hospital capacity
• Resource shortages (food, cleaning supplies, PPE)
• Arrivals and departures
Low Alert Level: operating as planned
- Employee Status: As per Return to Campus Protocols (RTCP)
- Academic Delivery: In-person/hybrid/remote at faculty request
- Academic Buildings: Open with restrictions
- Library: Study spaces, library and information service available to students and employees with restrictions
- Residence Halls: Open only to building residents with specific distancing and sanitation protocols
- Dining: Limited to staggered sit-down and to-go options
- Support Spaces: Open with restrictions
- Athletic Facilities: Open with restrictions
- Admissions: Limited tours possible
- Gund Gallery: Limited hours with capacity limits
- Outside Spaces: In use — mask if no spacing
- Visitors: Admissions visitors, approved official visitors, essential service providers, job finalists
Moderate alert level: Modified/reduced Operations
- Employee Status: As per RTCP
- Academic Delivery: In-person/hybrid/remote at faculty request
- Academic Buildings: Open with restrictions. Study spaces more restricted.
- Library: Study spaces, library and information service available to students and employees with more restricted hours
- Residence Halls: Open only to building residents with specific distancing and sanitation protocols
- Dining: To-go
- Support Spaces: Open with restrictions
- Athletic Facilities: Closed
- Admissions: No tours
- Gund Gallery: Limited hours with capacity limits
- Outside Spaces: In use — mask if no spacing
- Visitors: Essential service providers; job finalists for essential positions only
High alert Level: minimal operations
- Employee Status: Only essential personnel report to campus in accordance with RTCP
- Academic Delivery: Remote
- Academic Buildings: Closed (Those faculty, staff and students authorized to use the building may key themselves in.)
- Library: Closed (Staff may access the physical facilities to undertake essential activities.)
- Residence Halls: Quarantine on campus or closing of residence halls
- Dining: To-go/delivery
- Support Spaces: Closed
- Athletic Facilities: Closed
- Admissions: No tours
- Gund Gallery: Closed
- Outside Spaces: Restricted
- Visitors: Essential service providers; job finalists for essential positions only