Marist Emphasizes COVID-19 Travel Restrictions Post Pause

Ahead of the fall semester, Marist outlined policies related to student travel in the COVID-19 Code of Student Conduct: “Once students are on campus, any travel off-campus is strongly discouraged until the end of the semester.” 

Source: Greta Stuckey, ‘23

In an email on Oct. 23, Marist administrators announced several updates and reminders regarding the code of conduct.  

“Local essential travel, such as going to the grocery store, going to a doctor’s appointment, traveling to a place of employment, etc. is permitted. However, students should not be traveling to other colleges, visiting friends, or returning home,” the email included. 

Violators of the code are referred to the Office of Student Conduct for further action. Director of Safety and Security John Blaisdell said that some students have been sent home for the remainder of the semester.

Recently, Marist was forced to enter a campus-wide “pause” due to a rise in new positive cases of COVID-19. This pause included officially closing the campus to all visitors. Immediately following this change to the campus status, security personnel were stationed at the main entrances on campus to ensure that only students were entering. 

“I think it sent a signal,” Blaisdell said. “I think it kept people off the main part of campus that weren’t supposed to be here. We still had people we had to let on. But, it also limited those people that wanted to drive through, do their exercise here or perhaps walk their dog here.”

On Oct. 17, the pause was lifted, and the college’s operations returned to the semblance of normalcy. But Blaisdell said that the campus is still, in essence, closed. 

“We understand that we are not a penitentiary and can’t keep students here,” Blaisdell said. “Our expectations were never that students would be locked down in here. We don’t want to do that.” 

With four weeks remaining on campus, a mostly successful semester could still end unsuccessfully. 

“The students have to take it seriously. They have to police themselves. They have to make smart decisions for this to work,” Blaisdell said. “And, thus far, it has worked and is working, and the end is in sight with Thanksgiving right now.”