October 2, 2020

On-campus Residents, 

We’re writing to update you about the status of reopening residential common areas. Over the next week, we are preparing spaces and residents in order to complete an initial reopening of common areas. It is possible that not all common rooms will open due to local quarantine restrictions.

In initial reopening, common areas will be reopened with the following restrictions. Note: these universal requirements must be met in addition to any other area-specific requirements, as posted. 

• Common area occupancy may not exceed the posted limit
• All areas less than 100 square feet have a maximum occupancy of one
• Appropriate face coverings must be worn at all times by all individuals utilizing the common area
• Adequate social distancing practices must be upheld at all times, including the allowance of at least 6 feet of space between individuals in the area
• All users are responsible for ensuring the space is appropriately cleaned and sanitized after each use
• Pool tables, ping pong tables, and other shared use activities remain closed
• Food and beverages are not allowed to be consumed in common spaces
• Kitchens are limited to one individual in the cooking area (i.e. stove, microwave, fridge, sink) at a time
• Please refer to the Student Engagement website for information about student engagement spaces and student events.

Before we can reopen common areas, all residents must participate in an House Adviser (HA) led meeting regarding college policy, common area expectations, and community-specific expectations. Your HA will reach out by tomorrow to inform you about this meeting. Provided that all residents participate in these meetings, we may reopen common areas as early as October 9.

You should have received email communication on Thursday regarding public health behavior expectations and ensuring compliance. We strongly encourage you to closely review these materials as compliance with wearing of facial coverings AND observing 6 feet of physical distance while in any indoor location is an integral part of opening common rooms and keeping our community healthy.

Your HA will answer questions about common room reopening at your community meeting. If you have more pressing questions or concerns, please reach out to your Area Coordinator or email res.life@reed.edu.

Best,
Res Life