Reducing the Risk of COVID-19 in Columbia Residence Halls

All students are required to sign the Columbia Community Health Compact, pledging to follow its guidelines to reduce the transmission of COVID-19.  Additionally, per University policy, students, faculty and staff are required:

• to be vaccinated unless they have received an approved exemption;

• to complete safety training;

• to participate in COVID-19 screening tests when selected as part of a random sample;

• to participate in contact tracing when necessary;

• and to complete a brief questionnaire each day within the Reopen CU app which polls the user as to whether they are experiencing symptoms of COVID and tracks their compliance with testing and vaccination requirements.   

All students, faculty and staff must wear a mask when inside a residence hall unless they are in their room or office with the door closed. Additionally, Columbia College and The School of Engineering have encouraged their students to wear masks and practice social distancing when indoors or in crowded spaces both on-and-off-campus. 

While not mandatory, social distancing is encouraged across campus and within the residence halls.  

Building occupants are encouraged to open windows in their rooms and floor lounges where safely possible to increase ventilation.  

• Windows should be closed when exiting the room to avoid potential damage to belongings or the building (such as frozen pipes) if/when inclement weather arises.   

• In rooms equipped with A/C units, the unit should be shut off when windows are opened to save energy and prevent mold and mildew from growing due to condensation.   

• Windows are equipped with window stoppers preventing them from being fully opened for safety reasons but can still provide adequate space for effectively ventilating the room. Students should not remove the window stoppers.   

Columbia University Facilities & Operations has increased the frequency at which they clean public areas within the residence halls, with a focus on high-touch surfaces, and have added hand sanitizer stations at all entrances, elevators and lobbies. The number of water bottle refill stations installed in residence halls is also being increased to reduce transmission risk from shared water fountains.  

Columbia Event Management and Facilities & Operations have set up tents on campus to provide space outdoors for student gatherings and socialization where there is increased ventilation.