Arrival Plan

Arriving by Car: Driving Directions and Parking Information

• Northampton is on Route I-91 in Massachusetts. From I-91 north take exit 18 and turn left onto Route 5. Follow Route 5 into the center of town. At the intersection of Routes 5 and 9, turn left onto Route 9 (Main Street). At the second traffic light (Smith College will be directly in front of you), turn left onto West Street. Take the first right onto Green Street and follow it to the end, bearing right onto College Lane. College Lane will be one-way traffic for the arrival days.
• Parking for Central Check-in will be along College Lane and in the admissions office parking lot on your right, overlooking Paradise Pond. Parking is also available along Route 9.
• Students should enter the Campus Center from the Chapin lawn side of the building, not the Elm Street entrance.

Arriving by Public Transportation (taxi, Uber, Lyft, PVTA bus)

• Drop-offs should be made on Elm Street in front of the Campus Center.
• Students should enter the Campus Center from the Chapin lawn side of the building, not the Elm Street entrance.
• Taxi and transportation service listings are on the Visiting Smith website.

Please note: If using online map applications for directions, the destination should be 8 College Lane, Northampton, Massachusetts 01063.

Airport Shuttles

• Airport shuttles will be available from Bradley International Airport (Hartford, Connecticut). Students may register for an airport shuttle. Shuttle space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Limited shuttles will be available from Logan International Airport (Boston, Masssachusetts) and will be coordinated by the International Students and Scholars Office.
• If a student misses their scheduled shuttle, they should plan to make their own arrangements for travel to the college. Taxi and transportation services are listed on the Visiting Smith website.
• Shuttles are only available for student passengers. Guests may not register for or ride on Smith shuttles.

Late Arrival Information

• Students who will be arriving after central check-in (CCI) is closed, due to their scheduled transportation arrival time, must complete the Scheduled Late Arrival Form available on the Residence Life Self-Service page accessible from the Smith Portal at least three business days before arrival.
• Registered late arrivals will move their belongings into their semester room assignment after they have completed their quarantine.
• CCI will close at 6:30 p.m. on each arrival date. On Saturday, February 2; Wednesday, February 6; and Saturday, February 9, CCI will have limited late access from 6:30 to 9 p.m. for testing and quarantine support because of the large numbers of students arriving on those days. Arrivals between 6:30 and 9 p.m. on those days will not be permitted to access their campus room and must proceed to their quarantine assignment.
• Students will receive an email on the day of their arrival with instructions on what to do once they get to campus. Email reslife@smith.edu with any questions.
• If students’ travel is unexpectedly delayed and they will be arriving after CCI is closed, students should email reslife@smith.edu to notify staff members of their late arrival. Alternatively, students can call Campus Safety at 413-585-2490. Students who do not notify the college of their late arrival and do not arrive at CCI will receive late arrival information by email.

Arrival at the Campus Center

• Central check-in (CCI) will be held in the Campus Center (enter at 100 Elm Street, Chapin lawn side).
• The CCI process is required for all arriving students and will include a baseline coronavirus screening and distribution of room keys. New students will also receive their OneCards.
• All students must bring their OneCard to Central Check-In. Students without a OneCard will not be permitted to check-in and receive their room key. Newly admitted and transfer students will receive their OneCard at Central Check-In. If you do not have a OneCards yet or have lost your OneCard, please report to Campus Safety to obtain a temporary OneCard PRIOR to arriving at Central Check-In. You will then need to contact the OneCard Office at ithelp@smith.edu to schedule an appointment to obtain a new OneCard after you are cleared from quarantine.
• Students must have a scheduled arrival time and arrive within their scheduled hour. If a student does not have a scheduled arrival time, they must contact studentaffairs@smith.edu immediately.
• To ensure physical distancing, arrivals are staggered in one-hour time blocks; students may arrive at any time within their one-hour time block, but only within the scheduled time block. Only those students arriving within their scheduled hour will be allowed to go through the process at that time.
• Masks and physical distancing will be required by everyone involved for the entire check-in and move-in process.
• Students who arrive via public transport with their luggage will place it in Campus Center 103/104 while proceeding through CCI.

Coronavirus Screening

• Each arriving student will proceed from the check-in table to the testing center, located in the Carroll Room of the Campus Center, for their coronavirus screening.
• Smith’s asymptomatic screening program is managed by the Schacht Center for Health and Wellness and processed by the Broad Institute. Questions about the coronavirus screening process can be emailed to testingandtracing@smith.edu.
• All students enrolled in the screening program in spring 2021 must be screened regularly. The initial arrival screening will allow a student to move through CCI to pick up their key for their semester room assignment. The testing center will follow up with residential students on scheduling and managing their subsequent testing.

Room Keys

• Room assignments will be emailed to students by the Office of Residence Life.
• Once they have been screened, students will proceed to Swymmer Lounge (located on the second floor of Campus Center) to pick up room keys and quarantine keys (when applicable).
• Each student will receive a color-coded bracelet indicating whether they are moving to their campus room assignment or going to quarantine.
  • Color-coded bracelets will indicate students’ access to their residences.
  • Students going to quarantine will have one hour to place their belongings in their room and proceed to quarantine.
  • Shuttles will be available for off-campus quarantine locations at Ellery Hotel and Fairfield Inn. The color-coded bracelets will serve as quarantine shuttle tickets.
• Once they get their room keys, students should leave through the Elm Street door to go to their residences.

Lanyards

Each residential student will receive a lanyard with an ID holder. This lanyard will indicate students’ residential status and participation in the coronavirus screening program. Students must have this lanyard with them and visible at all times when on campus and when accessing campus facilities.

Packing for the Semester

• Students are advised to pack light and must be prepared to take everything with them upon departing at the end of the semester. Trunk room storage will not be available over the summer.
• Each arriving student will move their belongings into their semester room assignment.
• Students going to quarantine will have one hour to place their belongings in their rooms and then must proceed to quarantine. Students should plan to unpack their rooms after their release from quarantine.

Move-In Information

• Professional staff volunteers and student leaders will be available in each house to welcome students, provide information and manage concerns.
• Hand trucks will be available at each house for students to use for moving purposes.
• Limited assistance on move-in day may be available for students with physical disabilities. Please contact studentaffairs@smith.edu to make arrangements.
• Color-coded bracelets will indicate students' house access to the welcome staff; these bracelets must be visible at all times.

Trunk rooms

Students will have access to trunk rooms once they arrive on campus and are released from quarantine. Please read the trunk room access schedule thoroughly for more specific information about accessing trunk rooms.

Mail Services Package Pick-up

• Students’ letters and packages will be loaded into lockers at Mail Services in the Campus Center. For items that cannot be loaded into lockers, Mail Services will contact students directly to coordinate a pick-up time. The student pick-up window will remain closed until February 15.
• Students should go to Mail Services for packages only after they receive notification indicating that their package has been loaded into a mail locker.
• Students in quarantine: Mail lockers will be loaded with packages following students’ release from quarantine. Students entering quarantine should not mail items that they will need access to upon arrival.
• Students needing assistance accessing their packages following arrival and quarantine should contact Mail Services for service and support.

Students must participate in the coronavirus screening process three times weekly, and perform daily symptom checks. Test results and symptom checks will be managed through the Policy Path App.

Policy Path COVID-19 Screen App

The Testing Center will follow up with all students registered in the screening program with information on how to download and use the app. Each student will monitor their symptoms daily and receive their coronavirus screening test result through the Policy Path app. Medical professionals from Schacht Center for Health and Wellness will be available to answer any questions.

Students Who Have Tested Positive for Coronavirus Before Arrival

Please contact the Schacht Center for Health and Wellness to inform them of your status.

If a student can provide proof of having tested positive within the past 90 days, and more than two weeks before arrival, they can bypass the quarantine and testing process upon arrival.

If a student tests positive within the two weeks before arrival, they should provide medical clearance from their home provider indicating that they are cleared from isolation status and can safely return to the community.

Students Who Have Been Vaccinated for Coronavirus

If a student has been vaccinated, they will still need to participate in the testing program at the prescribed cadence for students, as we are not certain yet about the effectiveness of the new vaccine with the new strain of coronavirus. In addition, if a student has been vaccinated, they must still participate in the arrival quarantine if arriving from outside of a low-risk state.

In order to limit density, students must move through the testing and key pick-up process without guests. It will take each student approximately 15 to 30 minutes to get through the process. Students are permitted to register up to two guests during the arrival time sign-up process. Guests will be provided color-coded bracelets. All guests permitted to assist with move-in must be from a low-risk state or be able to show proof that they have quarantined in Massachusetts for the previous 14 days, and must observe all public health protocols, including wearing a mask at all times while on campus. Guests who do not meet the stated criteria may not enter campus housing, even to assist with move-in. A COVID-19 vaccination does not waive this requirement.

Students may not bring additional, unregistered guests to campus.

Guests may:

• be on campus grounds so long as they follow masking and physical distancing protocol.
• use public restrooms available for guest use on the lower level of the Campus Center. Guests may enter on the Chapin lawn side of the Campus Center, proceed directly to the lower level, use the facilities and exit directly from the lower level or the Elm Street doors on the mezzanine level. Masks must be worn at all times.

Guests may NOT:

• use airport or quarantine shuttles.
• visit their student in their quarantine location.
• stay overnight in any student’s room.

Dining & Meals

• All meals are packaged for take-out.
• Limited seating options will be available during green operating mode.
• During green and yellow operating modes, reusable containers will be provided and students will be employed to help in the dining rooms and dish rooms. When not using reusable containers, students can use compostable or recyclable serviceware, but they are encouraged to use their own reusable water bottles and utensils to cut down on the waste.
• Students will not use the meal ordering app while in quarantine. Instead, meals will be delivered to quarantine room doors during designated time slots.

Meal Ordering App

Students on the Board Plan will be able to order from one of the many house restaurants on campus through the Grubhub app.

Packing for Quarantine

Each room has a private bathroom, towels and sheets. Students should pack enough masks, personal items, and clothing and toiletries for three days.

Expectations

• Students going to quarantine will have one hour to place their belongings in their spring campus room assignment before proceeding to quarantine.
• Information about checking in to quarantine will be available at CCI upon arrival.
• Students are expected to remain in their rooms with their doors closed throughout the quarantine period.
• Students bringing service or support dogs to quarantine will be allowed to bring their service animal outside for elimination.
• Each room will be equipped with instructions for quarantine, as well as emergency contact numbers.
• Students will receive a welcome bag (with snacks and activities) upon arrival to quarantine, and staff will be available to answer questions and assist with concerns.

Meals in Quarantine

Meals will be delivered to students’ quarantine room doors from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. for lunch and 5 to 7 p.m. for dinner. Breakfast for the following day will be sent with dinner. Students will not use the Grubhub app to order meals while in quarantine.

Release and Return to Room Assignment

Students must remain in their quarantine locations until they receive an email from residence life notifying them of their official release time. It is likely that students will receive their coronavirus screening test results via email before receiving an official notification from the Office of Residence Life about being released from quarantine. OneCards will not be activated until notification is issued by residence life.