Rider University will start spring semester in person

Rider University will start the spring semester by resuming in-person teaching and other on-campus activities as planned. Classes begin Jan. 24.

Health and safety protocols, including the ongoing indoor mask requirement, will remain in place until further notice as the pandemic continues well into its second year. Individuals are encouraged to wear properly fitted masks, and medical-grade, non-cloth masks when possible, in accordance with new guidance from the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“I am confident we can successfully navigate this phase of the pandemic together,” Rider President Gregory G. Dell’Omo, Ph.D., wrote in a message to the campus community this week. “We have been here before. We know we can mitigate risk if we stay smart and flexible, follow the science, and behave responsibly.”

While the University does not require proof of COVID booster shots or a negative test to return to campus, students, faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to get boosted. The guidance follows recommendations by the CDC. Following this new guidance, Rider will not require individuals who have received a booster to quarantine if they are identified as a close contact of a COVID positive individual. 

"In combination with our high vaccination rate, we believe the measures we are taking will allow us to resume on-campus class and activities safely," Dell'Omo says. "Each of us has a responsibility to follow the guidance carefully, but if we do so, we are confident we can avoid massive disruption like we experienced in the beginning of the pandemic." 

This semester, Rider is expanding its weekly surveillance testing program to include vaccinated students and employees. They will be chosen randomly each week to participate, and while participation is voluntary, those individuals who are selected are strongly encouraged to do so. Unvaccinated employees and exempted students are still required to participate in weekly testing, beginning the first week of classes.

Rider is also changing how it handles some cases of residential students who require isolation or quarantine. For those who have a permanent address no more than two hours away from campus, they will be asked to return home for the duration of their isolation or quarantine. For those who live farther away, or whose circumstances don't allow for them to quarantine or isolate at home, Rider will accommodate them on campus.  

In a message to students confirming plans for the spring semester, the University noted that it reserved the right to change operations should circumstances change. 

The Omicron variant has caused widespread complications in sectors across the country since emerging this winter. Its surge caused a dramatic spike in cases, which peaked in New Jersey on Jan. 10. Since then, the number of cases has declined daily.

According to the CDC, vaccines remain the best public health measure to prevent severe illness, hospitalizations and death from COVID-19, as well as to slow transmission and reduce the likelihood of new variants emerging.

A student and employee booster clinic, to be held on Rider’s campus, is planned for Feb. 16. More information about this clinic will be forthcoming.