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Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences Registrar's Office

megaphone iconANNOUNCEMENT

Your SEAS/SEC classroom is eligible for unmasked lecturing.

— Please review the requirements.
Download list of eligible SEAS/SEC classrooms
Dear FAS Instructional Staff,

As noted in Dean Gay's recent message, I am writing because you teach in a SEAS/SEC classroom that is eligible for unmasked lecturing under the new guidelines from Environmental Health and Safety. The guidelines will go into effect on Thursday, March 3. 

FAS has defined eligible classrooms as those that allow instructors to maintain a six-feet distance from students at all times. The Registrar's Office has compiled our list of eligible classrooms based on this requirement. 
If you teach multiple courses or sections, you should confirm which of your classrooms are eligible under the new policy by downloading the list of eligible SEAS/SEC classrooms. 

Instructors with eligible classrooms who are planning to teach without a mask must also meet other requirements. Only one lecturer in the classroom may remove their mask at a given time. The unmasked instructor must:

  • Be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
  • Have no symptoms of COVID-19.
  • Have no close contact with an infected person in the past 10 days.
  • Be current on all required COVID-19 testing.
  • Complete a COVID-19 test via Color at least twice weekly (even if their usual testing cadence is less frequent).
You must inform your students of your decision in advance using the provided language. "In accordance with University guidance, the lecturer of this course will be removing their face covering for the purposes of instruction only. A distance of six feet from all class participants will be maintained at all times while unmasked. Per University policy, face coverings are required for all other classroom participants." You only need to communicate this to students once – you do not need to inform students each time you teach without a mask.
Students may have questions about what options they have after you have communicated to them that you will be teaching without a mask. Please remind them that as noted in the FAS Academic Year 21-22 Plan, instruction will be held in the classroom. Hybrid or remote options are not available. Students with disabilities who are unable to attend in-person courses for medical reasons should consult with the Accessible Education Office (AEO) to discuss any course attendance or participation modifications. Also remind them that the change only applies to instructors and that their peers will remain masked at this time.

If students are uncomfortable, they still have options to protect themselves including: 
  • Wearing a high-quality mask. (Students affiliated with the Houses can obtain high quality masks from their Building Managers. For Dudley and first-year students, they are available at Yard Operations.)
  • Sitting at a greater distance from any instructional staff who are teaching without masks. 
Please contact Environmental Health and Safety at ehs@harvard.edu if you have questions about the new policy. Additional on campus activity guidance is available on the Environmental Health and Safety website. 

Sincerely,

Mike Burke
Registrar of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Harvard University
Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences Registrar's Office
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