Health + Safety

On this page you will find resources around policies that impact life in the residence halls. For the full policy text, we encourage you to review the student handbook below. The policies for life in the residence halls are derived from local, state, and federal law (especially fire safety codes) and are enforced to assure safety of the community.

Planning for the Semester

We look forward to welcoming you back to campus! You'll find detailed guidance on travel requirements, testing, quarantine, and more on the COVID-19 Response website.

COVID-19 Student FAQs

Facts About Mold and Mildew

BARD OFFICE OF RESIDENCE LIFE AND HOUSING
Fact Sheet about Mold and Mildew

Bard’s Buildings & Grounds Department provides routine maintenance to prevent
maintenance and mold concerns, and Bard’s Environmental Services Department
cleans residence hall common areas on a daily basis. Buildings and residence hall
rooms are inspected multiple times per year.
If you believe that you have mildew or mold in your residence hall room, please
complete a work order as soon as possible so the issue can be addressed as quickly
and effectively as possible https://www.bard.edu/bandg/

What causes mold to grow?
Mold is a part of the natural environment that aids in the decomposition of leaves, trees,
and other natural outdoor organic materials. Individual mold spores are invisible to the
human eye and are continually floating around outside in nature. However, when those
spores make their way indoors and are exposed to wet/humid areas, they can begin to
grow or colonize. It is impossible to eliminate mold and mold spores in the indoor
environment due to the ingress and egress of daily human activity being carried in on
clothing, shoes, and backpacks.

Mold can grow on almost any material, as long as moisture and oxygen are present.
Maintaining indoor moisture and humidity levels between 30-60 percent will reduce the
likelihood of indoor mold growth. Unfortunately, controlling humidity in large, heavily
populated buildings is difficult, especially in hot humid and rainy weather.

Where is mold and mildew found?
Mold can be found almost anywhere and can grow on virtually any organic substance if
moisture and oxygen are present. The levels of airborne mold spores can vary from month to
month and day to day; are highly reliant on temperature, humidity, other seasonal factors in the
environment; and are not reliable indicators of an indoor dampness or mold problem. It is
impossible to eliminate all mold and mold spores. However, since mold requires water to grow, it
is important to identify and prevent moisture problems in buildings to prevent active mold
growth.

Molds come in a variety of colors, including white, which is sometimes seen on a damp
carpet; pink, which is often found on shower walls; and darkly pigmented, which is often
seen around windowsills as a result of condensation. Given a source of moisture, mold
can grow just about anywhere. Moisture control, air circulation, and good cleaning
practices are necessary to control mold growth.

Are there state or national regulations regarding mold?
There are no federal or state regulations governing the presence of mold or mold spore
levels in buildings. There are also no health standards from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) or public health departments for concentrations of mold
spores in the indoor air. However, the presence of visible mold on indoor building
materials should be remediated.

State and federal agencies generally recommend the following measures to address mold and
moisture indoors:
• The best way to deal with mold in buildings is to identify and correct the source of water or
leak; then clean or discard and replace moldy building materials
• Vent bathrooms, dryers, and other moisture-generating sources to the outside.
• Provide adequate and appropriate ventilation to avoid temperature and humidity conditions
that will lead to excess moisture.
• Clean and dry any damp or wet building materials and furnishings within 24-48 hours to
prevent mold growth.
• Clean mold off hard surfaces with water and detergent and dry completely.
• Prevent the potential for condensation on cold surfaces (i.e., windows, piping, exterior walls,
roof, or floor) by adding insulation.
• In areas where there is perpetual moisture, such as near fountains, by classroom sinks, or on
concrete floors with leaks or frequent condensation, do not install carpeting.

Why not conduct mold testing?
Mold testing is not recommended in many cases. Instead, careful detailed visual
inspection and recognition of moldy odors should be used to find problems needing
correction. Efforts should focus on areas where there are signs of moisture or water
vapor (humidity) or where moisture problems are suspected. The investigation goals
should be to locate indoor mold growth to determine how to correct the moisture
problem and remove contamination safely and effectively.
The Department of Health, as well as the CDC and EPA, do NOT recommend testing as
there are no exposure-based standards to use for evaluation of the sampling results.

How does mold spread?
Most molds reproduce through the formation of spores, tiny, microscopic cells that are
resistant to drying and are released into the air. Airborne spores are found both indoors
and outdoors. Air circulation in a building varies throughout the day and depends on the
level of activity in that space. Mold spores are always present in both the indoor and
outdoor environment and can be carried in on clothing, backpacks, shoes, etc.
Is it safe for me to stay in my residence hall that currently has mold?
In most cases, the answer is yes. According to federal health and safety agencies, mold
growth is commonly found in both indoor and outdoor environments. Therefore, varying
levels of mold are around us at all times.

How does mold affect people?
• Some people are sensitive to mold and may experience short-term or acute
reactions in the presence of mold growth. Symptoms associated with mold
exposure are not unique and cannot be readily distinguished from symptoms
caused by other medical conditions, such as the common cold or seasonal
environmental allergies.
We recommend that you see your health care provider if you experience any health
concerns.

What is the inspection process to determine how to address any mold in
my residence?
A qualified team of B&G and/or ES respond to work orders. Staff will knock, enter, and
conduct a thorough visual inspection of furniture, wall, closets, and fan coil units to
check for any evidence of mold growth or other concerns, as well as take internal
temperature and humidity readings. If mold growth is found, staff will take appropriate
steps to clean or remediate.

What will be done if there is mold found in my room?
Measures will be taken to thoroughly clean and dry the area affected. This work may be
completed by staff and/or an outside contractor specializing in water cleanup. Staff will
return to check regularly on the progress until the situation has been resolved and may
instruct residents in ways to assist in that process. Due to the unique circumstances
around each situation, cases are managed independently with communication managed
by the Director of Residence Life.

Does the College conduct proactive inspections for mold?
Mold inspections within occupied spaces during the academic school year are only
conducted at the request of a work order. Proactive inspections occur regularly
throughout the year focusing on common areas in conjunction with the fire and life
safety inspections. Comprehensive building inspections during the summer between
conferences also occur each year.

Student Handbook

Campus Computing

Bard provides electronic information systems for the campus community in order to support the educational mission of the College. These systems serve important needs for our faculty, staff, and students. Electronic mail messages, like telephone and paper mail communications, are private and privileged exchanges deserving protection and security. Bard views with most serious concern any fraudulent action or any violation of security related to electronic communications and is prepared to take appropriate corrective and punitive actions in response to such behavior.

As citizens of the Bard College community we bear the responsibility to avoid libel, undocumented allegations, and attacks on personal integrity. The same standards of civil discourse and etiquette that govern our face-to-face interactions must apply to online communications including: composing, sending, or redistributing electronic mail or voice messages, and creating or publishing postings online (including images, message boards, and social network sites such as Facebook or Twitter).

With today’s technology messages are disseminated more rapidly and more widely than ever before; a single damaging statement is likely to “live” for years online. We all then must also be aware of and responsible for the “life” of our comments and messages beyond the original posting.

The College expects that the community of people who use electronic information resources will do nothing in that action that infringes upon the rights or safety of others on this campus or elsewhere and will not apply campus information systems in any fraudulent ways.

Bard College email is provided for use during the time students are actively pursuing academic credit at Bard College. Access to Bard email accounts and associated data within Google Workspace will be disabled after graduation (six month grace period) or other separation from the College (may be removed immediately). It is strongly recommended that students not use College email to sign up for external services that may need to be accessed after graduation. Bard email accounts must not be used to conduct private, for-profit endeavors.

Thus, all users agree to the following:

1. College computer facilities will not be used for activities that are in violation of campus, local, state, or federal rules and laws. This includes:

Copyright infringement
Cheating
Theft
Vandalism
Software piracy (the unauthorized duplication or use of copyrighted software)
Media piracy (the unauthorized duplication and distribution of copyrighted text, still image, video, and audio files, e.g. MP3)
Sending messages that encourage or promote violation of the above or other College, local, state, or federal regulations

2. Use of College computer facilities for commercial purposes or personal profit is forbidden with the exception of the publication of scholarly works which may incidentally provide revenues to the author(s).

3. Users will respect an individual’s right to privacy and freedom of expression and will not read, copy, or print material written by others that is not intended for public inspection. Inappropriate use includes:

Sending messages in such a way that makes them appear as though they originated from a different person or that deliberately misrepresent yourself or your authority
Sending messages that are severely abusive or threaten an individual’s safety or for sexual, ethnic, religious, minority, or other harassment
Deliberately flooding a user’s mailbox with automatically generated mail
Sending mail that is deliberately designed to interfere with proper mail delivery or access
Attempting to gain access to another person’s files regardless of the intent or result
Broadcasting messages to large numbers of recipients without regard to the relevance of the material
Sending messages or engaging in other conduct intended to suppress or disrupt debate
Sending messages that are designed to interfere with normal system operation

4. Users will refrain from any activity that threatens the integrity of the computer system at Bard. This includes, but is not limited to:

Modification of system services and utilities;
Permitting others to access College resources from outside of Bard;
Installing any hardware or software that threatens the integrity of the overall campus network, “hacking,” or other sabotage;
Activities that interfere with public access to computer resources.

5. Every user is personally responsible for the integrity of the account assigned to that individual. Usernames are not transferable to other users or publicly distributable without prior authorization from Bard Information Technology.

Violations of these rules will be reported to the appropriate campus judicial body. Any punitive actions will be determined by that body and could include disconnection from the campus network.

Health + Safety

Planning for the Semester

Facts About Mold and Mildew

Facts About Mold and Mildew

Student Handbook

Campus Computing

Residence Life and Housing