Stanford will welcome admitted students to campus on Friday for Admit Weekend for the first time since 2019. The weekend will include an array of COVID-19 precautions, including admitted students being prohibited from staying in or entering student residences.
Admit Weekend was fully virtual in both 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19, with all programming taking place on a single day. This year, the traditional three-day in-person event will take place in two days — Friday and Saturday — with early check-in starting on Thursday, according to the Admitted Students website.
The two-day program comes amid the second consecutive week of rising COVID-19 cases on campus. Stanford reported 312 new cases during the week of Apr. 18, and 326 students are in isolation as of Monday.
While this year’s Admit Weekend will be in-person for the first time in three years, it will look strikingly different from pre-pandemic years due to the enforcement of COVID-19 health and safety policies.
“The health and safety of our campus community and our visitors remain our primary concern,” wrote University spokesperson E.J. Miranda in a statement to The Daily.
In contrast to pre-pandemic years in which admitted students stayed with current students in their residences, overnight hosting is not permitted this year, and visiting students are prohibited from entering residence halls, according to the health and safety policies. Though students cannot sleep over in the dorms, the University has “offered significant travel assistance to ensure the event is accessible to all admitted students,” Miranda wrote.
Admitted students and their allotted maximum of two registered guests will also not have access to dining halls or classrooms, unless provided as part of Admit Weekend programming, according to the policies. However, they are invited to eat in the many outdoor dining facilities set up on campus, and they can eat in dining halls with select current students, who will serve as “neighborhood hosts,” while they are visiting neighborhoods, according to Miranda.
Many events this year will be held outdoors or in large open spaces, according to Miranda. Hand sanitizer will be made available at key event venues, and all large events that include food will be held outdoors, according to the health and safety policies. Though admitted students are encouraged to visit campus during the time allotted for Admit Weekend, the University discouraged individuals from visiting outside of the time frame “in an effort to keep our community safe,” the policies read.
Admitted students and guests who arrive to campus from an international location are required to show proof of full vaccination and submit a COVID rapid test, which will be provided by healthcare professionals upon checking-in, according to health and safety policies. These participants must also refrain from dining indoors while on campus.
The University “strongly recommended” that admitted students and their guests arriving domestically get vaccinated prior to attending, though it is not required. Stanford also recommended that participants wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status, according to the health and safety policies.
Stanford strongly encourages all members of the University community to continue masking regardless of vaccination status, according to Miranda. Stanford also continues to offer free asymptomatic testing for the campus community, and the Health Alerts site contains the most current COVID safety policies, protocols and resources, he added.