Dear Students and Families,
As we prepare for a safe and responsible return to Adelphi’s campus for Fall 2020, we want to share information and guidance about the University’s dining options, meal plans and the protocols we have put in place to ensure the health and safety of our community.
You have likely read in our Fall 2020 reopening plans that the Thanksgiving break will mark the end of on-campus instruction and activities as we plan to complete the remainder of the semester remotely, including final exams.
Given this change, required meal plans have been discounted to reflect our departure from campus on November 25. Additionally, we have adjusted the Fall 2020 meal plan costs to address changes we have made in our dining options and experiences to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as:
- Reduced capacity for seated dining to allow for social distancing
- Increased grab-and-go options and reduced self-service options, as required by state and local requirements for no-contact hygiene protocols (A broad variety of both hot and cold items will still be available.)
- Delayed (until spring) opening of our Ruth S. Harley University Center dining facility, caused by COVID-19-related construction delays
Please download and review this flyer with details of our four meal plan options which reflect the discounted costs for Fall 2020. Since we are hopeful that the spring semester at Adelphi will not have to follow all the same pandemic-related restrictions, that semester’s meal plan costs will resume at the normal rates. However, Adelphi will continue to monitor New York state and local health department guidance as it relates to COVID-19.
Note that, unless a different plan is selected during the sign-up period, all Adelphi residential students will be assigned to the Scholar Plan as the default option. Students will have the first two weeks of the fall semester to change their plan–higher or lower. Revisions to billing will be made based upon the selections made by students.
Below, we are happy to share with you the steps that our Dining Services team is taking to strictly follow the Food Service Guidelines put forth by New York state.
Our Dining Staff:
- Has been reduced in each facility to support social distancing
- Will observe six-feet social distancing requirements in all areas, including the kitchen
- Will adhere to COVID-19-specific quality assurance checklists in place
- Will have temperature checks when arriving at work (Staff members with a fever will be required to leave campus and seek medical attention.)
- Like all members of our community who come to campus, our dining staff will complete a daily health screening form with their supervisor to confirm they have not been exposed to COVID-19. Staff members who fail a daily screening will be required to leave campus.
- Must wear face coverings
- Are undergoing COVID-19 protocol training for hygiene and sanitizing of work stations
- Will have access to sanitizing stations installed at the loading dock
Cleaning Protocols Have Been Intensified:
- All staff will be encouraged to wash hands every 30 minutes as feasible.
- All high-touch surface areas will be sanitized and disinfected every 30 minutes.
- All tables will be sanitized and disinfected every time they are vacated.
In Our Dining Facilities, You Will Notice:
- Hand sanitizers will be placed at every entrance and in dining areas.
- Seating arrangements will ensure 50 percent capacity with six-feet distancing between tables.
- Specific doorways marked for entrance and exit
- Decals on floors to indicate appropriate social distancing and manage pedestrian flow
- Plexiglass barriers at all food and cashier stations
- Plexiglass dividers to separate large tables and seating booths
- Portable dividers to separate walkways and seating areas
- No self-serve buffets, salad bars or any other type of self-serve food item will be available.
- Fewer made-to-order items will help minimize lines and wait times.
- All condiments will be packaged–no self-serve pumps will be available.
- Safety signage to guide and inform our community in dining facilities
- Cashless payments–customers will pay via the AU2GO app, credit card or Apple Pay.
To Enhance Takeout and Contactless Options:
- Mobile ordering will be available for the Paws Café, C-Store, deli orders and late night.
- Contactless residence hall delivery will be available for quarantined students.
If you have any questions about our meal plans, costs or protocols in place for our dining facilities during the Fall 2020 semester, please write to adelphidining@adelphi.edu.
Thank you,
R. Sentwali Bakari, PhD
Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students
Gene Palma
Chief Administrative Officer and Associate Vice President