To: The Wellesley College Community
From: Piper Orton, Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer
Re: Update on reopening campus grounds to visitors
Date: November 15, 2021
Starting November 16, we will be reopening the College grounds and pathways to visitors. Access to campus buildings will continue to be restricted to members of the Wellesley College community and registered College guests. We are also taking several steps to ensure that visitors respect rules regarding parking and dogs.
We realize that due to the pandemic, a number of our students, particularly first-years and sophomores, have only experienced a Wellesley College campus that has been closed to the public, and we are mindful that these grounds are home to the many students who live here. We expect our students to be gracious hosts, and we expect our visitors to respect them as any guests and neighbors would do.
We are thankful that the public health situation has improved so that we can once again share our beautiful campus with our neighbors. However, with the recent rise of cases in Massachusetts, there is still reason to be cautious. Our priority remains the health and safety of the College community, and we will adjust our policies for visitors if needed.
Access to campus buildings. Only members of the Wellesley College community and registered visitors on College business are permitted in campus buildings. We have posted additional signs and will continue to use swipe access to restrict entry. All restrooms and all indoor and outdoor athletics facilities—including the track, fields, and tennis courts—will remain closed to the public.
Spectators are permitted at outdoor games. Visitors to the outdoor areas of the campus will be expected to respect our health and safety rules.
Alumnae have been allowed on campus grounds since the start of the fall semester. Alumnae must remain outdoors unless they are registered visitors coming to campus for College business.
Parking. We have installed gates in several parking lots to better manage parking on campus. Students, faculty, and staff are expected to park in their designated parking areas. Limited visitor parking is available in the Distribution Center Lot #2. Cars parked in other areas that do not have the required parking stickers may be subject to ticketing and towing.
Dogs. We know there have been numerous concerns about unleashed dogs on campus. We have posted additional signage stating that Wellesley College requires all dogs to be leashed. Please note that this also applies to Wellesley College community members with approved support or service animals and to any pets brought to visit the outdoor areas of campus.
Restrictions remain on the paths around Lake Waban. The paths on Wellesley College property along Lake Waban are now open. However, earlier this year the Hunnewells informed the College and the Town that they will not be reopening their portion of the lake path to the public. This closed section extends from the closed gate behind the President’s house and along the southern shoreline to the closed gate at Pond Road. As a result, visitors will not be able to complete a loop of the lake and should adjust their walking plans accordingly.
