Swarthmore College Grounds to Open June 7

Swarthmore College and the Scott Arboretum will reopen to the public on June 7. Photo: Andrew Bunting

Swarthmore College will reopen its grounds on Monday, June 7. The Scott Arboretum, the Crum Woods, playing fields, and tennis courts will be open to visitors for the first time since last August, when college president Valerie Smith restricted access due to concerns about the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We know many in the community were disappointed and frustrated by that decision,” Smith wrote in an email. “Fortunately, there are signs that we may soon slowly return to something that more closely resembles life before the pandemic.”

Indoor facilities will remain closed to the public for now. And Smith noted that the grounds could be closed again if the virus surges or new vaccine-resistant variants emerge.

A week before the reopening, on Sunday, May 30, at 9 a.m., a limited commencement ceremony for the Class of 2021 will take place. Students will be permitted to bring two guests to the outdoor event, which will not be moved indoors in case of bad weather. An online ceremony will follow, on Sunday, June 6, at 11 a.m.

Next fall, all Swarthmore College students will be required to be vaccinated against Covid-19 in order to attend classes, according to an April 30 announcement by Jim Terhune, the college’s vice president for student affairs. (Some medical and religious exemptions will be available.) The college already requires that students be vaccinated against a range of other illnesses, such as mumps, measles, and meningitis. 

In her email about the June 7 reopening, Smith wrote, “I look forward to seeing our neighbors once again enjoy the beauty and serenity of the Swarthmore campus.”