Graceland will continue to welcome visitors to campus in a way that respects the health and safety of students, employees and the visitors. All visitors will be expected to comply with all of Graceland’s COVID-19 guidelines, as well as to register their presence on campus at the time of their visit. Visitors should register at the Student Help Desk (west entrance of Newcom Student Union).
Functional Visitors
Functional visitors are vendors, salespersons, donors, or other visitors with a scheduled appointment on campus (including company representatives from a vendor), as well as guests on campus for a specific purpose like prospective students, performers for COSA events, guest speakers, etc.
These types of visitors should be identified and invited by a hosting individual employee or department when necessary. The host and, when applicable, hosting student or student group, is responsible for communicating with the visitors before they arrive on campus about times, locations, specific parking locations, and building-access instructions.
Event Visitors
Event visitors are guests who visit campus to attend a university-sponsored event like an athletic competition, a visual and performing arts performance, or other types of special events. Event visitors will be limited and monitored through either ticket purchase or invitation. Event capacity will always be limited to the COVID-specific number published for the designated room or event venue.
The sponsoring area, or host, of the event is responsible for accountable for overseeing admission/visitor policies and will designate an individual to be responsible for monitoring each event. The event monitor will keep track of those in attendance communicate the necessary policy information before and/or during the event. Event monitors will have disposable masks on hand during the event and will be expected to provide them to anyone who arrives without a mask.
All visitors and event attendees are required to respect social distance standards of masking and at least 6-feet between persons.
Ticketed Events
Events that require tickets (Athletics and Performing Arts) will utilize the HomeTown Ticketing no-contact ticket sale system to facilitate, prioritize, and track attendance. HomeTown Ticketing provides no-contact ticketing services. Students, faculty and staff will need to show their daily screening green screen plus a ticket. Visitors will need to show their ticket and go through COVID screening, including a temperature check prior to entrance to the event.
Invitation-only Events
The sponsoring area and, when applicable, student or student group, is responsible for developing an invitation list that meets the event space capacity limit. The invitation list will be shared with facilities services so they can set up the room in a manner that facilitates social distancing.
Specific parking and building-access instructions will be given to all scheduled and invited visitors, to ticket holders at the time of purchase, and along with event invitations.
Spontaneous Visitors – Signage on building doors will direct individuals to the central registration desk at the Newcom Student Union and a contact phone number. Signage for each door outside of all campus buildings will indicate that visitors need an appointment before entering, as well as a contact number to schedule an appointment.
Student Visitors – Existing student guest policies define a protocol for students’ visitors; see Residence Life policies below related to pandemic precautions.
Residence Hall Guests
The policy below covers any non-Graceland students visiting Graceland residential housing. These guests can only visit the residential housing of their host – if they intend to visit other place on campus, they must follow the guidelines for Fall 2020 Events & Visitors. Graceland students visiting other Residence Halls must follow regular check-in procedures at the Residence Hall reception desks.
- Students MUST register non-Graceland student visitors at the student reception desks within the residence halls. Apartments, upperclassmen units and campus-housing residents will need to register guests at the Student Help Desk in the Newcom Student Union.
- The student will accompany their guest to check in. The guest will go through a series of COVID-19 screening questions, have their temperature taken, and will be asked to provide their contact information at check-in. The receptionist will provide the guest with a guest pass that has the guest’s and host’s information and screening date. Visitors will need to complete this process EVERY DAY of their visit.
- Overnight guests must complete an overnight guest form and follow the listed check-in procedures above. Overnight guest forms are provided at residence hall reception desks or the Student Help Desk (check out the Guide to Community Living to see the overnight guest policy).
Students are responsible/accountable for all guest behavior, and guests must abide by Graceland University’s policies – including recent COVID policies stated elsewhere on this site. Failure to register guests will result in a university housing notice for failure to check in/out correctly. Be aware that having visitors on campus is a privilege. With the current pandemic, there is a risk to having visitors on campus, and these steps are to ensure visitors are healthy. Visitors who do not pass the screening test will not be allowed in residential housing. Note that travel and risk of exposure should deter visitors from coming to campus.
