Updated Pod Guidelines

Limiting Physical Contacts and Choosing Your “Pod”

All LC undergraduates, both on and off campus, are being asked to limit their social contacts to a single social “pod.” This pod may include 4 to 6 individuals and should remain consistent for the semester, or until circumstances warrant a new approach.

Although we strongly encourage you to maintain social distance of at least 6 feet between you and others at all times, it is acceptable for you to have closer contacts with members of your pod.

How Do I Form a Pod?

Your social pod should be composed of members with shared values and expectations for safe behavior. Pod members should check in regularly with one another to ensure these values and behavioral expectations are being upheld. If you think a pod member is taking unnecessary risks or not adhering to your pod’s behavioral expectations, you may want to reevaluate and/or reestablish your shared agreements.

Individuals that you invite into your pod should be people who you trust are upholding the health mitigation standards that you have learned about through our WeB4Me educational campaign or the Moodle course you completed, as well as the various communications we have sent to you over the course of the school year.

You may invite people from different residential areas or off-campus to be a part of your pod; however those individuals will not be able to socialize or visit with you in your residence halls because of our policy limiting visitations to the residence halls.

Podding Up Safely

A pod is a tool that facilitates safer socialization. But like any tool, pods can be dangerous if they are not used correctly.

Importantly, you may not be a member of multiple pods. This effectively merges multiple pods together, amplifying the risk of COVID to each individual in the intersecting pods. Every close contact with individuals outside of your pod increases every member’s risk of contracting COVID-19.

Resources for Podding Up

An example of a “pod agreement” document

“Mapping Your Bubble” worksheet

New York Times - “I Traced My COVID Bubble and It’s Enormous”

How to Keep COVID From Invading Your Pod