OP 2022 Covid Protocol Letter

Dear OP Attendees,

After two years apart, we are excited to welcome you to our first in-person Orientation Program & Career Forum (OP) — our 56th Annual OP — taking place June 4-8 in Aurora, Colorado. We appreciate your understanding and continued support over the last few years as we transitioned to fully virtual events to ensure the health and safety of all of our constituents.

We are thrilled about the opportunity to be together again in person and to once again bring our students, alumni, member schools and corporate partners together in one place, but we also recognize the need for caution. As we prepare to welcome you to the OP, your health and safety remain a top priority. Therefore, we have instituted a number of policies and protocols designed to ensure the health and safety of all of our guests. These include the following:

  • We have partnered with Event Farm and CLEAR Health Pass Management system, which allows all attendees to securely access and verify their COVID-19-related health information using CLEAR’s Health Pass prior to an event.
  • Attendees will be asked to upload proof of vaccination or provide a negative Covid test at least 72 hours prior to arrival.
  • We are recommending that all guests avoid handshakes and engage in social distancing.
  • We are encouraging guests to follow the CDC’s and/or Colorado state’s guidance regarding masks and to engage in frequent hand washing and/or sanitizing. Sanitizing stations will be readily available in high-touch areas.
  • Should you become ill prior to the event, we recommend staying home. If you begin to not feel well while on-site, Covid tests will be available for your use.

While these represent our current health and safety protocols for the OP, note that these may change should circumstances change.

In addition to The Consortium’s protocols, the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center is also taking a number of precautions to keep guests safe and its spaces sanitary. As part of Marriott International’s family, the venue is taking a multi-pronged approach that includes the following:

  • A Global Cleanliness Council of in-house and outside experts who continually work to develop a new generation of global hospitality cleanliness standards
  • Enhanced technologies, including implementation of the highest classification of disinfectants recommended by the CDC to sanitize surfaces
  • Extra-stringent daily cleaning procedures that are focused heavily on high-touch areas
  • A requirement that unvaccinated employees wear face coverings when indoors
  • The option for guests to use their phones to check in, access their rooms, make special requests and order food for pick-up or delivery to their rooms using the Marriott Bonvoy mobile app
  • Self-inspections by food and beverage operations using its food safety standards as guidelines, with compliance validated by independent audits
  • Enhanced sanitation guidelines and training videos for employees that include hygiene and sanitizing practices
  • Regular cycles of sanitization in high-touch areas in the Convention Center

With these precautions in mind, we hope that you are able to relax and make the most of the OP experience. The event can be transformational, especially for first-year students, and we are working to create the safest, most valuable experience for you and all of our guests.

Should you have any questions or concerns about our Covid policies or protocols, please contact Janice Wells-White at wellswhitej@cgsm.org.

We look forward to seeing you in Colorado!

Sincerely,
Peter J. Aranda, III Executive Director & CEO
The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management