Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Resources
Here is a listing of resources for the general public, and more specifically, IAIA Students. Resources will continue to be added as new pertinent sources become available.
COVID-19 Guidelines
Students who have tested positive or believe they have been exposed to the virus are asked to contact the Dean of Students Nena Martinez Anaya at nanaya@iaia.edu or Academic Dean Felipe Colón (Laguna Pueblo) at fcolon@iaia.edu. Staff and Faculty should contact Human Resources Director Todd Spilman at todd.spilman@iaia.edu.
Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, chills, repeated shaking with chills, gastrointestinal illness, and loss of taste or smell.
For anyone who tests positive for COVID-19:
- Stay in isolation for five days.
- You do not need to get an additional PCR test if you have had a positive at-home rapid test.
- If you have no symptoms after five days, you can return to campus or the museum.
- If you have a fever, continue to stay in isolation until your fever is gone for at least 24 hours.
- To prevent the spread of COVID-19, communicate with people you have recently had close contact with and encourage them to get tested, monitor for symptoms, and reduce exposure to other people.
For anyone who has been in close contact with someone with COVID-19 (Quarantine):
- Continue to wear a mask around others.
- Test on day five.
- If you develop symptoms at any time, get tested and stay in quarantine until you get your results.
- If you can’t get a test, but still have symptoms, assume you are COVID-19 positive and follow guidelines for a COVID-19 positive test.
For anyone who has symptoms of COVID-19:
- Get either an at-home rapid test or PCR test, and stay at home until you know your test result. (Visit NMDOH COVID-19 Testing Sites.)
- If you test positive, follow the guidelines for a COVID-19 positive test result.
- If you test negative but still have symptoms, continue to isolate.
- Get a PCR test or an at-home rapid test in one to two days.
- If you test positive on the PCR or at-home rapid test, follow guidelines for a COVID-19 positive test.
- If you test negative, no other test is needed at this time.If you can’t get a test, but still have symptoms, assume you are positive and follow guidelines for a COVID-19 positive test.
Vaccinations remain the best way for IAIA students, staff, and faculty to protect themselves from COVID-19. The vaccines are safe, highly effective, and free. Booster shots will also help protect against the new omicron variant, and the New Mexico Department of Health (DOH) encourages everyone 12 and older to get a booster shot as soon as possible. To find vaccine locations near you, visit www.vaccinenm.org, www.vaccines.gov, or call NMDOH’s COVID-19 hotline at (855) 600-3453, available every day from 8 am to 8 pm.
Effective December 9, 2022
Any student or family member living on campus who submits and receives a qualifying exemption to the 2022–2023 COVID-19 Student Vaccination Mandate is required to transition to online-only classes, forgo the use of campus facilities, and vacate housing immediately if and when they receive a lab-confirmed positive COVID-19 test result. Please keep this new guideline in mind when registering for future semesters.
Face Coverings
Effective February 17, 2022, the New Mexico Department of Health and Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham lifted the indoor face coverings mandate. IAIA is following the revised public health order and will no longer require face coverings outdoors or indoors. Students, faculty, and staff can elect to continue to wear face coverings and will be permitted to do so without any penalty, discrimination, or harassment. For questions, please contact Human Resources Director Todd Spilman at todd.spilman@iaia.edu.
Student Resources
Federal CARES Act and HEERF Information
- The Institute of American Indian Arts signed and returned the certification agreement with the US Department of Education agreeing to spend no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.
- The Institute of American Indian Arts received a total of $171,260 in funds from the US Department of Education pursuant to the institution’s Certification and Agreement [for] Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students. One hundred percent of these funds were issued to students.
- As of, 4/24/2020, the Institute of American Indian Arts has distributed $171,260 of the Emergency Financial Aid Grant (CARES) to students.
- The Institute of American Indian Arts estimated 300 students as the total number eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and thus eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act.
- The total number of students who have received an Emergency Financial Aid Grant to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act is 266.
- The criteria IAIA used to determine student eligibility for receiving Emergency Financial Aid Grants and how much they would receive under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act was based on Title IV eligibility, degree seeking and enrollment status. Because 80% of our students are Pell grant eligible, we determined that $700 would be distributed to full-time students (12–18 credits); $525 would be distributed to ¾ time enrollment (9 credits); $350 would be distributed to ½ time (6 credits); and $175 for less than half-time students (3 credits). We followed the guidelines and did not award the funds to distance-only; undocumented or international students and used our internal funds to assist those students with the same enrollment criteria as they also had disruption regarding the closure of the campus due to COVID-19.
- A press release was issued on April 28, 2020 informing students of CARES Act regarding the funding students will receive.
- On May 1, 2020, our President, Dr. Robert Martin updated students with a letter posted on the IAIA website regarding COVID-19 and CARES funding.
- Email to IAIA Students on April 24, 2020
- The Chief Admissions & Student Success Officer personally called the remaining 104 students who did not reply to the email to inform them of the CARES funding that was made available to them to ensure these students received their checks.
See the following HEERF reports.
About the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA)
The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) offers undergraduate degrees in Studio Arts, Creative Writing, Cinematic Arts and Technology, Indigenous Liberal Studies, Museum Studies, and Performing Arts—an MFA in Creative Writing, along with certificates in Business and Entrepreneurship, Museum Studies, and Native American Art History. IAIA is the only college in the nation dedicated to the study of contemporary Native arts. The school serves 517 full time equivalent (FTE) Native and non-Native American college students from across the globe. IAIA is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
For over 50 years, IAIA has played a key role in the direction and shape of Native expression. With an Internationally-acclaimed college, museum, and tribal support resource through our Land Grant programs, IAIA is dedicated to the study and advancement of Native arts and cultures, and committed to student achievement and the preservation and progress of their communities.
The program’s goal is to graduate strong writers with a choice of career paths, who can make a difference in their field through their writing and for the betterment of their communities.