Dear Students,
Welcome to the New Year and start of the Spring 2022 semester.
On Wednesday, January 12, 2022, you received an email communication from Dean Capulong reconfirming in-person instruction beginning Tuesday, January 18th. You then received a message from Dean Hayat of Academic Affairs as to how students with reasonable accommodations can access class recordings. You also learned, there are faculty that have chosen to hold remote instruction beginning January 18th through Friday, January 28th given concerns of increased COVID cases and its variants in our communities, and nationwide, and to contribute to reducing its spread.
While you have received varied updates overtime from CUNY and the Law School on reopening this spring semester, Student Affairs has essential information to share that we hope is helpful in your return to campus whether on January 18th or Monday, January 31st. It is a great deal of information to process. Do not hesitate to reach out to studentaffairsoffice@law.cuny.edu if you have questions or need further clarity. Information has been ever-evolving. However, as a community, I believe, we will make it through.
Masks on Campus & Other Health/Safety Protocols
As we return in person, the law school will have a community of students, staff and faculty who are either fully vaccinated, boostered, or not fully vaccinated (if they have been approved for an exemption or exception). Given this and due to the current rate of the coronavirus transmission across the country, CUNY is following New York State’s universal indoor mask mandate. This means, regardless of vaccination status, everyone on campus must:
- Wear a face mask inside the law school and all CUNY campuses and office buildings. This includes while taking classes, working in a non-enclosed space such as a library cubicle or other open seating, regardless of physical distance from others.
- Wear a mask outdoors on any CUNY campus when unable to keep physical distance from others (for example, while attending a CUNY-related gathering). Source:Guidelines for CUNY Spring 2022
Unless you are alone in an enclosed space such as an office or conference room, or briefly eating/drinking in one of the designated areas for dining on campus (see below), masks should fully cover your nose and mouth.
There may be instances where the mask you arrived on campus with must be replaced (i.e., the elasticity of the disposable masks ear band breaks and the mask falls off, etc.). The law school keeps a supply of disposable masks that are individually packaged in Ziplock bags. You may pick up a disposable mask found on a designated table in the lobby area upon entering the building if you need one. You may also pick up a disposable mask from Nurse Practitioner (NP) Tina Lesevic’s Office in Room 3-104 during NP Lesevic’s office hours which are Tuesday through Thursday between 12pm and 7pm. NP Lesevic may be reached at tina.lesevic@law.cuny.edu or (718) 340-4544.
Double-masking or using a higher-grade mask such as KN95s or KN94s provides added layers of protection as well as gloves. The NP Office has some KN95 masks on hand should you need one. Gloves are also available.
Handwashing for at least 20 seconds is a best practice to help mitigate the spread of COVID as well as social distancing as you are able and taking advantage of the hand sanitizer stations found in public spaces on campus.
The law school continues to adhere to hygiene, cleaning and disinfection protocol requirements as suggested by the CDC and NYSDOH to support the health of our campus facility and community.
Learn more here: https://www.law.cuny.edu/virtual/covid-safety/
Areas to Eat on Campus
Considering the universal indoor mask covering mandate, you are allowed to remove your mask to briefly eat and drink your beverages in the following designated locations in the law school, if you are not doing so in an enclosed space alone. Once you finish your meal in these public areas on campus you must put your mask back on.
- First Floor – Along Boulevard Windows
- Second Floor – Café Area
- Third Floor – Community Room
- Fourth Floor – Pantry Area
- Fifth Floor – Pantry Area
- Sixth Floor – Pantry Area
Vaccination/Booster Protocol
For the 2022 Spring semester, you have until January 18, 2022, to upload proof of vaccination into CUNYFirst as communicated by the Office of the Chancellor to the CUNY community on January 5, 2022. As the Office reemphasized, vaccines will continue to be required for all students taking in-person and hybrid courses.
In addition, the NYS Governor’s Office announced that CUNY students taking in-person or hybrid classes in the Spring of 2022 will be required to get a booster shot when eligible.
Note that if you received the Moderna vaccination, you are eligible for a booster six months after your second shot; for Pfizer, five months after your second shot; and for Johnson & Johnson (J&J), two months after your single shot. Only a single shot is required as a booster, regardless of the manufacturer.
While CUNY will share further details about the required booster shot once available, if your vaccination documentation has been approved and you are already boostered you may begin to add your booster information by:
- Logging into your CUNYFirst Account.
- Clicking on the Vaccination Verification link in your CUNYFirst menu.
- Clicking the Add New Record button and selecting Vaccinated.
- Filling out the booster dose details in the generated fields.
- Uploading the image of your booster dose card in the Supporting Documents section.
- Selecting document type from the dropdown menu and clicking the Upload button to upload the document from your computer.
- Reviewing the Attestation section and checking that you have read and agreed to the University vaccination policy.
- Clicking the Submit button.
For more details see Student Guide to Vaccination Verification.
To learn more about the vaccination mandate see CUNY’s Coronavirus FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions).
You may schedule an appointment to obtain a vaccination or booster shot here:https://vax4nyc.nyc.gov/patient/s/
If you have other questions about the vaccination mandate or are experiencing trouble with uploading your vaccination or booster documentation, email studentvax@law.cuny.edu.
COVID/PCR Testing
On Monday, January 17, 2022, all designated CUNY Testing Centers will be closed due to the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday. They will reopen with their regular scheduled hours on Tuesday, January 18.
Students, as well as staff and faculty, have access to all designated CUNY testing sites. Although the law school is not one of the designated CUNY testing sites, you may receive a COVID test at LaGuardia Community College which is near the law school in Long Island City.
Some law school community members have asked whether our campus can be a testing site given hours of operations at some testing centers may not be amenable to your schedules. The law school will continue to explore this request with CUNY. In the meantime, you can find all the testing site locations and their hours of operations here.
You must bring your CUNY ID card to the testing site.
As Dean Geisel of Finance & Administration mentioned in an email communication dated January 10, if you have been remote since March 2020 and do not have your CUNY ID, you should bring a photo ID with you, along with your Cleared4 Blue/Green pass as well as Dean Geisel’s January 10 email, to the testing site. ID cards may be picked up from the law school’s security office (2 Court Square) Monday through Saturday, between 8AM and 2PM. Should the hours change, you will receive an email from Dean Geisel with updated hours.
If you have been exposed to COVID and/or test positive, self-report to the law school by contacting the Coronavirus Coordinator at Coronavirus.Coordinator@law.cuny.edu.
CUNY and its campuses, including the law school, will continue to monitor any community spread within its walls and adhere to CDC guidance in determining other safety protocols required for safe, in-person operations.
CUNY has also set up Reclosing Protocols to Guide the Safe Closing of Campus Operations should the need ever arise.
Reporting Exposure to COVID, Quarantining/Isolating, Reasonable Accommodations & Access to Class Recordings
If you are exposed to COVID and/or test positive for COVID, you should self-report to the Coronavirus Coordinator at Coronavirus.Coordinator@law.cuny.edu.
When a student self-reports their COVID exposure, the Coronavirus Coordinator, helps with the contact tracing process, by alerting those who may have come in contact with the person with COVID on campus all while supporting confidentiality.
If you are not notified, it is because you are not considered to be at risk of exposure. However, you should feel free to get a Rapid PCR test as a precautionary measure.
The best way to know when to quarantine or isolate is to remember the following:
- You quarantine when you might have been exposed to the virus.
- You isolate when you have been infected with the virus, even if you do not have symptoms.
If you test positive for COVID you should do the following, regardless of vaccination status:
- Stay home for 5 days (day 0 is your first day of symptoms, or the day of your first positive test if you do not develop symptoms).
- Stay in a separate room from other household members, if possible.
- Use a separate bathroom, if possible.
- Take steps to improve ventilation at home, if possible.
- Avoid contact with other members of the household and pets.
- Do not share personal household items, like cups, towels, and utensils.
- Wear a well-fitting mask when you need to be around other people.
- If you have no symptoms or your symptoms are resolving after 5 days, you can leave your house.
- You can test towards the end of the 5-day isolation period. If your test result is positive, you should continue to isolate until day 10.
- Continue to wear a well-fitting mask around others for 5 additional days; if you cannot wear a mask, continue to isolate for 5 days.
- If you have a fever, continue isolation until you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.
- If you were severely ill with COVID you should isolate yourself for at least 10 days (about 1 and a half weeks). Consult your doctor before ending isolation.
If You Were Exposed to Someone with COVID-19:
- Wear a well-fitting mask around others for 10 days (about 1 and a half weeks).
- Get tested at least 5 days after your close contact (the date of your exposure is considered day 0); if you test positive, stay home, and isolate per guidelines above.
- If you develop symptoms, get a test, stay home, and follow the isolation guidelines above.
- Wear a well-fitting mask around others for 10 days (about 1 and a half weeks).
Since testing positive warrants staying home for a given period, as well as being exposed to someone with COVID, upon self-reporting to the Coronavirus Coordinator, Disability services will be notified that you will be reaching out to seek a reasonable accommodation. You may contact Disability Services by emailing kennedy@law.cuny.edu.
As Dean Hayat of Academic Affairs’ January 13 email mentioned, Disability Services is the official liaison between the faculty and the student for reasonable accommodations. Given spring classes will be recorded, student accommodations could include the need to access the recordings to keep up in the course. Refer to Dean Hayat’s email for the full details on class recordings and accommodations.
If you test positive for COVID you will need to show proof of a negative PCR test before you can access the law school or any other CUNY campus. A Rapid test is not acceptable proof unless it is a Rapid PCR test.
There may be other extenuating circumstances where a student may need a reasonable accommodation (I.e., bereavement, family, or personal crisis, etc.). Contact kennedy@law.cuny.edu to discuss your situation, and to seek guidance, advice, and support. It may include requesting a reasonable accommodation or a leave of absence. The Disability Services/Student Affairs team is here to help you weigh your options so you can make an informed decision about what you need. Do not be afraid to reach out. We are here for you.
In the Fall of 2021, Student Affairs shared a flow chart summarizing the procedures for requesting reasonable accommodations versus requesting a medical exemption or religious exception to the vaccination mandate. Although exemptions and exceptions are not fully covered in this email, refer to CUNY’s FAQ on Vaccination Exceptions, Medical Exemptions and Special Circumstances for details and see chart below as a reminder of the accommodation process.
Counseling & Student Support
You may access counseling services to help you navigate your way through COVID and its impact as well as process other important matters occurring in your life. The law schools counseling services are confidential and free of charge. Our Mental Health Counselors and Nurse Practitioner are here to promote and support your health and wellbeing in these challenging times. To schedule an appointment, see their contact information below:
Mental Health Counselors
- Tricia Lawrence, PhD, LMSW: tricia.lawrence-savane@law.cuny.edu or (718) 340-4533
- Jessica McJunkin-Flatts, LMHC: jessica.mcjunkin-flatts@law.cuny.edu or (718) 340-4227
- Linda Penkower, LCSW: penkower@law.cuny.edu or (718) 340-4216
Nurse Practitioner
- Tina Lesevic: tina.lesevic@law.cuny.edu or (718) 340-4544
Continue to check the law school’s website for Updates on the Spring Semester and Returning to the Building as well as CUNY’s Academic Year 2021-22 Safety Guidance.
Be well, continue to remain safe, and welcome back to the law school.
Warmly,
Dean Wilson-Barnes