August 21, 2021
Dear Students, Staff, and Faculty:
I am looking forward to the start of classes Monday and want to welcome all of you to the Fall 2021 semester at the CUNY School of Law. To our returning students, staff, and faculty welcome back! To our incoming students, welcome to our community! I hope orientation is going well.
We began transitioning back into the building in earnest this week—observing mask mandates and safe distancing, of course—and I can’t tell you how incredible it is to see members of our community and hear your voices in person.
Although most classes remain online this semester, for those of you joining us in the building, please know that we are doing our best and have been working all summer to ensure that you are supported, comfortable, motivated, and, most importantly, safe.
You’ll find essential, up-to-date information on our Fall 2021 reopening plan on two websites:
- For information and updates from CUNY Law related to the coronavirus, travel, vaccination, testing, and mask use on campus, please visit CUNY Law School Coronavirus Health and Safety.
- For information and updates from CUNY Central related to the coronavirus and travel, vaccination, testing, and mask use generally, please visit #VaxUpCUNY.
A few important policies I wish to highlight:
Please report positive cases of coronavirus immediately to: coronavirus.coordinator@law.cuny.edu.
Regardless of vaccination status, everyone must, for now:
- Wear a face mask inside all CUNY campuses and office buildings. This includes while taking classes and working in a non-enclosed space such as a library cubicle or other open seating, regardless of safe distance.
The only exceptions to wearing a mask inside are:
- If a fully vaccinated person is alone in an enclosed space such as an office or conference room.
- If a vaccinated professor is teaching a class and is able to keep a safe distance from everyone else, the professor may choose not to wear a mask.
- Briefly while eating or drinking, provided safe distancing is maintained.
Anyone not fully vaccinated must wear a mask at all times while on campus, including in enclosed spaces, except briefly when eating or drinking. Students who are not vaccinated must also maintain safe distancing between themselves and all others at all times.
FOR STUDENTS
- Students taking in-person or hybrid classes in Fall 2021 must be vaccinated and provide proof of vaccination by uploading their vaccination documents into CUNY First. Students must submit their vaccination documentation by September 14, 2021. To meet this submission deadline, you must receive or have received the following vaccines by these dates:
- Moderna: first dose by August 3.
- Pfizer: first dose by August 10.
- Johnson & Johnson: single dose by August 31.
For a guide to submitting your information to CUNY First, please visit here.
Student questions can also be submitted to studentvax@law.cuny.edu.
FOR FACULTY AND STAFF
- Faculty and staff entering the CUNY Law building need to be fully vaccinated (14 days beyond the last vaccination shot) or show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within the past seven days. The test must be taken at a CUNY site. For more information about CUNY’s COVID-19 testing program, please see the Testing FAQ. For a list of testing locations, visit here. For general frequently asked questions, please refer to the Getting Back to Working in Person FAQ. If you still have questions, please contact the HR office.
ACCESS TO THE LAW SCHOOL BUILDING
- All students, staff, and faculty entering the CUNY Law building must display a CUNY VaxPass or show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within the past seven days at a CUNY testing site.
- The VaxPass was designed to speed entry into CUNY campuses and offices for those who have been vaccinated. If you have the Everbridge app set up, close the app on your device, restart it, click “VaxPass Request,” and it will appear. If you do not yet have Everbridge, please find simple, one-time setup instructions at VaxPass User Setup Guide.
- Individuals who are not fully vaccinated and have been tested at one of the CUNY testing sites will receive an email indicating “Cleared for Access” or “Not Cleared for Access.” If cleared, you will receive a “GreenPass” on your phone. Display that pass for access to CUNY Law.
- Visitors (including clinic clients) eligible for the vaccine must provide proof that they are fully vaccinated or of a negative COVID-19 molecular (PCR) test performed by an accredited lab no more than seven days prior to the visit. For more details, please read the Visitor Access to Campus policy.
Let me take this opportunity to thank those who’ve staffed the building, ensured campus safety, and led our operations these past 17 months.
Foremost among them is Carolyn Geisel, who’s been leading our pandemic response efforts. Others include essential staff (Chris Agiropoulos, DeVaughn Andrews, Ruben Caldwell, Peter Chan, Mario Crescenzo, Pat Guido, Azhar Hadi, Demetrios Iliou, Jesse Macko, Janay McCoy, Sanjay Mirchandani, Walter Polkosnik, and Carmen Rana); the building reopening committee (Chris Argiropoulos, Marilyn Bauer, Amanda Beltran, Elise Billing, Rebecca Bratspies, Allie Robbins, Doug Cox, Mario Crescenzo, Liz Dickinson, Amber Eden, Ariel Federow, Raquel Gabriel, Audrey Train, Asia Grant-Murray, Carmen Huertas-Noble, Gayla Jacobson, Elizabeth Johnston, Ramzi Kassem, Steve Katz, Pat Kennedy, Sarah Lamdan, Donna Lee, Degna Levister, Lynn Lu, Karyn Manocchia, Camille Massey, Therese McNulty, Kathleen Paramore, Linda Penkower, B. Taylor, John Whitlow, Yvette Wilson-Barnes, and Sofia Yakren); volunteer screeners (Ann Cammett, Lori Fox, Carolyn Geisel, Donna Lee, Degna Levister, Karyn Manocchia, Therese McNulty, Laura Mott, Allie Robbins, and Sam Sue); and security staff (Steve Katz, Dan Corona, Stanley Pittman, Tracey Dorval, Mario LaFleur, Fozilkhon Mamurov, Tiffany Messam, Denise Rodriguez Miller, Zainudeen Mohammed, Issa Patterson, Dina Pinckney, Jeanette Plaza, and Gabrielle Sparkman). We owe you an enormous debt of gratitude. Thank you!
As we transition back to campus, please know that we remain vigilant of the fluid circumstances in which we find ourselves—I would be remiss not to note the worrisome Delta variant—and rest assured that your health and safety are foremost. We ask for your forbearance of glitches, frustrations, and challenges that are sure to arise. Let’s go the extra mile to be kind to each other on campus. We’re doing something unprecedented and we’re all in this together. Above all, thank you for your commitment to CUNY Law. I look forward to seeing you in the building.
Sincerely,
Eduardo R.C. Capulong ’91
Interim Dean and Professor of Law