Return to Campus Letter #11 Course Modality and Vaccination Timelines for Students, Staff, and Faculty
Return to Campus Letter #11
June 16, 2021
Dear Brooklyn College Community,
This Return to Campus Letter is the 11th in a series designed to help you understand our preparations for the fall semester and our focus on health and safety in that work. In my last letter, I discussed our participation in the COVID-19 College Vaccination Challenge. In this letter, I will discuss changes to course modalities and the vaccination timeline.
Over the last few weeks, some faculty members have changed the modality of their courses, for example, from online to hybrid. When a faculty member changes their course modality, students enrolled in that course receive an email notifying them of the change.
As you know, the Governor has announced that students who are taking classes on campus in the fall––those taking “in person” or “hybrid” courses––must be fully vaccinated against COVID. A course is “in person” if it will be routinely held on campus, and “hybrid” if any portion of it will be held on campus. For example, a number of hybrid courses will have labs, discussion sessions, or exams on campus. The notes section in CUNYfirst indicates this information by class.
It is likely that many students will be taking a mixture of in-person, hybrid, and online classes in the fall. We are working to be able to accommodate those students on campus, with appropriate places to study between classes and enhanced Wi-Fi capability to support them. We will keep you posted about those plans.
We are working to finalize the fall schedule in the next few weeks and minimize additional changes thereafter. Of course, as is usual, there may be occasional changes to the schedule throughout the summer, such as when a class is cancelled for very low enrollment. When that happens, students enrolled in the class will be notified and, often, offered another option.
We do not yet have information about the implementation of the vaccination mandate; for example, where one may submit proof of vaccination. We believe that CUNY may use the New York State Excelsior Pass to confirm vaccination in the fall, so when you are vaccinated, please sign up for the pass. We will share additional details as soon as they are available.
At this point, if you are still not sure about whether to be vaccinated, it’s important to engage in a risk assessment. As you know, even if your chance of getting the virus is relatively low, COVID is a dangerous disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), COVID illnesses have ranged from mild to severe, to the point of requiring hospitalization and intensive care, as well as potential serious long term side effects. COVID has led to 600,000 deaths in the United States.
By contrast, the CDC reports that COVID vaccines in this country are safe and effective. Millions of people in the United States have received COVID vaccines under the most intense safety monitoring in U.S. history. The CDC recommends everyone 12 and older get vaccinated to protect against COVID and the severe consequences that may occur with infection. Vaccination not only protects you, but also protects your loved ones and others at increased risk.
Let’s close on a time analysis of vaccines. You are fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving a single-shot vaccine (Johnson & Johnson) or two weeks after the second shot of a two-shot vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna). You receive the second shot three or four weeks after the first one, depending on which vaccine you get. Since two-shot vaccines are more common, their timeline has implications for when our community members should try to be vaccinated.
To staff: Staff rotational schedules on campus begin on August 2. For the two-shot series, you probably need to get your first shot by next Monday, June 21. Three or four weeks later, by July 19, you can get your second shot. Then you would be fully vaccinated by August 2 for the start of onsite work.
To students and faculty: Classes begin on August 25. For the two-shot series, you probably need to get your first shot by July 14. Four weeks later, by August 11, you can get your second shot. Then you would be fully vaccinated by August 25 for the start of classes.
You can easily find a vaccine location near you and walk in. Now is the time to be vaccinated! I will issue a Return to Campus Letter #12 in two weeks. Until then, take good care of yourself.
Yours sincerely,
Michelle J. Anderson
President, Brooklyn College
