Return to Campus Letter #2 Staff and Faculty Invited to Consult on Plans for Campus Return
Return to Campus Letter #2
April 13, 2021
Dear Brooklyn College Community,
Welcome to the Return to Campus Letter, the second in a series designed to help you understand our preparations for the fall semester and underscore the importance of health and safety in our work.
Last night we held a forum on COVID-19 vaccines with Dr. Scott Ratzan from the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health. Dr. Ratzan led an excellent discussion. We learned about the science behind COVID vaccines, some of the concerns people have about taking it, and the fact that these vaccines are not only highly effective, but safe.
If you were not able to attend last night, the Department of Health and Nutrition Sciences is teaming up with a number of campus groups for a forum entitled, “Addressing Concerns about the COVID Vaccine,” on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, from 12:30–2 p.m. I encourage everyone who has concerns about vaccines to attend. Register in advance here.
You may have noticed that a number of colleges across the country are requiring vaccinations in order to return to campus. At this time, we do not know whether CUNY will mandate vaccinations, but that decision will be made at the University level. We will keep you posted as we learn more.
A number of staff members have asked when more of them will return to work on campus. CUNY plans to issue a Remote Work Policy shortly, and it will help us ascertain the circumstances in which employees may work on site or remotely. At this point, we believe it is likely that that some staff will work on campus, some will work from home, and others will work a mixture of both in the fall.
One important issue we are assessing in preparation for the fall has to do with identifying and preparing our priority academic spaces. We are collecting information from the Deans and Chairs about what critical spaces faculty members need to teach specific classes on campus in the fall. For example, science departments will need laboratory spaces, art will need studio spaces, and theater and music will need rehearsal and performance spaces. We are working at a granular level on the identification of these priority areas, beginning with the School of Visual, Media, and Performing Arts and then the School of Natural and Behavioral Sciences.
Assuming the continuation of a social distancing mandate in the fall, our Environmental Health and Safety, Informational Technology, and Facilities Planning teams are assessing those priority spaces for density, capacity, cleaning protocols, and necessary staff to support those areas. They are also testing the strength of wifi/connectivity, proximity to restrooms and other needed facilities (and the additional staff and cleaning these other facilities require), frequency of space use, and, crucially, our ability to ventilate, clean, and disinfect those spaces on a regular basis. Our goal in the short term is to prioritize and prepare the key spaces that faculty have determined that they most need to teach certain classes successfully on campus next fall.
You may have technical questions, concerns, or suggestions about our plans for a gradual return to campus. We will host a series of Return to Campus open forums and consultations over the next several months to discuss facilities-related issues. The first one will be for faculty and staff, and a later one will be for students.
The Faculty Council Campus Planning Committee, the Office of Facilities, and the Office of Environmental Health and Safety will co-host the first forum and consultation on April 22, 2021, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Faculty and staff may register in advance for this meeting.
Stay tuned. I will issue Return to Campus Letter #3 later this week. Please remember: Getting vaccinated against COVID helps protect you and your loved ones from infection, hospitalization, and death. It is also a way for you to contribute to the safety of our campus community. Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Michelle J. Anderson
President, Brooklyn College
