Updates on CUNY’s Vaccination Policy
September 30, 2021
Dear students, staff, and faculty,
This is a critical time for Brooklyn College. We are on the cusp of moving toward an even safer campus. We should all be excited that the college is approaching a time when all students on campus will be fully vaccinated (except for those few who have been granted a religious or medical exemption).
It is important for all of us—students, staff, and faculty—to be on the same page about the details of the CUNY Vaccination Policy. Here is the latest:
Withdrawal from Classes
Per CUNY policy, unless they have a religious or medical exemption, all students taking in-person or hybrid courses must be vaccinated and must upload their vaccination cards into CUNYfirst by Oct. 7. If they do not, students will be withdrawn from those courses without a refund, and they may lose financial aid.
Designation of a Class as In-Person, Hybrid, or Online
It’s not always clear whether a class is in-person, hybrid, or online. There are two columns in a student’s course schedule in CUNYfirst that may be confusing. The first is the “Room” column, which unfortunately can label a course as primarily located “online,” even when its modality is “hybrid.” The second is the “Instruction Mode” column, which is where the course modality is designated as “in-person,” “hybrid,” or “online.” The “Instruction Mode” column is the relevant one for vaccination purposes.
Per CUNY policy, faculty may not change the designation of class modality at this time. Also, they may not make individual deals with students to circumvent the vaccination mandate.
Coming To Campus
Starting Oct. 8, unless they have a religious or medical exemption, all students must be verified in CUNYfirst as fully vaccinated or they will not be able to enter campus (except for emergency services).
Exceptions To the Vaccination Mandate
Per CUNY policy, students who have been granted a medical or religious exemption will not be withdrawn from classes this semester, but they must continue to test weekly at a CUNY testing site. Students in some hybrid courses may fall into one of two exceptions:
- First, an unvaccinated student in a hybrid class in which its in-person meetings have already occurred, and there are none scheduled after Oct. 7, may remain enrolled in that class. (They do have to be verified as fully vaccinated to enter campus after Oct. 7.)
- Second, an unvaccinated student in a hybrid class that will have its first in-person session after Oct. 7 (including for the final exam) may have a grace period. They must be verified as fully vaccinated to enter campus after Oct. 7, but if they choose not to enter campus until their class meets in-person, they will have to be verified as fully vaccinated 10 days before their hybrid class meets in-person.
We are working hard to comply with the CUNY vaccination mandate and to help our students remain in their classes. If you have any questions about the mandate, you may contact VP Ron Jackson at studentaffairs@brooklyn.cuny.edu. To unvaccinated students: The best way to remain enrolled is to vaccinate immediately and upload your documents into CUNYfirst. To staff and faculty: please inform students about the vaccination requirement and get vaccinated yourself.
Since the COVID-19 vaccine became available earlier this year, we have underscored that widespread vaccination on campus is the best way to enhance the health and safety of all members of our community. As Oct. 7 approaches, we are excited to take this step—and we want to bring all our students with us!
Thank you for your help at this critical time.
Yours,
Michelle J. Anderson
President, Brooklyn College
