Updates on Our Campus Return
August 15, 2021
Dear Brooklyn College community,
It was great to see hundreds of you at the Open Forum for employees on Thursday and to hear your questions and concerns. SVP Alan Gilbert and I made the decision midstream to continue until every question was answered, so it lasted a long time. Thank you for hanging in there! As I indicated I would, I write now to share the latest updates about returning to campus.
1. Strict Mask Mandate
There is a new mask mandate in every building and interior space on the Brooklyn College campus. We have adopted the CDC recommendation of universal indoor masking for all staff, students, professors, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status. In short, unless you are alone in a room by yourself, you must wear a mask indoors on campus.
2. Campus Access Points
The locations for entry to campus may be different than you expected. On the east side, you can only enter the College through the Whitehead doors on Campus Road. On the west side, you have two options: the vehicular west gate at Avenue H (just off Ocean Avenue) or the Roosevelt entrance on Bedford Avenue.
3. When You Should Not Come to Campus
You should not come to campus unless you are scheduled to work onsite that particular day. We intentionally developed weekly rotational schedules for staff on campus this fall to keep density low, so please do not come to campus unless you are actually scheduled to work that day.
You should also not come to campus if you tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 10 days or have experienced COVID-19 symptoms in the last 48 hours. You should not come to campus if in the last 10 days you have been in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or is suspected of having COVID-19. You should also not come to campus if you do not have a valid campus entry pass.
4. Campus Entry Pass
There are two types of campus entry passes: a VaxPass and a CLEARED4 test pass. You must show one of these to enter the campus.
A VaxPass will permit you to enter campus all semester. To obtain one, you must be vaccinated. Please follow these detailed instructions for a VaxPass.
If you are not vaccinated, you must obtain a CLEARED4 test pass, which will permit you to enter campus only for seven days. This pass requires you to obtain a negative COVID-19 test at a CUNY COVID-19 testing site. Please follow these detailed instructions for a CLEARED4 test pass. Until you are fully vaccinated, you must follow the same testing procedure every week throughout the semester.
Starting Monday, everyone who comes to a campus entrance must show a VaxPass or a CLEARED4 test pass. If you do not have one of these two passes, do not come to campus; work from home.
We are all getting used to these new requirements. We understand that some vaccinated employees could not obtain their VaxPass last week and some unvaccinated employees could not schedule COVID-19 tests because there were no available appointments or the testing site was closed when they arrived. We have not yet received data from our testing site so cannot confirm that information. We also understand that Research Foundation employees, non-tax levy employees, and employees who are also students may not have had full access to the appropriate systems last week. It may take a bit to ensure that everyone is set with the right pass they need to re-enter the campus safely.
There will be a flexible grace period for returning employees to obtain their appropriate campus entry pass. If you were working effectively from home during the pandemic and have not been able to obtain your appropriate campus entry pass, please notify your supervisor that you need time to do so, and continue to work from home.
5. Office Safety
As we have indicated before, there should be six feet of physical distancing between staff members in offices. We have intentionally developed rotational work schedules for employees returning to campus this semester to ensure sufficient distance. If you believe that you will not have six feet of distancing in your office, please confer with your supervisor, as you may need to revise your work schedule.
Each office should pick up a Return to Campus supply kit from Room 229 Ingersoll Hall between 9 a.m.–12 p.m., Monday to Thursday of next week. The kit will contain disposable and reusable masks, single-use sanitizing wipes, desk top and personal use hand sanitizer, office signage to promote public health precautions, and a COVID-19 tip sheet for maintaining a healthy workplace.
6. Report a Concern
Once you are back on campus, if you have concerns, we want to hear them. We have created a form for you to report problems, ask questions, or express concerns. We want to help, and will follow up on these reports.
My guess is there will be additional changes in policy and practice over the next few days and weeks that will require your attention. SVP Gilbert and I will continue to update you as conditions change.
Thank you for your patience and goodwill.
Yours sincerely,
Michelle J. Anderson
President, Brooklyn College
