Another semester, another edition of The WORD and another article about Covid precautions.

I know that the past 16 months have been exhausting. Before I get into the details on what to expect this fall, I want to thank faculty for all the hard work that they have done to help students get a college education this past year and a half. Classroom faculty changed modalities on the fly, ETU members provided mobile devices and tech for students who didn't have access to technology, IT staff transitioned basic, essential computer services to enable remote access and our academic support and student support faculty—librarians, counselors, PAs and others—provided both remote and on-campus services.

Finally, I want to thank everyone in the college community for helping to keep our campuses safe. A tremendous amount of work needed to be done behind the scenes, and the hard work paid off. Our campus Covid testing program had a .15% positivity rate.

This fall there will be changes to SCCC’s testing program and administration will need to enforce student vaccine mandates. The beginning of the semester might be a little chaotic. Please try to be patient with your colleagues as we navigate these difficult times.

As always, these plans are subject to change, so take a breath and get ready.

Will students and staff still be required to fill out the health screening questionnaire?

• No, but everyone coming on campus should continue to self-monitor for possible Covid symptoms.

I am not teaching any on-campus classes. Will I still need to have office hours?

• No, if all your class assignments are online or remote, you can continue to offer remote office hours. Regardless of modality, however, you still need to post your office hours and provide login information for your students so they can contact you.

Will nonclassroom faculty still be able to work from home for part of their schedule?

• Unless you are an essential employee, you will continue to work 75% on campus and 25% remote. Typically, this means that you work four days on campus one week and three days on campus the following week.

Will our students need to be vaccinated to come on campus?

• Yes, the FDA gave full approval to the Pfizer vaccine on August 23. As a result, students who are taking on-campus classes as well as online/remote students wanting to utilize on-campus services will need to be fully vaccinated by September 27. Students will be deregistered from on-campus classes if they do not get vaccinated by the deadline.

Should I tell my students about the vaccination requirements?

• Faculty should not ask students about their vaccination status (or any other health-related questions).
  
  The college sent out a College Brief on Wednesday, September 1, that has Covid-related information that you should add to your syllabus. You can stress that the college is required to follow the SUNY mandate and students will be deregistered from face to face classes unless they are vaccinated or receive an exemption by the deadline.
  
  If students ask for additional information, you can refer them to the SCCC Covid information page. Please do not get into a debate about vaccines, mandates, masking policy, etc., unless it is tied to your curriculum.

Are employees required to be vaccinated to come on campus?

• No, right now there is no vaccine mandate for SCCC employees.
  
  If New York State or SUNY institutes a vaccine mandate, the FA will negotiate how the program is administered. We are encouraged that so many of our members have already been vaccinated.
  
  If you have not been vaccinated, please consider doing so. The campus positivity rates were very low this past year, but we will have more people on campus this fall and thus a greater possibility that you might be exposed to Covid.
  
  If you have been vaccinated, please send your proof of vaccination to human resources, regardless of which modalities you are teaching/working this semester. You can scan and email your vaccination card, or you can call HR and drop it off.

What is SCCC’s mask policy?

• Everyone must be masked in indoor public spaces. This includes classrooms, labs, libraries, skill centers, etc. If you are fully vaccinated, you will not be required to wear a mask outdoors. Please check the SCCC Covid page for more information.

How often am I required to take a Covid test?

• If you are fully vaccinated, you will not be required to take a test. If you are not vaccinated, you will need to be tested weekly. Testing schedules are published on the SCCC Covid page.

What happens if someone at the college tests positive for Covid?

• When the college receives notification that a student or employee has Covid, they will follow the Suffolk County Department of Health guidelines. Due to HIPAA privacy concerns, you will not be given information about people who have tested positive unless it is necessary for contact tracing.
  
  It is possible that you will have students that will have to miss time because they are sick and/or need to quarantine.

What happens if I test positive for Covid or I have been told that I need to quarantine?

• You should contact human resources at 631-451-4239 or via email at avphr@sunysuffolk.edu. Depending on the circumstances, you may not need to use your leave time while you are at home.

What should I do if I feel that my area is unsafe?

• You should contact your supervisor and/or your campus executive dean.
  If you are uncomfortable with contacting administration, you can contact me: kevinmc@fascc.org. Even if you do contact administration, you should also contact us in the FA so we can be aware of any potential safety issues.

Whom should I contact if I need accommodations due to Covid?

• You should contact human resources at 631-451-4239 or via email at avphr@sunysuffolk.edu to request an accommodation. Human resources staff will evaluate requests on a case-by-case basis.

Where can I find additional information?

• Here are three handy places to learn more. Bookmark these sites and check them often as updates will continue.

1. Faculty Association: fascc.org/covid


2. Suffolk County Community College: sunysuffolk.edu/coronavirus


3. SUNY Covid Dashboard: suny.edu/covid19-tracker