December 30, 2021
To the campus community:
We hope that you are all having a hard-earned restful break. As we look ahead to the New Year and the challenges and opportunities ahead, we wanted to keep you updated on our plans for the Spring 2022 semester.
Face-to-face in Spring 2022
First, we plan on the safe return of students, faculty and staff for a face-to-face academic experience again in Spring 2022. We know both from our own campus experience, and from data from universities across the country, that in-person academic instruction is a very low-risk activity—especially given all of the precautions that we already have in place.
We are closely watching the Omicron variant and the latest wave of infections, and assessing the current conditions along with our partners in public health, in keeping with guidance from SUNY. Our goal remains to keep the campus community safe with as little disruption as possible.
Keep yourselves (and each other) safe, starting before you leave home
To ensure that we limit the spread of COVID as much as possible, everyone should take the following measures before returning to campus.
- Get your booster shot: You are eligible to get your booster vaccine if it has been six months since completing your Moderna or Pfizer vaccination series, or if it has been two months since receiving your Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The booster not only helps protect you from COVID and severe symptoms, it also means that you don’t have to quarantine after having an exposure unless you have symptoms.
- Wear your mask: Ensure that you are properly wearing your face coverings indoors in public over the break to help limit the spread. Masks will continue to be required on both the Potsdam and Watertown campuses again in the Spring 2022 semester.
- Get ready to test before you arrive: Given the transmissibility of the Omicron variant, we will ask that students get tested for COVID 72 hours prior to returning to campus. More details on our return testing requirements will be sent next week. Unvaccinated students with approved exemption waivers and unvaccinated employees will continue to be required to be tested weekly in the Spring 2022 semester.
- Watch out for symptoms: Monitor yourself daily for symptoms of COVID-19, including runny nose, sore throat, fever, chills, cough, muscle aches, fatigue, nausea, sudden loss of taste or smell, diarrhea, or shortness of breath. If you have any symptoms, mask up, avoid others, and get tested for COVID.
- Let us know if you have tested positive: If you have tested positive for COVID over the break, or get a positive result before returning to campus, you should notify us right away. Employees are required to inform Human Resources, and students should upload their test results to Student Health Services via the secure file upload here.
Read the full Spring 2022 student checklist here!
We will continue to update campus as we finalize our protocols for the semester. Thank you for your patience and your cooperation, as we assess the changing public health conditions and plan for a safe and successful semester.
We wish you a healthy start to the New Year and look forward to seeing you in 2022!
Sincerely,
Eric Duchscherer
Dean of Students