Welcome Back to the Fall Semester. I hope you will enjoy being back on our beautiful campus. Although there are still COVID-19 guidelines and some restrictions in place, we have come a long way to return CSI to a the more familiar in-person experience we shared prior to the pandemic.
Please take some time to read the important information below regarding the College’s COVID-19 policies and procedures that you will need to begin the 2022 Fall Semester.
Vaccinations
1. Students enrolled in in-person and hybrid classes are required to be fully vaccinated (unless approved for an exemption/exception). For more information on the mandate, including important deadlines, please go online. Students should follow the Student Guide to Vaccine Verification to upload their vaccines into CUNYfirst.
2. Employees in the Executive Compensation Plan (ECP) and employees in full-time and part-time teaching and non-teaching instructional staff titles (PSC/CUNY titles, including but not limited to, faculty, HEO, CLT, adjunct and non-teaching adjunct titles.) are required to be vaccinated unless approved for an exemption/exception and should follow the Faculty and Staff Guide for Vaccine Verification to upload their vaccination information into CUNYFirst.
3. Vaccination information must be uploaded to CUNYfirst, which then provides for validation through the CUNY Cleared4 Access Pass, required for entry to the campus and all CUNY facilities.
4. Unvaccinated students, faculty, and staff with an approved exemption/exception, and staff who are not subject to the vaccine mandate (who are either unvaccinated or have not voluntarily uploaded proof of vaccination into CUNYFirst) must continue to test regularly at a CUNY COVID-19 Testing Site.
5. For questions concerning vaccination mandates, students contact the Health Center at 718.982.3129 or HealthCenter@csi.cuny.edu; faculty and staff can contact the Human Resources Office at 718.982.2376 or HumanResources@csi.cuny.edu.
6. CSI strongly encourages everyone in our campus community to get COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters. For information concerning the vaccine, please visit #VaxUpCUNY.
Requirements for Campus Entry (Cleared4 Access Pass)
1. All members of the CSI community must have their vaccination status and/or test status validated through CUNY’s Cleared4, Safecircle app.
2. Status must be displayed as “Cleared for CUNY Access” and will be checked upon entry to the CSI campus. CUNY students, faculty, and staff can be automatically validated in the Cleared4 system by uploading their vaccination records in CUNYfirst; instructions, including the exemption requirements, are available for students and for faculty and staff.
3. Please be sure to read the instructions for registering, viewing, bookmarking, and presenting your CUNY Cleared 4 access pass when you enter the campus.
4. All visitors and guests, except delivery personnel (who will not enter buildings or be on the campus more than 30 minutes, must also register in Cleared4 to enter the CSI campus. Visitors and guests get in touch with their CSI contact as soon as possible to make sure they will be able to come onto the campus through the Public Safety checkpoints. Instructions for using the Cleared4 app for guests and visitors.
5. If you are a visitor and do not have a specific department or individual contact at the College, contact COVID19@csi.cuny.edu or CampusPlanningandFacilitiesManagement@csi.cuny.edu to register for Cleared4 access. Please allow several days for the registration and clearance process before you plan to enter the campus.
Masks
1. Masks are not currently required.
2. Anyone who would like to wear masks in any setting is welcome to do so at any time.
Random Testing
1. If you are selected for random testing in any given week, you will receive an email from no-reply@cleared4work.com with instructions to complete your registration and will have to test at a CUNY test site by the specified date; you may walk in—no appointment is necessary. (If you already completed your Cleared4 registration in the past, please just confirm that all your contact information is up-to-date in your Cleared4 profile as well as your date of birth.)
2. The random test must be conducted at a CUNY testing site. Please do not submit tests taken from external locations for these purposes, they will not satisfy the requirement for random testing.
3. If you do not test by the date specified in the email, you will lose your access pass. In order to reactivate your pass, please go to a CUNY Testing Site (no appointment necessary) and take a test. If you receive a negative test, your pass will be reinstated. Results typically take 24 to 48 hours.
4. As a reminder, being randomly tested when you are notified is not optional and is necessary in order to obtain campus-wide results each week and thus help keep everyone safe.
5. For questions concerning CUNY’s random COVID-19 testing program, please contact COVID19@csi.cuny.edu.
6. For questions regarding the CSI Testing Center, hours, and general information, please contact: campusplanningandfacilitiesmanagement@csi.cuny.edu.
7. If you have questions concerning Cleared4, issues with locating test results, appointments, or issues with your account, please contact SafeCircle Help Desk at https://adnas.com/CUNYhelp/.
What to do if you test positive for COVID-19
1. If you are experiencing symptoms and/or have a confirmed positive test, please do not come to campus. Please contact COVID19@csi.cuny to begin contact tracing procedures and receive necessary guidance concerning CUNY’s isolation protocols.
2. Please keep in touch with COVID19@csi.cuny.edu to ensure proper clearance and reactivation of your Cleared4 access pass for return to campus.
What to do if you are a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case
Please contact COVID19@csi.cuny.edu for updated guidance
Thank you for following the guidelines and instructions to help keep our campus safe for everyone, and best wishes for a great semester.
By Keith J. Pisons
