COVID-19 Campus Updates

Fall 2021 Semester Return to Campus

We are planning for a fall 2021 semester with the face-to-face interactions that make us who we are and serve our students best.

As we do, here are some points to keep in mind:

We expect most classes will be in person. Some courses will be online or in a hybrid format, as in the past, adding value and flexibility to student learning in particular areas.
Campus housing, community living and dining services will largely match the pre-COVID landscape. This includes the ability of more clubs, organizations, athletics and recreational sports to meet in person.
We will follow guidance as it comes. We will share specific health and medical requirements with current and incoming students as they are developed.

Our commitment to a Cardinal Strong community is strong, and caring for every member of that community is at the forefront of our planning for the 2021/2022 Academic Year.

The health directions and guidelines that have marked our lives will not disappear entirely this fall.

SUNY Plattsburgh will continue to follow the path of federal, state and local public health officials this summer and into the fall as we have for the past year.

Vaccines
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced the state’s intention to require COVID-19 vaccinations for all in-person students this fall at public colleges and universities. Several private universities in the state have already taken this step.

The requirement is contingent on the vaccines receiving full FDA approval, rather than the current emergency use authorization. Both the SUNY and CUNY boards also have to act to adopt the policy as well. Faculty and staff are not a part of this mandate.

We will share specific state requirements, as well as additional fall guidance on campus operations, as they are developed this spring and summer.

Ongoing Testing & Screening Requirements

Ongoing Pooled Surveillance Testing
Faculty, staff and students who work, live on, attend classes or have any other activity on campus are required to participate in campus pooled surveillance testing weekly throughout the summer. Pool testing is every Monday.

Daily Health Screening
Everyone coming to campus — faculty, staff, students, etc. — must complete a daily health screening throughout the semester. The campus’ daily Health Screening form can be accessed online at https://www.plattsburgh.edu/about/offices-divisions/administration-finance/human-resources/health-screening-covid-19.html.

Public Health Updates, Cases & Notifications

Dashboards
SUNY Plattsburgh
Data from the fall 2020 semester is available here and from the spring 2021 semester here.

SUNY System
The state system maintains an up-to-date detailed dashboard that provides data on COVID-19 testing and other vital information at SUNY Plattsburgh and each of system's 64 colleges and universities.

Campus Steps in Event of Positive Notifications
If advised by the Health Department of a positive test within the local campus community during the fall and spring semesters, we inform the campus community accordingly.

Local health department officials conduct contact tracing, reaching out to individuals who may have been in contact with the person. They are advised of next steps and other precautions.
When we are notified, campus staff is directed to disinfect areas where the person had been or would have frequented before leaving campus.
The privacy of the individual is protected.

An institution may satisfy the emergency notification requirements of the Clery Act and § 668.46 as follows: (1) provide students and employees a single notification through the regular means of communicating emergency notifications informing them about COVID-19 and necessary health and safety precautions, as well as encouraging them to obtain information from health care providers, state health authorities, and the CDC’s COVID-19 website; or (2) create a banner at the top of the institution’s homepage containing that same information, including a statement about the global pandemic and a link to the CDC’s website.

Positive Test Results
When positive COVID-19 test results become known, individuals are typically contacted by the Clinton County Health Department, the campus health center, University Police or the county sheriff’s department.

If the health department learns first, they will notify the campus health center. If the health center learns first, they will notify the health department. In all cases, the college’s health and safety team, which includes emergency management and University Police, is alerted.

The health department next begins an interview process for contact tracing purposes. This includes questions about your living situation, classes, close contacts, etc. They are provided other student contact information as needed.

At the same time, janitorial will do needed cleaning and the health and safety team assist by pulling academic schedules and related steps. Additionally, Academic Affairs is given information on the student and informs faculty. They also provide the health department with an updated course roster that may be needed for contact tracing.

Those testing positive from pooled surveillance testing results will be notified as described. Otherwise, the college shares the whole of testing results to campus after they are provided to us by SUNY Upstate Medical University.

For more information on testing, isolation and quarantine, COVID-19 Quarantine Help at [email protected].

Campus Safety & Reporting

Reporting
Suspected violations of college COVID safety policies can be reported to University Police. You may call the reporting hotline at 518-564-5555 and leave your information.

Education & Enforcement
Our University Police is working in close alignment with Plattsburgh City Police and the sheriff’s office. This work began long before classes resumed and is a part of the restart plan developed over the summer with the health department and so many others.

Education and conversations are a regular part of outreach as off-campus students return. This has included personal, door-to-door visits by college leaders. All members of the campus community are expected to abide by our policies and should anticipate the college actively enforcing them. The Student Code of Conduct may be utilized for those who violate campus policy, including off campus students and student organizations.

Violations of the guidelines will result in a referral to student conduct to consider dismissal. We expect students will be leaders and model good behavior.

Regular Screening
Daily health screens have been implemented through paper and online forms that comply with state requirements.

Students, faculty and staff self screen daily. If the answer to any of the screening questions is “yes,” a message will appear stating that the individual must not report to class or any other activity outside of their residence and must notify the Student Health and Counseling Center immediately.

Testing and Tracing
The college is using pooled surveillance testing for students and employees. Other COVID tests are given as needed.

Active case finding, meaning a focused effort to find the virus before it spreads, is our priority. The process of active case finding may include regular temperature monitoring in addition to the use of screening questions. The target will be on testing symptomatic students and at-risk cases, adopting a tracing system to facilitate rapid contact mapping of infected individuals and then aggressively testing all contacts and hotspots.

Student contact tracing will occur in collaboration with the Clinton County Health Department. The electronic medical records system vendor is currently creating an interface to assist with COVID-19 tracing and identifying hotspots on campus and in the community. The use of apps and other screening devices are being explored.

In the event that a student tests positive for COVID-19, the student will immediately be isolated either on campus, in a designated space, or safely off campus per state health department isolation guidelines.

Community Standards
Among the highest priorities to ensure student, faculty and staff safety and to minimize the spread of COVID-19 is community-wide participation in our social distancing and face covering policy and enforcement of the policy. All on-campus students sign an addendum to our housing contract that clearly outlines required behavior. Student conduct policies are also a vital component to ensuring the safety and health of our campus community.

PPE
In conjunction with the campus’ social distancing and face covering policy, face coverings will be made available to faculty, staff and students upon request. Employees who are unable to wear face coverings due to a medical or other health condition should consult with Human Resource Services to discuss reasonable accommodations. Students who are unable to wear face coverings due to a medical or other health condition should wear some form of covering to protect those around them. This covering can be a loosely worn scarf or bandana.

Cleaning
We are following safe and proper cleaning practices across campus. Bathrooms and common areas are cleaned daily. Routine cleaning for infrequently touched areas and areas unoccupied for seven or more days will continue.

Our cleaning and disinfection methods are well managed. Procedures have been implemented to avoid duplicative cleaning of spaces across campus. Self-cleaning supplies are available across campus.

For specific questions, contact the Operational Continuity, Health and Safety Team at [email protected].

Isolation & Quarantine

Any student, faculty, or staff testing positive for COVID-19 will isolate and follow the New York state Department of Health Order on isolation and the Clinton County Health Department on the length of isolation and timing of return to campus.

The campus has appropriate quarantine and isolation space for on-campus residential students. We will work with the Clinton County Health Department to assist with quarantine and isolation space for off-campus students if necessary.

Isolation and Precautionary Isolation
On campus students are given instructions on the isolation process and provided an isolation room. You may be provided a rolling bin or hand cart to go to your room for movement of personal items you want to bring with you. You will also be given details about how you will order and receive food.

You should contact your faculty member (as usual in the case of illness) to follow up with them, the LITS helpdesk (564-4433) if you need any loaner technology or technology assistance, and your advisor if you have any concerns about your academics. You will hear about any changes to your courses from either your faculty member, department chair, or dean via email. Every effort will be made to ensure that you are able to continue with your classes.

Support is also provided through faculty and staff serving as quarantine buddies. A list of activities while isolating is included here.

Some students can show signs similar to COVID-19 but may have the flu or common cold. Students in this category are given a rapid test to screen. In some cases, this may require precautionary isolation while awaiting back-up results of a PCR test.

If they are positive, the isolation process applies. If they are negative, they can be released from quarantine. While in precautionary isolation, food is delivered.

Quarantine On and Off Campus
If you are fully vaccinated, you do not need to quarantine for contact.

Decisions on quarantine are made by the health department based on an assessment of potential exposure. This is done to help prevent possible spread of the virus. The health department calls the campus with names of students who will require on-campus quarantine.

On campus students are given instructions on the quarantine process. For students who had direct contact with a positive student as deemed by the assessment, the student is relocated to quarantine and must stay in the assigned room with food delivered.

Most quarantine cases are relocated but some, based on exposure or risk level, can remain in a room as long as it is a single. These less restricted students can pick up their own food and use the bathroom. Other than that they must stay in their room.

Off campus students are also directed by the health department and should stay home, separate themselves from others, monitor their health, and follow directions from the health department.

Support is also provided through faculty and staff serving as quarantine buddies. A list of activities while isolating is included here.

When contacted by the health department and before a final decision is made on quarantining, students who are aware of a potential contact should go into precautionary quarantine until the interview/contact tracing process is completed.

More guidance on close or proximate contact of a confirmed or suspected cases is online here.

Information for Faculty
If a student in your face-to-face class tests positive for COVID-19, your initial notification will likely come from Academic Affairs and go both to you and the relevant dean. It could come first from the student or other students or even the health department.

The health department will likely reach out to discuss details like classroom set up, activities, and attendance. Based on this information, they will decide on further steps, whether quarantine for the whole class (or subset of the class), quarantine for the faculty member, or no further actions.

Faculty members should work with affected students to minimize the disruption to academic progress. If the class and/or faculty member need quarantine or testing, college staff will follow up with instructions. Faculty members have agency to change the modality of the class away from face-to-face and notify students. They should work with their department chair when making changes.

If the faculty member is ill or they need to isolate or quarantine themselves, the chair will step in as the faculty member’s surrogate and arrange for class coverage. They also must contact Human Resource Services.

For more information on testing, isolation and quarantine, COVID-19 Quarantine Help at [email protected].

Vaccinations, Testing Sites & Reporting

Vaccinations
New York State is offering vaccinations to residents. Details on appointments and related requirements are online at https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/.

Pooled Surveillance Testing
Details on the Pooled Surveillance Testing process on campus are online here.

SUNY Plattsburgh is using pooled surveillance testing for COVID-19, an innovative method where numerous samples can be run as part of one test. SUNY’s pooled testing approach was developed and validated by Upstate Medical’s laboratory and Quadrant Biosciences using saliva samples.

Faculty, staff and students who work, live on, attend classes or have any other activity on campus are required to participate in campus pooled surveillance testing. Pooled testing will occur weekly throughout the spring semester.

Pooled testing allows for 10 to 25 people to be screened in one test. Individuals administer the tests themselves, swabbing their mouths for 10 or 15 seconds each, then provide the saliva samples to testing personnel.

The pooled testing simplifies sample collection processes, making it feasible to collect samples on a large scale and during a short period of time. It also reduces the total number of tests needed and accelerates turn-around time from specimen collection to testing results.

Details and FAQs from SUNY Upstate Medical University

Local Testing Sites
Clinton County has locations available where COVID-19 testing can be done.

295 New York Road. This site, operated by CVPH and the Clinton County Health Department, is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.. No appointment or physician’s order is required. Bring your health insurance card, if possible. More information about this site can be found at: https://www.cvph.org/Patients-and-Visitors/Patients/COVID-Testing
WellNow Urgent Care is located at 474 NY-3. Book a COVID-19 testing appointment at: https://wellnow.com/locations/plattsburgh/

Test Results and Reporting
SUNY Upstate Medical University reports weekly pooled testing results directly to students, faculty and staff to your registered email address when completed.

If your result is presumed negative, you need take no further action. If your result is positive, you will be contacted by the Student Health and Counseling Center or the Clinton County Health Department with further details. If you get the notification email before being contacted, we ask you to self-isolate and contact your health care professional or the health center at 518-564-2187 or healthcenter@plattsburgh.edu.

Those needing proof of COVID testing for an employer, internship, etc., should obtain separate PCR testing through CVPH/Clinton County Health Department (https://www.cvph.org/Patients-and-Visitors/Patients/COVID-Testing) or WellNow Urgent Care https://www.cvph.org/Patients-and-Visitors/Patients/COVID-Testing. This will provide a personalized result that can be printed or forwarded.

COVID-19 Campus Updates

Academics, Housing & Operations

Resources, Accessibility & Support

Events & Programs

Emergency Response Fund, Medical Guidance, Town Halls & Past Updates

Map of Global Coronavirus Cases