News Detail

06/19/2020 

The following message was sent to members of the SUNY Cortland community on behalf of President Erik J. Bitterbaum:

I hope this message finds you and your family safe and looking toward the future.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Thursday that he will allow New York colleges and universities to reopen in the fall as long as individual campuses have an approved plan for meeting certain requirements. As you know, SUNY Cortland has been very proactive in planning to return to on-campus education in the fall, and we believe we are well on our way to meeting those requirements.

We are awaiting recommendations on the draft summary plan that was submitted to SUNY administration June 5. Please be aware that our final plan must eventually be approved in order for us to begin welcoming students to campus in late August. Also, should the number of New York cases of COVID-19 change course and rise, the governor may change his plans for higher education in response.

The first step in our gradual restart is to bring employees back to campus safely and prudently. We have not yet set a specific date, and are asking all departments and offices to develop return-to-work staffing plans that follow a set of best-practice health guidelines.

The key goal is to reduce the density of people on campus.  Initially, we are aiming for at least a 50% reduction in the number of people in university work areas. We are also focusing on maintaining physical distancing in our work spaces and will require all employees to wear face coverings when safe distancing standards cannot be met.

Several other key components of our restart plan need to be developed and implemented before we begin the gradual return of our workforce, and ultimately, our students:

• A self-screening tool is being designed to meet the New York State requirement for daily screenings. Using that tool, employees will be asked to attest to their health status each day. When implemented, this process will include all returning faculty and staff, as well as essential employees currently working on campus.
• A platform is being finalized to host the 12-minute New York State COVID- 19 Response: Return to Work Training video which employees will be required to view prior to returning to the workplace.
• The procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) and cleaning supplies is well underway, based on the numerous workplace assessments that have been completed to date.

As our community prepares to safely return, I want to remind everyone that individual responsibility is a key element of our plan. When we come back to campus, all members of our community — students, faculty and staff — will be asked to make a number of potentially new behaviors part of their daily routine:

Restart Readiness Checklist

• Do a symptom self-check every day before coming to campus.
• Stay home if you are sick or experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms.
• Social distance: Stay 6 feet away from others.
• Wear a cloth face mask whenever social distancing isn’t possible.
• Wash your hands frequently, or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your inner elbow.
• Dispose of used tissues immediately and wash your hands.

I sincerely appreciate the continued patience and diligence of all students, faculty and staff as we carefully move, step by step, to bring people back to campus while managing risk and implementing new health and safety guidelines.

All the best,

Erik J. Bitterbaum