President highlights important resources

01/19/2021 

Dear students,

A new semester is upon us. I believe in your ability to succeed in your classes and in all of your academic endeavors in the weeks and months to come.

I also believe in your commitment to meeting the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. I wanted to share some resources that will allow you to have a safe and successful semester.  

• The Spring 2021 Guide may answer many questions you have about campus life and it will be updated often. Please familiarize yourself with it before classes start and refer to it regularly.
  
  
• The guide gives you access to our SUNY-approved re-opening plan as well as a student-oriented document titled “What Students Should Know.”
  
  
• The COVID-19 tab in myRedDragon will be another important source of information throughout the semester. Please submit your prearrival test results through the portal located here.
  
  
• Students who live off-campus and are already in Cortland may register for surveillance testing online through the COVID-19 tab in myRedDragon.
  
  
• Screening and testing are important tools in the university’s fight against the spread of the virus. You must complete your daily screening now, even if you plan to arrive next week. We will test all members of the campus community each week. Your participation is vital to keeping everyone safe.

The way forward for a productive and healthy semester involves simple steps with which you are already familiar: wearing face coverings, physical distancing and avoiding large gatherings. Your commitment to these and all university policies is the only way for us to safely navigate the next few months. 

Please examine these resources and put these rules into practice. We can have a great semester if — and only if — all of us dedicate ourselves to safety first. 

All the best, 

Erik J. Bitterbaum 

President