President offers updates on optional departure plan

11/02/2020 

Dear Cortland students:

Over the past 24 hours, many of you have submitted questions about our recently announced optional departure plan. I wanted to let you know that we have been listening to your feedback.

Please allow me to clarify a number of topics that you have asked about:

• All classes will be online for the remainder of the Fall 2020 semester. However, campus will not be closing. Essential services will remain open and students who wish to remain on campus through the checkout period of Nov. 20-23 will be allowed to do so.
  
  
• Students who opt to leave campus must receive a COVID-19 test result that indicates they are cleared to depart before they will be allowed to schedule a checkout date. Details on the checkout process are available online.
  
  
• Test results from Oct. 28 onward will be valid for purposes of certifying fitness for departure from Cortland. Students who have tested will receive an email with instructions for next steps.
  
  
• Students who are already at home and do not need to return to campus should stay home. They should contact their residence hall director immediately. They will not need to complete an in-person checkout unless they are not returning in the spring semester.
  
  
• Students who wish to return to campus to retrieve their belongings must submit an off-campus test result before returning to campus through the “Upload your results” button on the departure planning page. After they are approved through email by covidscreening@cortland.edu, residents can move on to the next steps in the checkout process.
  
  
• Off-campus students must test or submit recent negative test results as outlined in Step 1 of the Student Checklist on the departure planning page. After successfully completing this step, they will be emailed instructions to complete the “off-campus student departure form.”

• Students who test positive for COVID-19 will be subject to established protocol for quarantine and isolation, which may delay their intended departure. Please keep this in mind as you schedule test appointments and consider departure dates.

• Students who already have tested positive for COVID-19 during the fall semester and who have completed the mandatory isolation period will receive instructions through email on next steps for departing from campus. Students who tested positive prior to the start of the semester should email covidscreening@cortland.edu for more guidance.

Thank you again for your continued efforts to keep our campus and our community safe. I hope that this plan allows you to successfully complete your studies this semester while providing options on how to return home safely for the holidays.

I will continue to provide important updates as they are available.

All the best, 

Erik J. Bitterbaum 

President