Focus on Campus - Residential Life Plan

Residential Life Restart Guide

Our on-campus Residence Halls at East 25th St (Brookdale), The Apartments at 79th Street and the 51st Street Residence will house Hunter students. Of utmost importance is offering and maintaining a safe and healthy environment for residents. The Brookdale Residence Hall has a number of features that have allowed Hunter to open and manage this facility safely, specifically it has a capacity of 650 beds in single occupancy rooms and there are both outside spaces and large indoor spaces. The apartments at 79th Street offer units that accommodate shared occupancy. This building features a laundry room that is open 24/7 and an outdoor patio available to residents during posted hours. Our newest facility, the 51st Street Residence also offers shared occupancy but is limited to 2 students per room. It provides our residence with a variety of open communal spaces such as a laundry room, gym and study lounges.

The following broad community mitigation strategies are essential for limiting the risk of spread of COVID-19:

Promote Behaviors that Reduce Spread

Teach and reinforce proper hygiene and respiratory etiquette.
Teach and reinforce use of face coverings.
Offer supplies: soap, sanitizer, and disinfectant wipes to support proper hygiene.
Post signage that promotes the prevention of the spread of COVID-19.
Maintain a Healthy Environment.
Increase cleaning and disinfection of common and high-touch surfaces and areas.
Ensure bathrooms are equipped with cleaning supplies.
Ensure proper ventilation/circulation of outdoor air.
Monitor Close shared spaces (kitchen/laundry/lounges).
Maintain Healthy Operations.
Offer community support through virtual options.
Hold in person and virtual meetings.
Students will be encouraged to seek advice by telephone from a healthcare provider to determine appropriate medical intervention.
If staff receive information that a student tests COVID-19 positive, campus designated COVID-19 liaison will be alerted to work with the NYS Department of Health to notify anyone in the building who may have been exposed.
Initiate isolation/quarantine as necessary.

See Isolation and Quarantine below for more details.

Hunter College is taking extensive measures to ensure that students who move into rooms in our residence halls remain healthy and safe – and that those with whom they interact are equally protected. The requirements cover every aspect of the process.

Capacity

Hunter College will operate at building capacity for all of our residential spaces.

Self-identified students at Brookdale who qualify for reasonable accommodation due to being immunocompromised or have underlying health conditions can utilize the shared ADA single-use bathroom. Such bathrooms are located on each floor of the North Building (11 in total).

Vaccination and Testing

Students moving into all on-campus and off-campus properties will be required to be vaccinated. Students must submit a negative PCR test before returning to campus.

Weekly testing will be required for all students residing in dorms.

Housing Agreements

Students will be required to agree to:

An assumption of risk clause.
Any additions to expectations for conduct.
A requirement that they will return to their permanent or alternate residence in the event that isolation is required.
A requirement that they will return to their permanent residence or an alternate residence in the event that evacuation is required.

Increased cleaning frequency in high-touch areas. See the General Guidelines for more detail.

Kitchens (Brookdale)

Kitchens on the Residence Halls at East 25th St (Brookdale) are located in the North Building on every floor and the East Building on every floor. Kitchens are cleaned on a schedule but students are encouraged to clean after themselves.
79th St – Kitchens are available in every apartment and students are responsible for the cleaning.
51st – Large kitchen with multiple stoves is available on the main floor and students are responsible for cleaning.

Elevators

Elevators will operate at full capacity.

Bathrooms (Brookdale)

● Thorough cleaning and disinfection will be scheduled prior to and after morning and evening use, following protocols outlined in the general guidelines. In addition, showers will be sprayed down with an EPA-approved disinfectant.

Floor Lounges (Brookdale)

● Floor Lounges are located on every floor in the North Building and the East Building.

Laundry

There is one laundry room at Brookdale.
There is one laundry room at 79th St.
There is one laundry room at 51st St.

Game Room

Brookdale – Game room will be open and administered by USG with oversight by Student Life.
79th Street – Outdoor Patio – The patio will be open for students to use.
51st Street – Gym/Game room/Study Spaces will be open and managed by 51st Staff.

To decrease traffic in buildings, check-ins will take place online. All documentation will be sent home for completion and move-ins will be spread over a week or more and will be conducted only by appointment.

As rooms are fully furnished, we strongly urge students to only move-in their essential items and not any large items.

Education – training will be provided on signs/screens of COVID-19 for residents.
Student Engagement – both virtual and in-person community and educational programs and activities will be offered, with an enhanced focus on wellbeing, mental health, health promotion, safety, and education. In-person programming/gatherings will follow appropriate guidelines and precautions.

Messaging designed to broadcast information on preventative measures, with an emphasis on individual responsibility for adopting recommended personal-level actions, will be posted throughout the property.

Procedural changes and precautionary measures will be communicated to all residents prior to their arrival.

You do not need to quarantine if you were exposed to someone with COVID-19. You do, however, need to wear a mask around others for 10 days, get tested at least 5 days after your close contact (the date of your exposure is considered day 0).

You isolate when you have been infected with the virus, even if you don’t have symptoms.

Isolation

Brookdale/79th St./51st St. cannot serve as isolation sites – students who require isolation will be required to return to their permanent residence or alternate location until they receive clearance from an appropriate medical professional to return to the residence.

Students will be required to identify where they will move in the event that evacuation from the residence is required. Information regarding emergency preparation in the case of a campus closure will be shared with students via routine informational emails. Where possible, students will be given sufficient notice such that they have the opportunity to plan departure and pack. Students will receive notice via email.

Masks are no longer required but anyone who would like to continue wearing masks in any setting is welcome to do so at any time.
Procedures for leaving keys, packing belongings (where applicable), etc. will be communicated to students
To decrease traffic in buildings, move-out scheduling will take place online by appointment.

Hunter College will also offer off-campus housing to students located at the 92Y and 97th St Residences, both of which are managed by third parties.

92Y offers single and double occupancy rooms with communal bathrooms, kitchens, and other community spaces.
97th St Residence offers double and triple units with a bathroom contained in each unit. There is a communal kitchen, and other community spaces.

Both sites maintain COVID-associated policies and regulations with regard to face coverings, capacity limits in common areas (kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, study spaces, etc.), physical distancing, and cleaning protocols. Hunter College will collaborate with our 92Y and 97th St. contacts to both communicate CUNY-mandated policies and protocols and reinforce student adherence. Sites will be required to meet the stricter of the standards for CUNY students in residence.