Focus on Fall

The Plan lays out a staged approach to returning activities to campus. Upon submission of this plan, Hunter will be in Stage 1, in preparation for the opening of the 68th Street and Brookdale Campuses for the College and the Silberman and HCCS Buildings for the Campus Schools: 

STAGE 0: RESEARCH RESTART

• As of July 10, 2020, Hunter College has a CUNY Approved Research Plan
• The North Building, Belfer, and 205 Hudson Street have opened for approved research activities
• NY Forward Research Safety Plan is complete
• COVID Training and Health Screening Application launched
• Focus on Fall Website launched

 STAGE 1: FOCUS ON FALL PREPARATION

• Restore Building Chiller and Boiler Services
• Survey and adjust building temperatures, pre-ventilate, and ensure all systems are operating
• Deploy custodial staff to complete a rigorous cleaning and disinfection of the building
• Install signage and update website communications
• Reorganize furniture for physical distancing
• Install outdoor tents for additional capacity, weather permitting
• Allow limited, by appointment only, visits from faculty, instructional staff, and student support staff for the purpose of preparing materials for remote instruction and preparing spaces and materials for in-person instruction and service delivery
• Return Residential Life Staff to their apartments to begin preparation for return of students in residence.
• Communicate with all members of the Hunter College Community on Travel Advisory, Health Application, and COVID-Training.  All individuals intending to be in-person in the Fall Semester should complete their COVID-Training prior to August 26, 2020.
• Complete the NYS Forward Higher Education Safety Plan
• Seek CUNY Review, approval, and affirmation

STAGE 2: FOCUS ON FALL RESTART

• Student Move-In Day Being Scheduled 
• Classes begin on August 26, 2020.  Classes will largely remain in a predominantly remote learning format
• Faculty, Student Support Staff, and Students will return to limited in-person instruction at the 68th Street and Brookdale Campuses
• Student Support spaces such as Food Pantry, Technology Support, Equipment and Material Retrieval, Study Spaces, Art, Music, and Theater Practice and Rehearsal Spaces and for limited hours or by appointment.
• Campus will be open for Approved Licensed Use by third parties in accordance with NYS Forward Safety Plan.

STAGE 3: INCREASING CAPACITY OR ADDING HIGHER RISK ACTIVITIES

As NYS Forward industry-specific guidelines are implemented by the NYS DOH and adopted by CUNY, Hunter College will increase the capacity of approved Stage 2 activities and/or adding additional higher-risk activities with additional safety precautions, as needed.

Additional higher risk activities may include, but not be limited to undergraduate and human research activities, on-site examinations and capstone experiences, student health and wellness activities, small group meetings (under 12 people), special events (under 50 people), and rentals for all approved NYS Forward activities.

Decisions to expand services will be initiated by the Campus Reopening Committee, based on the achievement of stable and improving conditions during Stage 2, with CUNY approvals and governmental approvals when required.  Safety plans for such activities would consider staggered schedules, cohorting, supplemental air filtration, emerging technologies, and additional COVID testing, as appropriate.

STAGE 4:  FULL REOPENING (TBD)

This phase is contingent upon greatly improved health and safety conditions and projections are educated estimates only intended to inform future planning.

PHASE TRANSITIONS

Considerations for Progressing to the Next Stage

• Assessment of the phase as it progresses, with an effort to begin planning for the next phase early, as a function of assessment outcomes.
• Higher-risk activities may be taken on later in the semester, should campus and community rates show no increased rate of infection, a decline in COVID transmissions in the city and minimal transmission on campus.
• Each phase is expected to last one semester, contingent upon CUNY and NYS requirements and health outcomes, to reduce disruption.
• In-person classes and labs should be determined on a semester-by-semester basis, with the next stage planned for and announced by the middle of the preceding semester, if possible.
• Available PPE and sufficient staffing/budget to advance to the next phase.

Considerations for Remaining in the Current Stage Longer

• Incidence of COVID-19 on campus that is not successfully contained
• Increase in COVID-19 cases in the city

Considerations for Reverting to a Prior Stage

• Significant increasing infection rates on campus that are not successfully contained
• Significant rise in Community Transmission rates in the city
• See Shutdown Plan

Responsible Parties

The Coronavirus Campus Coordinator, Acting Vice President, Lori Mazor shall be responsible for developing the plan, affirming to having read and adhere to this guidance, and meeting the standards set forth therein. The Coronavirus Campus Liaison, Executive Director for Human Resources, Galia Galansky, shall be responsible for all monitoring activities.

Face Coverings

The Coronavirus Campus Coordinator must maintain protocols and procedures for students, faculty, staff, and other individuals to ensure appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) is used to protect against the transmission of the COVID-19 virus when on school grounds and in school facilities.

Face coverings are to be worn by all individuals at all times.  Individuals may remove their face coverings during meals, so long as they maintain appropriate physical distance. Weather permitting, meals should be taken outdoors when possible.  Acceptable face coverings are described in PPE and Face Coverings Section.

Physical Distancing

The Coronavirus Campus Coordinator, in concert with designated responsible parties, must maintain protocols and procedures for students, faculty, and staff to ensure appropriate physical distancing to protect against the transmission of the COVID-19 virus when on school grounds and in school facilities.  Specifically, appropriate physical distancing means six feet of space in all directions between individuals or use of appropriate physical barriers between individuals that do not adversely affect air flow, heating, cooling or ventilation, or otherwise present a health or safety risk.  If put in place, physical barriers must be put in place in accordance with United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines, and May include strip curtains, cubicle walls, plexiglass or similar materials, or other impermeable divider or partition.

Spaces

To reduce social density, Hunter College will continue remote instruction, service delivery, and remote work for all personnel who are able.  Permission to work from the campus will be limited to delivery of necessary in-person instruction or research activities with prior approval. We will open spaces for limited times to faculty who want to deliver synchronous instruction from specialized spaces, such as dance studios and teaching laboratories.

Hunter has also made available tented outdoor spaces at 68th Street, Silberman and HCCS Buildings, which are available and will be prioritized for eating or instruction, or by reservation.

In-Person Instruction

Following the Chancellor’s guidance, Hunter College has prioritized efforts to return only necessary classes to in-person instruction at this time.  See Instructional Restart Guide for more details. 

Screening

Hunter College has implemented mandatory health screenings, including temperature checks, of students, faculty, staff, and essential visitors to identify any individuals who may have COVID-19 or who may have been exposed to the COVID-19 virus.  Vendors, Contractors, and other third-party employers working on-site must present their own NYS Forward Safety Plan to the Director for Public Safety for approval.  This plan must include the required Health Screening process. See Health Screening for more details.

Transportation in Hunter College Vehicles

Consistent with State-issued public transit guidance, individuals must wear acceptable face coverings at all times in Hunter College vehicles, maintain appropriate physical distancing, unless they are members of the same household.  When possible, Hunter will install physical barriers between the driver and passengers to provide additional protection and increase vehicle capacity.  Hunter College vehicles are to be used for the purposes of providing distribution between campuses, mobile delivery services to students in the five boroughs, transporting essential workers between campuses for service, providing essential public safety patrols, and escorting designated personnel for business purposes.   

Ventilation

Hunter College Facilities shall increase ventilation, either via open windows or mechanical means, with outdoor air to the greatest extent possible while maintaining health and safety protocols.  See Building Operations for more details.

Hygiene, Cleaning, and Disinfection

Hunter College will adhere to and promote hygiene, cleaning, and disinfection guidance set forth by New York State Department of Health (DOH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  Hunter College will train all students, faculty, and staff on proper hand and respiratory hygiene.  Hunter College will maintain logs that include the date, time, and scope of cleaning and disinfection, as well as identifying cleaning and disinfection frequency for each facility and area type and assign responsibility to staff.  See Building Operations and Communications for more details.

Contact Tracing

Hunter College will notify the state and local health department immediately upon being informed of any positive COVID-19 diagnostic test result by an individual within school facilities or on school grounds, including students, faculty, staff, and visitors.  In the case of an individual testing positive, Hunter College has developed and will maintain plans to support local health departments in tracing all contacts of the individual, in accordance with the protocols, training, and tools provided through the New York State Contact Tracing Program.  Confidentiality must be maintained as required by federal and state law and regulations.  Hunter College will cooperate with all state and local health department contact tracing, isolation, and quarantine efforts. See Contact Tracing Section for details.

Return to In-Person Activities

Hunter College has established protocols and procedures following NYSDOH guidelines when people screening positive for COVID-19 symptoms can return to the in-person learning environment. This return to school protocol shall include, at minimum, documentation from a health care provider following evaluation, negative COVID-19 diagnostic test result, and symptom resolution, if COVID-19 positive, release from isolation.  Hunter College shall refer to the DOH’s “Interim Guidance for Public and Private Employees Returning to Work Following COVID-19 Infection or Exposure” regarding protocols and policies for faculty or staff seeking to return to work after a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 or after the faculty or staff member had close or proximate contact with a person with COVID-19.  See Infected Individuals for details.

Phasing and quantity of students, faculty, and staff allowed to return in-person considering factors such as ability to maintain appropriate physical distance, personal protective equipment (PPE) availability, local medical capacity, and availability of safe transportation.

Hunter College maintains 3 million square feet across three campuses and a handful of owned and leased facilities throughout Manhattan.  Assuming an industry standard average of 150 GSF/person, the campus can accommodate a capacity of 20,000 people.    

Stage 2 of this plan focuses on the 68th Street Campus (1.5M SF) and Brookdale (500K GSF) for Hunter College and sets a capacity limit for Stage 2 of 25% (3300 people), and for Stage 3 of 50% (6600 people). Both limitations set a safe physically distanced egress scenario in case of emergency and will be monitored on a per campus basis. Stage 3 reopening shall be submitted to CUNY Central for review, including a condition-based risk analysis which determined it was safe to enter subject stages, and milestones associated with those stages.

PPE will be purchased from state approved vendors and a two-week supply will be maintained on campus. Should the supply chain diminish, Hunter will notify the CUNY COO in writing. 

Hunter College has established protocols and procedures for students, faculty, and staff to ensure appropriate physical distancing on school grounds and in school facilities.

Hunter College shall follow all mandatory and best practices recommended by the NYSDOH on physical distancing.  When physical distancing is not possible, such as at transactional desks or in instructional situations where close contact is required as part of the clinical training (i.e. physical therapy), additional measures shall be taken including installing physical barriers, supplemental PPE, temperature screening, and/or COVID testing.

Occupancy of instructional spaces shall be reduced as required to meet NYS guidelines for physical distancing.  Hunter College will reconfigure existing classroom furniture arrangements or designated approved seating/standing locations to maintain 6 foot spacing between single occupant at desks or laboratory benches in all directions.

Gathering spaces will be reconfigured to meet social distancing guidelines to accommodate breaks and meals. Occupancy of shared spaces will be limited by the ability to distance appropriately within the space and by wearing masks when occupied by more than one person.

Restrooms shall also have reduced occupancy calculations to 50% of the number of fixtures and occupants will be instructed to maintain physical distance when in restrooms.  Sinks should be limited to hand-washing only.

Hunter College shall supply all employees and students with an acceptable face covering, at no-cost to the individual, and have an adequate supply of coverings in case of need for replacement.  Upon opening Hunter will have on-site 20,000 surgical masks and 250 N95 respirators. Hunter Environmental Health and Safety is responsible for the acquisition, monitoring, and distribution of all PPE.  Inventory will be tracked weekly and quotes will be obtained from multiple vendors in the case that the State Vendors cannot fulfill requested orders. Hunter will provide single source justification if there is a supply chain issue.

Acceptable face coverings, as defined by the NY Department of Health (NYDOH), include but are not limited to cloth (e.g. Homemade sewn, quick cut, bandana), surgical masks, and face shield. However, cloth disposable or homemade face coverings are not acceptable for workplace activities that typically require a higher degree of protection for PPE due to the nature of the work (e.g. if working with flammable materials or chemicals, ensure face coverings are flame resistant). For those activities, N95 respirators or other PPE used under existing industry standards should continue to be used, as is defined in accordance with OSHA Standards. 

Face coverings are to be worn at all times when on Hunter Property and in public areas of the building, including but not limited to the courtyard/plaza, lobby, corridors, elevators, bathrooms, stairwells, research laboratories, shared spaces, and rooms when more than one individual is occupying a space. 

Face coverings must be cleaned or replaced after use and may not be shared. Consult CDC guidance for additional information on cloth face coverings and other types of PPE as well as instructions on use and cleaning. 

Hunter College will allow their employees and essential visitors to use their own acceptable face coverings (e.g. Surgical Masks, N95 respirators, or face shields) but does not require their employees and essential visitors to supply their own face coverings. In the case where it is necessary for HCCS employees or essential visitors to wear more protective PPE due to the nature of the work, Hunter College will supply it and employees and essential visitors will be required to use it. Hunter College will comply with all applicable OSHA standards, and expect vendors, contractors, and third-party employers doing work at Hunter to do so as well. Employees, student, and visitors on the Hunter Campus are required to wear face coverings when interacting with one another and/or other individuals within six feet distance AND without a physical barrier (e.g. plexiglass). 

Faculty, Staff, and Students will be allowed to briefly remove their face coverings during meals while maintaining proper physical distancing.

The hours of operation for The Hunter College will be posted prominently and stated on the website and will be modified to allow for a staggered start and exit of the building during peak periods.  Students may be asked to arrive early or stay later than scheduled class time to allow for safe passage.

Occupants entering the building shall enter through the designated primary entrances at the 68th Street and Brookdale Campuses.  Physical distancing shall be maintained at the entry and lobby area, as indicated by signage. 

To minimize contact, occupants should physically distance when possible, following signage in each building for designated paths of travel, cuing locations, and using the elevator.

Corridors shall be kept clean, orderly, and clear in compliance with FDNY and NY State law.  Only non-flammable materials can be stored in hallways in designated areas.  Passageways must be kept totally clear at all times, as not to obstruct emergency personnel and persons evacuating the building.  Additionally, corridors shall be kept clear so custodial staff are able to clean, sanitize, and disinfect the floors on a regular basis. 

No non-essential visitors or guests will be allowed into buildings until further notice.  Vendors and essential visitors are allowed by appointment only to conduct essential repairs or by request to the Director for Public Safety. Essential visitors include all approved licensees of the space for the duration of their lease term.  Request for vendor services or essential visitors should be sent to Joseph Foelsch (jf1128@hunter.cuny.edu).  Public Safety will be responsible for informing all endorsements of the code of conduct on campus, for maintaining a log of essential visitors expected to enter the site, and for coordinating screening.

Shipping and receiving is operational and arrangements can be made for pick-up and delivery of necessary supplies, limiting contact to the extent possible.

Hunter has begun preparations to safely reopen facilities and grounds, such as cleaning and disinfection, and restarting building ventilation, water systems, and other key facilities components. Facilities has ordered materials and supplies in preparation for planned fall capacity.

Hunter Facilities Operations has modified buildings’ ventilation systems to maximize the use of outside air and reduce the amount of recirculated air to the extent that we can maintain reasonable building comfort levels.  The College will employ enhanced particulate filtering where possible, and portable high-efficiency particulate arrestance (HEPA) air filtration units will be installed in classrooms which have ventilation systems that use recirculated air.  The College will allow open windows and run building ventilation 24 hours per day to increase airflow wherever possible.

Hunter Custodial Staff will be providing cleaning and disinfection services to all general-purpose instructional spaces, gathering spaces, outdoor spaces, and public spaces on a regular scheduled frequency. Public spaces include, but are not limited to, the entry, exit, stairs, elevators, restrooms, corridors, and shared public spaces.

Cleaning services include the removal of trash, sweeping, dusting, and mopping. This will be completed at least once per day in the public spaces.

Disinfection services include the disinfection of high touch surfaces in public spaces using an EPA approved quaternary cleaner.  Services are scheduled multiple times per day up to once an hour in high traffic areas, such as elevators and entrances.

Restrooms will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected every 90 minutes.  All high touch surfaces, including sinks, faucets, stall handles, toilet bowl seats and door handles will be sprayed with EPA approved quaternary cleaner. Hand dryers will be temporarily disconnected and restrooms will be provided with paper towels.

Custodial assistants and custodial supervisors will log the completion of cleaning and disinfection services.  The administrative superintendent responsible for custodial services will review and confirm the accuracy of the log daily.  The log will be maintained by Facilities.  

Disinfecting wipes or spray disinfectant and paper towels will be provided to all classroom, laboratory and shared spaces.  Faculty or designated instructional and student services staff shall be responsible for wiping down surfaces and equipment daily. We encourage each staff member to give frequent attention to decontaminating commonly used surfaces (desks, furniture, equipment and tools, cabinet handles, etc.). It is recommended that individual users wipe down all shared equipment both before and after use.  See Restart Guides for more details.

Hand-washing with soap and water for 20 seconds immediately upon arrival is mandatory for everyone and frequent hand-washing during the day is strongly encouraged to reduce contact transmission.

Hand sanitizer dispensers will be installed in public areas and in areas deemed to be high touch, such as elevators and door handles.  Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to use hand sanitizing stations before and after using high-touch facilities.

Water fountain stations will be reconfigured to bottle refilling stations; students, faculty and staff will be encouraged to bring their owner water bottles or use disposable cups.

Students who are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 illness, and individuals who may not feel comfortable returning to an in-person educational environment, shall be provided with a fully remote teaching and learning option or the ability to defer the completion of an in-person experience to a later date to allow them to safely participate in educational activities and, where appropriate, accommodate their specific circumstances.  

Additional guidance will be forthcoming from CUNY regarding eligibility for a reasonable accommodation for vulnerable populations among faculty and staff.  Interim guidance is that employees seeking such an accommodation complete the reasonable accommodation forms.  

Health Screening 

Students, Faculty, Staff and Visitors planning to come to a CUNY campus or office for any reason or length of time will be required to use the Everbridge App to take a Wellness Check Survey prior to entering a campus or building Hunter College will provide students, faculty, staff and essential visitors with the Health Screening app, available on its website, for desktop or mobile device, to be completed at home prior to traveling to campus.

The self-certification health application will ask the NYSDOH required questions to allow for safe travel and entry to the campus. Occupants who have successfully completed the online questionnaire will receive a green light to come to campus. This information will be provided to Screeners, the Campus Coronavirus Liaison, and the Campus Coronavirus Coordinator and shared with CUNY.

Students, faculty, staff and essential visitors will be required to immediately disclose if and when their responses to the question’s changes, such as they begin to experience symptoms, including during or outside of work hours.

Hunter is currently communicating all federal and state travel advisories and will keep our community updated with the latest information on mandatory quarantines.

The Campus Coronavirus Liaison will provide a daily report to the SVC for Institutional Affairs and the Campus Reopening Committee.

Hunter has identified all Public Safety managerial and EMT staff as qualified screeners. Screeners will be provided with PPE, including at a minimum an acceptable face covering or mask and  disposable gloves.  They will be responsible for assisting anyone who has not completed the Health Application at home, including essential visitors.

Temperature checks will be the responsibility of individuals completing the health screening application.  Temperature checks will be available by qualified screeners for those completing the health screening application on-site.

Testing Protocols

A individual, including faculty, staff, or essential visitor, who screens positive for COVID-19 symptoms will not be allowed to enter the facility and will be sent home with instructions to contact their healthcare provider for assessment and testing; Information on healthcare and testing resources is available on the school’s website and through the Coronavirus Campus Liaison.

Additional testing requirements for students in residence can be found in the Residential Life Restart Guide.

Testing Responsibility

Students, faculty, staff, and essential visitors are encouraged to utilize New York City’s free COVID-19 testing centers. For more information, see: nyc.gov/site/coronavirus/get-tested/covid-19-testing.page.

In the event that large-scale testing at the school is needed, Hunter College has designated qualified medical and public health experts to source and arrange for the administering of testing.

Early Warning Signs

At the community level, the Coronavirus Campus Liaison will monitor the critical key metrics developed for the NYS Regional Unpause Dashboard to ensure the prevalence of the disease is low enough to continue operations.

Contact Tracing

The Coronavirus Campus Liaison must notify the state and local health department immediately upon being informed of any positive COVID- 19 test result by any student, employee or essential visitor who has been on campus.  They will also notify the SVC for Institutional Affairs and the Campus Reopening Committee

In the case of any student, employee or essential visitor testing positive, the Coronavirus Campus Liaison will report this status to the state and local health department as required to trace all contacts in the workplace, and the state and local health department must be notified of all individuals who entered the site dating back to 48 hours before the employee or visitor first experienced COVID-19 symptoms or tested positive, whichever is earlier. Confidentiality must be maintained as required by federal and state law and regulations.

Individuals who have come into close or proximate contact with a person with COVID-19 will be alerted via tracing, tracking or other mechanism, and are required to self-report to their employer at the time of alert and shall follow the protocol referenced above.

Isolation & Quarantine

Students, Faculty or Staff who develop symptoms while on premises will be directed to leave the premises safely and seek appropriate healthcare. To provide a safe haven while such arrangements are being made, isolations rooms with a private bathroom will be provided at each campus. Such individuals will be directed to the school’s website for information on healthcare and testing resources. See Residential Life Restart Guide for more details on residential students.

Infected Individuals

The Coronavirus Campus Liaison will remain the central point of contact responsible for receiving and attesting to having reviewed all questionnaires, with such contact also identified as the party for individuals to inform if they later are experiencing COVID-19 related symptoms, as noted on the questionnaire. The Coronavirus Campus Liaison shall be prepared to receive notifications from individuals of positive cases and communicate with the Office of Public Safety, Facilities and EHS, to initiate the respective cleaning and disinfection procedures.

Should an individual who has been on campus test positive for COVID-19, they should notify the Coronavirus Campus Liaison.  The Coronavirus Campus Liaison must immediately notify the state and local health departments about the case if test results are positive for COVID-19.

The Coronavirus Campus Liaison shall refer to the NYS DOH’s “Interim Guidance for Public and Private Employees Returning to Work Following COVID- 19 Infection our Exposure” regarding protocols and policies for employees seeking to return to work after a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 or after the employee has had close or proximate contact with a person with COVID-19 and follows them explicitly.

The return to learning protocol will include at minimum documentation from a healthcare provider evaluation, negative COVID-19 testing, symptom resolution, or if COVID-19 positive, release from isolation.

Exposed Individuals

Individuals who were exposed to the COVID-19 virus must complete quarantine having not developed symptoms before returning to in-person learning.  Discharge from quarantine and return to school will be conducted in coordination with the local health department.

Hunter College will communicate with students, faculty and staff through email and the COVID-19 website. Updates will be posted regularly, and all are encouraged to visit the website to access planning, training, and health and safety management resources.

A robust signage program has been developed for students, faculty, staff and visitors to communicate instructions on-site for physical distancing, PPE, personal hygiene, and safe practices. Additional public service announcements will be posted on digital screens throughout the campus and via existing PA systems.

Students shall be informed of the Covid-19 Student Conduct Protocol “For Students” section, which states:

The City University of New York takes the well-being and safety of our students, faculty and staff very seriously. During the pandemic, we all have an obligation to behave in a responsible manner per the guidance approved in your campus’ re-opening plan to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Responsible behavior extends to your off-campus and personal lives, which can affect your ability to transmit the virus on campus, including at a minimum:

• always wearing a mask when on campus and when gathering with other individuals
• maintaining physical distance of at least six feet on campus and when gathering with individuals outside the classrooms and other areas
• limiting the size of on campus gatherings;
• minimizing and limiting the size of events gatherings with other students

Article XV of the CUNY bylaws requires that each student obey policies, regulations, and orders of the University/College. Students are reminded that the Rules and Regulations for the Maintenance of Public order pursuant to article 129a of the education law (“Henderson Rules”) prohibits:

• behaviors that recklessly or intentionally endangers the health of others
• behavior that interferes with the institution’s educational processes.
• failure to comply with the direction of a University official

The University is committed to adhering fully to current and future directives about social encounters from the federal, state and local public health officials.  Any student found in violation of these directives may be subject to discipline under article XV of the CUNY bylaws.

The School’s Safety Plan is available at the Public Safety desk for employees as well as on the schools Focus on Fall website.

While every effort will be made to keep the campus safe, Hunter College is prepared to act and communicate quickly in the event of large-spread community contagion that necessitates a rapid shutdown of the campus.

All communications will happen in close coordination with CUNY and state and local agencies and led by the President’s direct email communication with faculty, students and staff informing the details of the shutdown and impact to instructional plans and building operations.

In the case of an emergency, Hunter would trigger the CUNY Alert system to send a message to all registered users at their preferred mobile and/or email address. Returning and new employees and students will be reminded to update their CUNY Alert contact information.  CUNY Alerts and Updates to Focus on Fall Plan will be features in a high-profile banner on every page of the Hunter College website with links to more details, including timely messages from President Raab to faculty, students and staff and necessary information and resources. Hunter staff will share information with respective essential visitors and service providers.

Hunter would supplement these communications with the Hunter Navigate system that sends text messages to students. Students in Residence will receive further instructions from the Residence Hall Staff.

Should any member of the Hunter community, including vendors and essential visitors, fail to receive any outreach and arrive on campus, public safety officers will guide them to the safest departure possible.

Operational Activity

Hunter College will follow thresholds set by CUNY, NYSDOH, and the CDC and will work in close communication to understand what community and local metrics trigger closure and shutdown.  Detailed shutdown procedures are included in each of the Restart Plans.

Closure triggers

In the event an individual is confirmed to have COVID-19, Human Resources will notify Public Safety, Facilities, and Environmental Health and Safety.  Public Safety will secure their space and Facilities, in consultation with EHS, will arrange disinfection using a third-party specialist.  Upon completion of disinfection, Facilities will notify Public Safety and Human Resources that the area has been disinfected and prepared for occupancy.

While Hunter’s intention is to move forward and bring more activity back to campus over time, Hunter College will also be prepared to reverse the reopening if the situation dictates.  The Closure Committee, in consultation with the President and CUNY, will monitor a range of internal and external criteria when assessing whether a ramp down or closure of campuses is required. 

External monitoring criteria will include: 

• Federal, New York State, and New York City regulatory guidelines and mandates 
• Infection/health system status at the local, state, regional and nation-wide level 
• Status of resources and infrastructure to combat contagion including PPE, health system capacity, testing and tracing;
• Compliance of greater public with COVID-19 protocols (e.g., group gatherings, social distancing) 
• Re-closing status of neighboring schools; 

Internal monitoring criteria will include: 

• Spread of infection on campus via data reported by Campus Coronavirus Liaisons – metrics on current caseload, new flu-like symptoms, spread 
• Status of resources and infrastructure to combat contagion on campus, including school health system capacity, PPE resources, Testing & tracing resources; 
• Campus internal monitoring will be informed by the requirement for students to self- diagnose/report symptoms and faculty/staff to complete the daily screening questionnaire.  
• Hunter College will monitor health conditions using the criteria above and look for warning signs that infection may be increasing. 

CDC Higher Education Decision Tree

Hunter College shall reference the above CDC decision tree and develop the following closure and ramp down plans.

With a confirmed COVID-19 case on campus, the campus will consider a short class suspension for areas in which the positive occupant was present along with select building and facility closure to clean and disinfect. Hunter College will notify Human Resources who will also contact the NYS Contact Tracer Initiative in consultation with local/State officials. 

Ramp-down activities will align with the level of community spread, with minimal or moderate spread requiring higher levels of cleaning and potential closure. 

Extended closure will be determined based on substantial community spread, defined by CDC as large scale immunity transmission, healthcare staffing significantly impacted, multiple cases within communal settings. 

Hunter College will only close buildings/areas within its particular campus if the suspected exposure or positive findings that occur reflect confidence in a low level of risk to the wider campus community. To allow for deep-cleaning and disinfection of buildings, premises or grounds.  This will be coupled with notifications to potentially impacted students, faculty and staff, and ramp down measures being applied including testing referrals to City testing sites and tracing of members of the campus community, moving classes to remote learning, asking employees to work remotely, for the short duration of such limited closures.

Should there be a return of substantial community transmission, the campus community –students, faculty and staff– shall act as if they have been exposed: staying home and monitoring for symptoms. This would require a ramp down or shutdown of campus buildings to ensure Hunter College does its part to protect the most vulnerable members of the community. Such decisions will be made in consultation with Hunter/CUNY and local/State officials. 

The ramp down response to the local and community health situation within the campus, a community or the City as a whole, will be made following the governance process set out in Part 1, Section B, of the CUNY Guidelines for Safe Campus Reopening. Final decisions on shutting down particular buildings/areas within campuses, individual campuses, or multiple campuses, as appropriate, will be made by the CUNY in consultation with local/State authorities. 

The reopening plan for the CUNY campuses proposes four stages, moving from a soft reopening to full operations as described in the Phasing Section of the CUNY Guidelines for Safe Campus Reopening. 

Hunter College will be ready to deploy distance learning modalities with as few employees on campus as possible, to instruct only those who have been designated as essential staff to report to work, and to transition to distance working for all non-essential staff.  This will include readiness to deploy targeted distance learning modalities if necessary due to targeted shutdowns of particular buildings/areas impacted by COVID-19. 

Hunter College will have effective approval processes to enable staff to request supervisor approval for telecommuting, in accordance with campus telecommuting policies. Hunter College supervisors will maintain structures and channels that will enable employees to do their jobs remotely, and to ensure that all hardware and software is fully functional. Supervisors will implement remote check-in plans, and all employees will receive details about their work schedules and other expectations of job performance for the duration of the arrangement. 

Essential employees have remained on campus throughout the NYS Pause and NY Forward reopening phases. These employees have been provided with PPE specific to their line of work. Such determinations have been made by Hunter’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety under the applicable State, CUNY, and City guidance. All employees receiving masks and gloves have been trained in donning and doffing and communication has been given by their supervisors to follow physical distancing guidelines and observe hygiene, cleaning, and disinfecting protocols. Human Resources has managed notification and contact tracing for anyone reporting suspicion of COVID-19 exposure or a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. The college has followed protocols for shutting down the building, or portions of the building as needed, for deep cleaning and safe reopening.

Essential Employees have been asked to complete an online health screening prior to arriving on campus and will have access to the College’s Safety Template.  Essential workers will receive equitable treatment in the protections afforded to faculty, staff, and students.