Dear colleagues,
I write today with enormous, ongoing gratitude for everything you have done to get us through the health and safety challenges of late 2021 and 2022, positioning us to welcome our students to campus for the Fall 2022 semester. With enrollment strong, more than 90% of classes back in person, and protocols in place to safeguard the campus, we are ready to commence a new academic year and ensure that students, faculty and staff will be able to thrive.
We are enormously proud and deeply grateful to the faculty, staff and students whose perseverance made this possible. Now, we are ready to move forward stronger than ever.
As we start a new academic year, I want to provide some important updates regarding CUNY policies, and let you know Hunter plans to have the Cooperman Library, our athletic facilities and the Student Union — as well as all programs, administrative offices and departments — open and staffed five days a week.
Vaccinations
CUNY will continue its policy requiring all students taking in-person or hybrid classes (with the exception of the small number of students with medical exceptions or religious exemptions) be vaccinated to access the campus. We are fortunate that the majority of our returning students have already uploaded their proof of vaccination. All students must have their vaccination documentation uploaded and approved in CUNYfirst or they will be de-registered from classes by CUNY after the close of late registration on August 31. If they subsequently upload proof, they may submit a Late Registration Request beginning September 1.
Additionally, we continue to encourage faculty and staff members who have been vaccinated to upload their proof of vaccination, including booster shots as CUNYfirst has recently been updated to allow for uploading proof of boosters. We also remind all staff that if you are not vaccinated, you must continue to test weekly.
Random Testing
CUNY will continue its random testing program of vaccinated individuals by testing 10% of the vaccinated campus community. Please monitor your email, including your spam folder, for notifications from Cleared4. Please note: If you are selected for random testing, you will need to be tested within a week of when you receive the email. You can go to any CUNY testing site to be tested. You do not need an appointment, but please check the hours of operation. More information on CUNY testing locations and hours can found here. Please note that failure to comply will result in CUNY revoking your access to campus.
If you test positive at a CUNY testing site, a Coronavirus Liaison will be notified and reach out to you with instructions. If you test positive at a non-CUNY site, please let us know via an email to COVIDhub@hunter.cuny.edu, and you will be contacted and provided with guidance about isolation protocols.
If you have tested positive within the past 90 days, please note you will be exempt from the random testing requirement. Similarly, if you do not plan to be on campus this semester for any reason, you may also be exempt. Please contact COVIDhub@hunter.cuny.edu for more information.
I look forward to seeing many of you back on campus in the coming days and weeks! Together, we will ensure a safe and successful semester for our students and the entire Hunter community.
As always, thank you for everything you do for Hunter.
With appreciation,
Jennifer J. Raab
