CUNY reopens with lack of COVID plan: Union
BY JASON COHEN
CUNY campuses reopened
on Aug. 25 for the fall semester,
but there is much uncertainty
for faculty and students alike as
the highly infectious Delta variant
continues to loom over the
city.
Throughout CUNY’s 25-campus
university system, which
includes Bronx Community College,
Hostos College and Lehman
College, there has been no uniform
or coordinated COVID-19
preparations for a return to the
classroom, and several campuses
have issues that, according
to CUNY’s union, need to
be addressed before they feel
it is safe to return. The Professional
Staff Congress’ (PSC) concerns
center on health and safety
measures that have yet to be addressed
by the administration.
On Aug. 23, members of the
PSC, which represents 30,000
faculty and staff, held a rally at
the CUNY Central administration
building, where they called
for additional safety protocols to
be included in CUNY’s COVID
reopening plan.
They want the following
measures implemented:
That CUNY permit remote
instruction until the state
guidance concerning student
vaccinations can be met and
in-person students are fully
vaccinated.
That CUNY release clear,
consistent policies on distancing
for all CUNY facilities that
adhere to CDC guidance.
That professional staff who
do not need to be on campus
be allowed to work remotely if
they request it.
That the air fl ow in facilities
located in Queens College,
Hunter College, Baruch College,
Medgar Evers College and
Bronx Community College be
spot-checked.
That CUNY require a negative
COVID test within 72 hours
while the rate of community
transmission is high.
A safety plan for in-person
classes should there be an outbreak
within a particular class
or campus.
“As the Delta variant
emerged in New York City and
vaccinations stagnated, it became
clear that CUNY’s existing
policies would be inadequate
for reducing the spread
of the virus,” said PSC President
James Davis. “The administration
must take the steps
we have raised with them immediately
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Davis said the primary
concerns regarding returning
to the classroom are vaccinations
and buildings that lack
proper ventilation systems.
He told the Bronx Times that
CUNY originally planned to
open campuses Aug. 2 for 50%
of the staff, but many facilities
lacked up to date HVAC systems.
According to Davis, when
vaccine distribution rolled out at
the beginning of the year, no one
thought things would take a turn
for the worse with the rise of the
more infectious COVID-19 strain,
the Delta variant, which has renewed
calls for more masking
and social distancing again.
“As the Delta variant comes
through the city things don’t
look as rosy as they did in June,
when plans for the fall semester
were getting materialized,” he
said. Currently, the Delta variant
accounts for 95% of all COVID
cases in NYC, according to
city health offi cials.
While most of the CUNY
staff is vaccinated, no one has
to show proof of vaccination until
Sept. 14. By letting people on
campus without knowing their
vaccination status the school is
teetering on a slippery slope,
Davis said.
“The thing about CUNY is
it’s an amazing university and
you can get a great education,”
he said. “But there’s been years
of underfunding and chronic
delayed maintenance. We don’t
think that any faculty or staff
should be sent back to unsafe
facilities.”
Attempts to reach CUNY offi
cials for comment were unsuccessful.
In May, CUNY offi cials detailed
several elements that August
reopening plans needed
to include such as unvaccinated
students and staff being
required to wear masks, mandatory
quarantine periods for
those contracting the virus,
and surveillance testing for unvaccinated
individuals, who
will be required to submit a
test every seven days to attend
in-person classes.
CUNY Professional Staff Congress, a faculty union with 30,000 members,
are calling for additional safety protocols to be included in the schools’
COVID reopening plan. Photo courtesy Professional Staff Congress
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