Covid-19 Vaccination

Any student enrolled for in-person and/or hybrid classes for Spring 2022 must upload proof of vaccination to CUNYfirst for the primary series of Covid-19 vaccination (deadline: January 19). All students—except those with approved exemptions or exceptions—must be fully vaccinated in order to enter any CUNY facility.

Booster Mandate and Deadlines

According to the chancellor’s recent message, students enrolled in in-person and/or hybrid classes for Spring 2022 are required to get a Covid-19 vaccine booster shot as soon as they are eligible. The booster shot is add an extra layer of protection against Covid-19.

Booster Eligibility: You are eligible for the booster shot 5 months after the second shot of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or 2 months after the single Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Note: The CDC recommends the Pfizer or Moderna booster in most situations, regardless of which shot you received.

Booster Deadlines

• If you are eligible for the booster on Friday, Jan. 28, the first day of the Spring 2022 term: You must upload proof of receiving the additional shot to CUNYfirst no later than March 1.
• If you become eligible after Friday, Jan. 28, but before the end of the Spring 2022 semester: You have 30 days after you become eligible to get the booster and upload proof to CUNYfirst.
• Students who miss the booster deadline will not be able to register for Summer 2022 or Fall 2022 classes.

Booster How-To’s

• If you attended in-person or hybrid courses in Fall 2021 and already uploaded proof of your first vaccines, you will have to add the booster shot—unless you have an approved exception or exemption (instructions to upload booster proof here).
• Learn more about the booster shot and find a site near you at ny.gov/booster.
• Already boosted? Upload proof of your booster shot now (instructions here).

Support and Resources

• For answers to your CUNY vaccination policy questions, students should visit the virtual Baruch One Stop Shop (BOSS).
• Students with questions about the Covid-19 vaccination policy and how it may impact them, should email the DeanOfStudents@baruch.cuny.edu.
• Students with questions regarding uploading their vaccination documentation to CUNYfirst should email Baruch’s Local Vaccine Authority.

According to the chancellor’s message of February 3, “Vaccination Mandate for Faculty, Instructional Staff and ECPs,” all full- and part-time faculty, all nonteaching instructional staff (including, among others, NTAs, CLTs, and those in the HEO series), and personnel in the Executive Compensation Plan (ECPs) are required to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 in order to remain employed by the University, except if a medical exemption, religious exception, or reasonable accommodation has been granted.

A follow-up message from the chancellor on March 17, “Deadline Change to Upload Proof of Vaccination,” revised the deadline by which all full- and part-time faculty, nonteaching instructional staff, and ECPs are required to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and to upload proof of vaccination into CUNYfirst to Friday, May 27 (from April 1). Full vaccination is defined as the two shots of Moderna or Pfizer or the single shot of Johnson & Johnson, without boosters.

CUNY has expanded current Covid-19 testing services, including free PCR testing. Any CUNY student or employee who needs to be tested for any reason is able to walk into a CUNY site, show their CUNY ID, register in the system, and get tested. Results are available within 24 to 48 hours. Check here for a complete list of CUNY sites and schedules.

The random testing of vaccinated students, faculty, and staff that began in November 2021 has been expanded for the Spring 2022 term. Each week, a number of randomly selected, vaccinated individuals are contacted (via email from no-reply@cleared4.org) to be tested. If you are contacted, testing is not optional, unless you have a fully remote schedule due to a reasonable accommodation.

Baruch College has protocols in place for students, faculty, and staff who have Covid-19 symptoms, who have a positive Covid-19 test result, or who have been in close contact with someone who tests positive for Covid-19. The protocols, different for students and for faculty and staff, are detailed and summarized here.

Note: According to the chancellor’s recent message, the University will follow the CDC’s guidance regarding quarantine and isolation times for those who test positive and people in close contact with those who test positive for Covid-19.

CUNY’s Covid-19 Safety Tracker provides weekly campus-by-campus testing metrics.

The ability to keep the campus community secure is dependent on everyone being educated and skeptical about fraudulent outreach. Visit Baruch’s Office of Legal Affairs and Labor Relations’ webpage Fraud and Scam Prevention for advisories and resources, including CUNY’s 40-minute Cybersecurity Awareness Course.

Colleges across the country have been experiencing a surge of attacks on Zoom meetings. In “Supporting Our Community with Zoom Security Measures,” Dr. Arthur Downing, Baruch’s Vice President for Information Services and Dean of the Library, shared essential guidance: the Center for Teaching and Learning’s guide to Teaching with Zoom, safety tips from the Office of Student Life, and CUNY’s Zoom Security Protocol.