Fall 2020 Reopening Plans

SUNY and all 64 schools have developed plans to resume on-campus activities and in-person instruction for the Fall 2020 semester. With guidance from Governor Cuomo, the New York State Department of Health, NY Forward Re-Opening Advisory Board, and NY Reimagine Education Advisory Council, and pursuant to the Phase 4 Industry Guidelines for Higher Education, the SUNY system has carefully prepared these plans over the course of several months.

In April, SUNY established a COVID-19 Resume and Restart Task Force, with seven working groups focused on specific areas integral to a safe and successful restart:

1. Academic Continuity
2. Physical Preparedness
3. Research Enterprise and Science of Reopening
4. Student Wellness
5. Community Colleges
6. Community Engagement
7. Resources

Each SUNY campus formed a similar task force to carry out planning for restarting on-campus operations and developing individual campus plans. Executive summaries of these plans were provided to the SUNY Chancellor in early June. Plans were thoroughly reviewed and evaluated by SUNY leadership, with frequent communication with all campuses.

Final certification of each campus plan was delegated to SUNY by the Governor on June 18, 2020. Each plan was required to meet the strict mandates set forth in the Higher Education Guidelines and published by New York Forward for Phase 4 Industries (https://forward.ny.gov/phase-four-industries).

In addition, the campuses were asked to include elements in their plans that conformed to the following checklist:

1. Plans to repopulate the campus should include consideration of:

• Capacity to maintain social distancing. The ability to maintain social distancing in public spaces and residence halls should be a factor in determining the phasing and numbers of students, faculty, and staff on campus. Other factors include the availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and access to safe transportation.
• PPE. Plans should discuss how to obtain and provide acceptable facial coverings to all employees of the institution. Campuses need to state whether they will offer re-usable facial coverings to students and whether disposable masks will be available to students and employees. The plans should discuss the type of PPE required, and when and where (i.e. outside, classrooms, lecture halls) they should be worn.
• Screening and testing. Plans should discuss how campuses will screen and/or test students and employees, and the actions that will be taken if students and employees test positive.
• Residential living. Residential living plans should include capacity limits, enhanced cleaning and disinfection protocols, and social distancing rules. They should also provide guidance on whether facial coverings are required in common areas and restrictions on gatherings and activities. Campuses need to state whether students will have limited access to dorms where they do not live. Plans must discuss special housing considerations for students with medical conditions, or who are undergoing isolation or quarantine. Each campus must establish a modified code of conduct.
• Operational activities. Campus plans must identify how classes, shared spaces, and activities and operations will be adapted or phased in (e.g. which classes will be offered on A/B schedules or through remote instruction; how shared spaces will be used in academic buildings, etc.).
• Restart operations. Each campus must identify safety procedures required prior to reopening buildings such as cleaning and disinfection, and the restart of ventilation and water systems, and other key building operations.
• Extracurricular activities including intramurals and student performances. Plans must outline policies around extracurricular programs that specify which activities will be allowed, taking social distancing and risk of viral transmission into consideration.
• Vulnerable populations: Each campus must take into account vulnerable populations, which includes individuals who may not feel comfortable returning to campus. Plans must outline ways for them to safely and comfortably participate in educational activities.
• Hygiene, cleaning and disinfection. Plans must include campus-wide cleaning and disinfection protocols for classrooms, residence halls, restrooms, and other locations, consistent with CDC guidance as communicated by SUNY System Facilities management.

2. Monitoring for COVID-19 on campus must include:

• Testing responsibilities. Campuses must discuss who they intend to test, and whether they plan to test all students or residential students only, and if employees will be tested before and/or during the semester. Campuses must identify who is responsible for purchasing and administering testing. Campus plans must provide contingencies for continual screening for symptoms and/or temperature checks.
• Testing frequency and protocols. All plans must detail the frequency of testing and the process for testing. The plans should include reasons for testing (e.g. symptomatic individuals, close or proximate contacts, international travel); surveillance strategies to proactively monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 and influenza-like illness; and protocols around group testing, if applicable.
• Early warning signs. Campuses should have a process for monitoring and detecting early warning signs of an outbreak, including increasing rates of positive infections and hospitalizations, and communicating these data to local health departments.
• Tracing. Institutions may choose to develop plans for contact tracing in close coordination with state and local health departments.

3. Containment plans should provide a response to positive or suspected cases, as well as policies and practices that prevent the spread of COVID-19, such as:

• Isolation. Plans must specify how campuses will  isolate symptomatic individuals, both residential and non-residential (as applicable), while waiting for test results. Plans must identify where individuals will reside during isolation (e.g. residence halls, hotels, home).
• Quarantine. Campuses must identify how exposed persons (residential and non-residential) will be quarantined, including how the campus will provide quarantine supports such as food, medicine, and psychosocial and academic services.
• Protocols for students confirmed or suspected of having COVID-19. Residential institutions need to include plans for serving students who are awaiting test results and are in isolation, or who tested positive. SUNY recommends that students who test positive be sent home, unless they are not able to travel home (i.e. international students) or do not feel safe returning home.
• Hygiene, cleaning and disinfection. Campuses must develop strategies for cleaning and disinfection of exposed areas.
• Communication: Institutions must develop plans to share protocols and safety measures with the campus community.

4. Contingency plans for ramping down and/or returning to remote operations ("Shutdown") should include:

• Operational activities. Plans must detail which operations will be ramped down or closed, and which operations will be conducted remotely. It should include the process for conducting an orderly return to remote instruction, which may include phasing, meeting certain milestones, and identifying key personnel.
• Move-out. For residential campuses, plans should address how students will safely depart campus and policies for students who cannot leave campus quickly (e.g. international students and students who have no other safe housing options).
• Communication: All campuses must have plans in place to communicate internally and externally throughout the process.

Each campus plan was rigorously reviewed by SUNY and in some instances, revised to ensure compliance with state mandates. Some "best practices" were encouraged, but not required. This has led to variations in reopening among the campuses, which is fully permitted under the Higher Education Guidelines.

Each plan remains subject to change as facts and guidance are modified.

Below are the detailed plans of each of the 64 SUNY colleges and universities.