Dear Members of the TC Community,

Thank you, once again, for your flexibility and understanding as we make changes in response to rapidly evolving public health conditions.

First, we want to reassure you that TC is committed to holding its Spring 2022 semester classes in-person, as planned. However, as the Omicron variant continues to spread and in line with the recent announcement from Columbia University, the College has decided to temporarily extend our remote operations in order to minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19 on campus. This means:

• The first two weeks of spring classes will be held remotely, through January 28. In-person instruction will resume on January 31.
• Field experiences are expected to remain in-person unless individual sites shift to remote work. Refer to the Field Experiences section of the Preparedness site for more guidance. 
• Faculty may access campus to utilize digital instruction technology as needed.
• Any employee who is able to work remotely is encouraged to do so through January 21. During the week of January 24, employees should return to campus, as necessary, to prepare their in-person operations for the following week. Please contact your supervisor if you need clarification about whether your position requires you to be on campus during this time. We will return to in-person and hybrid work schedules on January 31. 
• The Hollingworth Center will remain open. 
• Gottesman Libraries will be operational but will only be available for in-person use by students. Please check their calendar to confirm hours of operation.
• The Rita Gold Early Childhood Center will operate remotely the first two weeks of January and will send a follow-up message with more information.
• New Student Orientation will take place virtually on January 13 and 14. The Office of Graduate Student Life & Development will provide more information.

We hope these extended remote operations will give you flexibility in completing the following actions that are required to access campus during the spring semester:  

• PCR Test
  As part of the updated campus access requirements, all students, employees and affiliates must submit a result from a new PCR test administered after January 3, 2022. Upload your PCR test result (whether it is negative or positive) by January 18. If you do not meet this deadline, your campus access will be restricted until we receive your test result.
  
  
• New Vaccine Booster Requirement
  TC’s current COVID-19 vaccination requirement will be expanded to include booster shots for all students, employees, and affiliates who are eligible. We will provide more details about this process, including a deadline for submitting booster shot documentation, in early January. We are giving this advance notice so that you have enough time to schedule a booster shot.
  We recognize that there is currently high demand for Covid-19 testing and vaccine boosters. If you plan to schedule a test or booster during the work day, please let your supervisor know if you need additional time off to obtain one.
  
  
• Flu Vaccine (Required for Students; Recommended for Faculty and Staff) 
  Students are required to submit their flu vaccine documentation. Campus access will be restricted to students beginning January 10, if they do not submit documentation or have not received an approved exemption. Students must upload their flu vaccination documentation via the myTC Portal. 

Though we have seen an uptick of positive COVID-19 cases on campus (last week there were 30 positive cases total, up from 12 the week before), we believe we will be able to keep these numbers low for Spring 2022. By applying the lessons we have learned over the course of the pandemic, and remaining flexible and nimble as needed, we are confident that we can maintain a safe, healthy campus environment.

Find resources for remote work, learning and instruction in our previous message, and remember to follow our tips for staying safe over the winter break.

Best wishes for a Happy New Year!

Sincerely,

Lisa Seales
Vice President for Administration
Co-Chair, COVID-19 Working Group

Hank Perkowski
Vice President for Finance and Operations
Co-Chair, COVID-19 Working Group