Dear TC Community Members,

Please remember that Teachers College’s weekly COVID-19 Random Testing Program will begin Monday, October 25. 

What do I do if I receive an email with the subject line “ACTION REQUIRED: You have been selected for TC’s COVID-19 Random Testing Program”?

If you receive this selection email on October 25, or any Monday thereafter, you MUST get a new COVID-19 PCR test (not a rapid test) and submit your results within two weeks or risk facing disciplinary action, including the deactivation of your TC ID Card. The link to submit your test results will be included in the selection email.

Who is being tested?

All TC faculty and staff (working both on campus and remotely), affiliates, and students who are accessing campus are eligible to be called upon for testing. Students who are approved for remote learning this Fall or enrolled in Online Degree Programs will be exempt from the testing pool. Individuals with approved vaccine exemptions already submit weekly test results and, thus, will not be part of the random testing pool. Employees who are approved for telework as a disability-related accommodation through the Office of Access and Services for Individuals with Disabilities (OASID) may be eligible for a COVID-19 Random Testing Program exemption; read more details here.

When should I get tested and submit my results?

Though you will have a full two weeks to submit your test results, we strongly recommend that you schedule your PCR test within 48 hours of receiving your selection email, and submit your results as soon as you receive them. Employees will receive one hour of paid time off to get tested. It will take our staff approximately two days to verify test results. During the random testing process, you will be able to access campus as usual.

If you do not receive a selection email, no action is required from you that week. Read full details about the Random Testing Program on the TC Preparedness site.

If you have any questions about the program, please email tcrandomtesting@tc.columbia.edu.

Thank you, again, for your cooperation, and have a wonderful weekend!
 
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