Dear students,
Union faculty and staff are wholeheartedly looking forward to welcoming you to campus in September. In preparation, we have put into place a number of public health measures designed to limit the spread of the coronavirus and to promote the overall health of our community. It is very important that you read this carefully, and comply with these community requirements.
As you all know, Union is a vaccinated campus. This means that all faculty, students, and staff, and any visitor to the academic building must be fully vaccinated. We will also be participating in the Columbia Health mandatory gateway testing and surveillance testing program, and have adopted the most current CDC guidelines. We will require masking for everyone, in all indoor public spaces, including classrooms, regardless of vaccination status.
Thank you to the vast majority of you who have provided your vaccination status. Those who have not complied received a separate email from me earlier today.
Vaccinated students will have full access to all Union and Columbia campus facilities through the ReopenCU App which will register your individual compliance with our vaccination and testing protocols and provide a green pass.
Following is a to do list to prepare you for returning to campus:
- Make sure you have a current Union ID. Returning students without an ID should email [email protected]. New students, if you have not yet completed this process, you must activate your UNI, then log into the secure site to submit your ID photo.
- Download the Columbia REopenCU app. Union Theological Seminary students who need to access the Columbia University campus must complete the required protocols, including the safety training. Your compliance will be reflected on the app, and it will generate a green pass.
- Take the Safety Training COVID-19 Training: Being Safe at Columbia University (for Barnard, UTS and Other Special Affiliates). You will be prompted to sign in with your UNI and then will go directly to the training page. If you do not go directly to the correct page, click the Training Center tab at the top of the page to see the affiliates training.
- Make an appointment for your “gateway” COVID test and find out more about the Columbia testing program. This is required for any student intending to be on campus in any capacity who did not receive a test at Columbia Health in the spring 2021 semester. This means all new students and any returning student who did not participate in the gateway testing program at any time since January 1, 2021. There is no charge to you for the gateway test, but it must be done at Columbia Health. You do not need to do this before arriving to campus, but must have this completed by September 9, 2021 for continued access to campus.
Once you have completed the gateway test you will be required to participate in random testing through Columbia Health, also at no cost to you. We work closely with Columbia Health to ensure that our procedures reflect the most current public health protocols, and the surveillance testing is an important aspect of this plan.
In the coming days you will also be able to see more information, including our Community Health Covenant and our revised Visitor Policy on the Union COVID-19 Preparedness website.
I am available at any time to answer any questions or address any concerns. I look forward to seeing you all soon.
With care,
Charlene
[email protected]