Fall 2022 Updates
Vaccinations
Wagner College requires the COVID-19 vaccine and associated boosters for students and employees. Students and employees must be in full compliance or have been granted an exemption.
Mask Optional Policy
Wagner College is mask-optional in all areas except where healthcare services are being provided; the Center for Health and Wellness is mask required. The policy applies to college employees, students, and visitors.
2022-2023 Academic Year Quarantine & Isolation Policy
Updated as of 8/24/2022
Wagner College has developed the following policy as it relates to isolation expectations for COVID-19.
Exposure Information
A COVID-19 exposure is considered someone who has been unmasked for more than 15 minutes with a person who has tested positive for the virus. For any individuals who are exposed to an individual who tested positive for COVID-19, you should self monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. If fever develops, make an appointment for a COVID-19 test. Any individual that is not immunized against COVID-19 will need to wear a well fitting mask and monitor for signs and symptoms for 5 days.
Please use caution around others when ill. You must refrain from large gatherings, however you may wear a well-fitting mask to get meals or use communal restrooms.
For vaccinated individuals who are exposed to COVID-19, there is no quarantine requirement. Individuals are recommended to wear a well-fitting mask for 5 days after exposure.
For more information from the CDC on quarantine requirements, please review their COVID-19 information: COVID-19 Quarantine and Isolation.
Wagner College continues to monitor the guidance of the CDC and The American College Health Association. Please check our website weekly for updated COVID-19 guidance.
Isolation Requirements:
All individuals, regardless of vaccination status, who test positive for COVID-19 must isolate. Students who test positive for COVID-19 are required to inform the Center for Health & Wellness immediately via our email studenthealthservice@wagner.edu.
Commuter Students
A commuter student who tests positive for COVID-19 should remain at home and complete their isolation. Commuter students should report their positive test to the Center for Health & Wellness.
Residential Students
We recommend that residential students complete their quarantine and/or isolation off campus. This could include at home, with loved ones, or other arrangements. If you need to isolate on campus, you will need to remain in your current housing assignment to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This must be approved by the Center for Health & Wellness. We do not have separate isolation housing spaces for students to occupy.
Please note that students are expected to follow all policies related to COVID-19. For more information, see the Wagner College COVID-19 frequently asked questions: Wagner College COVID-19 Response.
As students prepare for the 22-23 academic year, we strongly advise that every student prepare a self-isolation kit upon their arrival to campus. It should include the following:
- Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
- Ibuprofen (Advil)
- Thermometer
- Snacks
- Prescription medication
- Personal care items (cough drops, contact lens fluid, tissues) etc.
- High-quality masks
Students will be provided with a kit from the Center of Health & Wellness for cleaning and sanitization purposes for communal bathrooms in the residence halls.
When in isolation you may not leave your room except to pick up meals, use the bathroom, or for a pre-approved appointment confirmed by the Center for Health & Wellness. During this time, students should not use the laundry facilities.
Approved, On-Campus Isolation Processes
Packages/Mail: Consider asking friends for help with picking up mail, and other items. They should drop these items at your door.
Bathrooms: If students live in Foundation Hall, please only use the bathroom within your suite. If students live in Towers Hall or Harborview Hall, please make sure you are masked at all times. When showering, bathing, or performing oral hygiene or facial grooming tasks, please limit your time unmasked. For those in Harborview Hall, we recommend using the private shower and private bathroom on each floor. Please make every attempt to limit the amount of time in the bathroom unmasked, this includes using the bathroom at non-peak times and when it is empty. Hallway bathrooms will continue to be cleaned and disinfected by custodial staff daily – please do not enter the space while the custodial staff are working.
Masking: You must wear a well-fitted face covering or mask any time you are leaving your room or suite during isolation for approved reasons. Use high-quality disposable masks such as the 3-layered surgical style mask that has been provided to you, worn in a way that minimizes air gaps around the edges (e.g., knot the ear loops, or double masks with a cloth or second mask).
Trash Removal and Laundry: You can drop off your trash at the trash room nearest to your room. Please time any exits for trash removal to coincide with other trips (bathroom, food delivery pick-up) to minimize the amount of time outside of your room. You may not do laundry while you are isolating in place.
Take care of yourself: It can be stressful and lonely to be separated from others, particularly if you have concerns about your health. Please note you can contact The Center for Health & Wellness for Counseling and Mental Health Services at 718-390-3158 and request an appointment.
What to expect from the CHW while in isolation: If you are a student isolating in place, you may contact CHW if you need immediate assistance by calling 718-390-3158 to speak with a triage nurse. If you need assistance after hours, notify Public Safety at 718-390-3148.
Remain in the room except to pick up meal deliveries, to dispose of your trash, and to attend necessary medical appointments. Avoid any socializing or mingling with any other students, faculty or staff when leaving your room or suite for these purposes.
Approved, On Campus Isolation Restrictions
You cannot attend class in-person as long as you are in isolation. Students are responsible for ensuring that they keep up with their courses when they go into isolation for COVID. Specifically, students should:
- Make arrangements with other students to exchange notes if they have to miss class.
- Students are encouraged to notify their instructors of their absence. In that notification, students should coordinate alternative methods of learning.
- Important: Per the Wagner College Student Handbook, if a student misses a final exam for medical reasons, they are still required to show a doctor’s note.
- Let their instructor know if they are not feeling well enough to carry on with their work to see what flexibility might be possible.
- Connect with Center for Academic and Career Engagement (CACE) to discuss a plan to stay on top of your coursework or if you run into any challenges in maintaining academic continuity during their isolation or illness.
Clearance
We anticipate that most students will be in isolation for at least five full days unless otherwise directed by the Center for Health & Wellness. Students will not be permitted to have any visitors but we encourage communication through electronic communications.
If a peer tests positive
If you’ve heard through a peer that they have tested positive and you have interacted with them in the past few days, you should take precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 based on your vaccination status. You should wear a mask and monitor symptoms for the next 5 days.
Due to room availability, Residential Education cannot provide alternative housing assignments. Students may consider staying with a friend, temporarily residing off campus, or finding alternative arrangements.
Things to consider:
- If you are worried that one of your peers has tested positive for COVID-19, you should review the COVID-19 guidelines for exposure. If you are experiencing symptoms, contact the Center for Health and Wellness.
- Do not assume that you need to isolate without a positive test result. You are always able to make thoughtful choices about your interactions at any time. For example, you may want to minimize your social interactions, take your meals as grab and go, avoid being unmasked around other people and monitor yourself for symptoms.
Spring 2022 Updates
Beginning Monday, March 7, Wagner College will be mask-optional in all areas except where healthcare services are being provided. This policy applies to all college employees, students, and visitors. Weekly testing requirements for employees and students who have received exemptions from the college’s vaccination mandate will remain in effect.
Community members are welcome to continue wearing masks on campus. Some members of our community may be immunocompromised or otherwise at higher risk for infection, may be caring for high-risk individuals, or may simply feel more comfortable wearing a mask.
Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams have recently announced plans to lift the mandates requiring individuals to wear masks in public indoor areas throughout New York City and State. We will take these changes into consideration, along with updated CDC guidance and the decline of Covid-19 cases, as we evaluate our on-campus policies. More than 95 percent of Wagner students and 96 percent of our employees have been vaccinated: we believe this is a key factor in the reduced impact of Covid-19 on our campus.
Please note the vaccination and booster mandates are still in effect, and the college continues to urge individuals to get fully vaccinated and receive a booster shot when eligible.
We are grateful for the cooperation we have received from the entire Wagner community in our efforts to maximize health precautions and minimize the effects of Covid-19. As we move to the next stage of what has become a constant state of change, we ask that everyone continues to exhibit kindness, understanding, and patience toward one another.
Sincerely,
Angelo Araimo
Interim President
Good afternoon all,
I wanted to inform you that we are grateful to Superhealth Pharmacy who is able to provide on campus testing next week Tuesday, January 18, 2022 from 10:30am – 2:30pm in the Union Atrium (Art gallery). If you have not submitted your negative PCR test and have returned to campus, are unvaccinated/exempt or are returning to campus next week, please sign up using this the link.
Reminder if you have tested positive in the last 90 days you are exempt from the testing protocol.
Also, until the spring semester begins all community members are welcomed to test on campus. Due to capacity, as of now we will not be able to continue testing for all community members during the semester.
Also, Superhealth Pharmacy will be hosting another on campus booster clinic this Wednesday, January 19, 2022 from 10:00am -12:00pm. Please sign up via this link.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Jazzmine Clarke-Glover (she/her/hers), SHRM-SCP
Chief Human Resources Officer
Dear Wagner Community,
Happy New Year! The college has been working diligently to ensure a safe and healthy return to campus. As you have proven, it takes all of us together caring for our community to ensure that we can function as normally as possible and pivot when needed. We thank you for your commitment. This message has important information about the spring semester return amidst the rise in Covid-19 cases across the nation and world.
Boosters: Thanks to our high vaccination rates, mask mandates, and testing protocols, Wagner College has consistently had lower rates of Covid-19 than our surrounding area. More importantly, Covid-19 cases among vaccinated community members have, generally speaking, been asymptomatic or mild. Vaccine boosters are now available and they offer an important additional layer of protection. On Jan. 3, you received a message encouraging vaccination boosters and letting you know about Governor Hochul’s plan for SUNY and CUNY institutions. There is still much uncertainty about what “fully vaccinated” will mean for NY state and NYC.
Wagner College will require the Covid-19 booster vaccination for students and employees. Please upload your updated vaccination card to OnTask by Jan. 25 if you have already received your booster. If you are eligible to receive your booster but have not yet done so, you must complete your booster and upload your updated vaccination card by Feb. 14. We will hold an on campus booster clinic the week of Feb. 7.
Eligibility for boosters:
- Pfizer: 5 months after 2nd dose
- Moderna: 6 months after 2nd dose
- Johnson & Johnson: 2 months after 2nd dose
If you are not yet eligible for the booster, you must receive and submit proof of your booster within 30 days of becoming eligible.
If you already have an exemption with the college, you will be exempt from the booster requirement, but must participate in weekly testing.
Testing: As stated before, all students will be required to have a negative PCR/NAAT test up to 72 hours prior to your arrival on campus – for residential students, 72 hours prior to your move-in date; for commuters, 72 hours prior to Feb. 7 or before your first in person class. If you have had Covid-19 in the last 90 days, please upload your documentation (positive results) to OnTask so that we can exclude you from testing for that time period. The college will accept home PCR/NAAT tests, please send a time stamped photo of your negative test result. You should upload your results to OnTask via the appropriate link below:
If your test result is not available, please do not come to campus until your results are available. We will work with you to postpone your move-in date. Antigen tests will not be accepted.
Classes: We plan on having classes in a virtual format for the first week, Jan. 31 through Feb. 4. In-person classes will begin on Monday, Feb. 7.
Masks: The fall 2021 semester protocols for approved masks will remain in effect until further notice. All individuals, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear an approved mask that covers your nose and mouth when in indoor public locations on campus, except when actively eating or drinking. Approved masks include cloth and surgical masks; we also advise use of KN95 or N95 masks.
You may review our Frequently Asked Questions page for additional information.
As always, we will update you on any changes to practices or policies due to the changing nature of the pandemic. Thank you for doing your part as a Wagner College community member to engage in practices that will help keep our community healthy and safe. We are looking forward to seeing you in person soon.
Be well,
Ruta Shah-Gordon, Ph.D
Vice President
Enrollment and Campus Life
Dear students and families,
Happy New Year. We hope that you are doing well and able to stay safe and healthy. We wanted to give you an update on returning to campus for the spring semester.
In order to have a safe return to campus, we are requiring all students to submit a negative Covid-19 PCR test before returning to campus. This test cannot be more than 72 hours in advance of arrival, please plan accordingly.
Governor Hochul has just announced that all SUNY and CUNY students and faculty must be fully vaccinated including booster shots in order to return to campus for spring semester. We anticipate that this mandate will likely broaden to include all colleges and universities in New York state, therefore we strongly urge you to get your booster shots by January 17th, 2022. Please note the college is subject to New York State and City mandates and it seems that they may move to require boosters.
We know many of you took advantage of our booster clinic on campus at the end of the semester–if you did so, we have your updated information. If you were able to receive your booster shot elsewhere, please submit your results to studenthealthservice@wagner.edu ASAP so we can update our records.
If you currently have a medical or religious exemption and have since received your vaccinations, please let studenthealthservice@wagner.edu know that as well.
Wagner plans on making a final decision by January 13th on the booster requirement, so please keep an eye on your email for that date. However, we wanted to give you as much time as possible with the information we have to date.
In addition, we want to remind you that there is a requirement for you to submit your required flu vaccination as well. Thank you to those who have already submitted. For those who still need to submit, please do so at studenthealthservice@wagner.edu.
We thank you for your cooperation and commitment to continue to keep the Wagner community safe and healthy.
As always, if you have any questions, please contact the Center for Health and Wellness at studenthealthservice@wagner.edu.
Best,
Ruta Shah-Gordon
Vice President