Back to Brooklyn: Roadmap for 2020 – 21 Academic Year

All students can expect that at least some of their 2020-21 courses will be instructed entirely online. St. Francis College provides faculty training on advanced technology and teaching techniques so they can deliver state-of-the-art online instruction.  

Terrier Communities -- our program in which freshmen come to campus in groups one day each week to take classes there together -- concludes at the end of fall 2020.

In our spring 2021 academic model, students from all years will still have opportunities to be on campus, if they choose.  

• More than 100 course sections and labs will include limited in-person instruction on SFC's campus, including some sections for our upper level students and seniors. The frequency of on-campus instruction will vary depending on the course, from once per week to episodically throughout the semester.
• Students may be able to come to campus –as safety requirements allow and under a 'maximum capacity rule' – to access computer labs to complete coursework, access the library during its limited open hours, meet with support services and hold some meetings for Student Government Association and other student groups, pending appropriate advance approval. 

Our International freshmen remain part of the First Year Together Learning Community program. 

International freshmen are advised to remain in their home countries and participate in the First Year Together remotely:   

• First Year Together offers courses in that include some live video instruction and will incorporate an array of academic and student support services. Students take their courses with a set cohort of about 20 fellow international students, helping build camaraderie and establish a peer group. 
• If an international freshman obtains a visa and decides to come to Brooklyn for spring semester, St. Francis College will enroll him or her in at least one course with some in-person instruction to ensure those students remain in F-1 status and comply with U.S. immigration rules. 

Continuing international students can take a fully online course load if they choose, while residing in either their home country or in the United States. Either way, they will be in Active F-1 status and in compliance with the U.S. Immigration rules.  

Academic advisors will assist students with their individual schedules and answer any questions or concerns. Advising sessions can be scheduled on the Navigate app.  

• Mandatory use of face masks or coverings on campus. 
• Required temperature checks for students, faculty, staff and other visitors upon entering campus. 
• Required satisfactory completion of a health screening questionnaire before campus entry. 
• Maximum-occupancy and social distancing (at least six feet between people) enforced in all campus spaces, including auditoriums, labs, classrooms and places of worship. 
• Adherence to distance markers and directional signage that control traffic flow and occupancy in the buildings’ hallways, elevators, escalators and other areas. 
• Plexiglass barriers in certain areas.  
• Sanitizer stations throughout campus. 
• Sanitizing wipes in classrooms and computer rooms. 
• Lockers will be available to students for daily use only, on a first come first served basis. All stored items and locks must be removed each day. 

Campus will be subject to rigorous sanitation practices that comply with protocols recommended by the Centers for Disease Controls, using Environmental Protection agency approved products that are effective against the Covid-19 virus, including but not limited to the following measures: 

• At a minimum, high touch areas throughout campus will be disinfected twice daily, including but not limited to tables in common spaces, door knobs, light switches, handles, hand railings, bathroom stalls, sink handles, grab bars, water fountains, and elevator buttons. 
• Classrooms and Labs will be disinfected at the end of each session.  
• All Locker rooms, Sports Medicine, the Weight Training Room, and the Cafeteria will be disinfected daily.  
• The Gymnasiums will be disinfected after practices and games.  
• Disinfecting wipes will be provided for classrooms and the other spaces for use of the occupants. 

The SFC Facilities team has prepared the campus to reopen by taking additional measures in the summer of 2020: 

• All HVAC filters have been replaced 
• All air handling units have been disinfected 
• Cooling tower and piping system has been disinfected 
• Entire campus was disinfected: all buildings, all spaces (315,000 square feet total) 

The cafeteria will not sell any food or drinks, although vending machines on campus will have some available. The library will be open during limited hours only, to pick up and drop off borrowed materials. Library services and resources will be available online.

All other employees and faculty should plan to continue to work remotely wherever possible until further notice. 

In addition to those employees mentioned above, we’re also prepared for the following employees to work on campus at the start of the spring 2021 semester:

• Faculty, but only when instructing courses or labs or conducting other campus business.
• Some student-facing employees who need to be on campus to provide services to students, as determined by the department’s supervisor and approved by the applicable divisional vice president. Supervisors in those departments will continue to create rotating staffing schedules so only some team members are on campus at any one time. When working on campus, student-facing employees may continue to be located in a designated central location, like “the Hub”, but not necessarily in their standard offices.
  • Employees who are asked to come to campus by their supervisors, but have medical vulnerabilities as defined by the CDC, or have other circumstances that may pose special challenges to on-campus work, should speak with their supervisors, healthcare providers, and/or contact the Office of Human Resources at HR@sfc.edu regarding the possibility of accommodations. 

For those administrators and staff who are not asked by their supervisors to be on campus but need or want to be there for a specific reason, please make a written request to your supervisors in advance. Similarly, all faculty members should advise their department chairs in advance if they need or want to be on campus for any reason other than instructing courses or labs. The campus visit request procedure remains as follows:

• All employees must bring their SFC ID cards with them when arriving to campus.
• All employees authorized to come to campus will need to continue to conform to all applicable requirements including a temperature scan on campus and a passing response to the College’s health screening questionnaire prior to arrival. 

Employees are reminded that New York State guidance now says that to avoid a 14 day quarantine, travelers coming into New York from out-of-state must test negatively for COVID-19 in the other location within 72 hours of their departure for New York, self-quarantine for 3 days, and test negatively again for COVID on the fourth day within the State. This guidance does not apply to travel between New York and its contiguous states, which are Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Vermont and Pennsylvania, although it does apply to international travelers coming from any U.S. territory or CDC Level 2 or Level 3 Health Notice country.

New York residents who travel out-of-state for less than 24 hours only need a negative COVID test on the fourth day after their return to New York, not in the destination they visited, and only if they visited a non-contiguous state, in order to avoid a 14-day quarantine upon their return to New York.

If you travel and arrive in New York from anywhere other than the contiguous states, you must complete a Traveler Health Form. Employees must also notify their supervisors of any such travel.

All employee travel sponsored by St. Francis College continues to remain suspended until further notice.

• Attendance Policy COVID-19 Addendum
• Need Assistance or Student Support?
• Sexual Misconduct Policy
• Student Attendance Policy 

St. Francis College Residence Halls will continue to house students this fall. New protocols will be in effect, including but not limited to: 

• No visitors will be permitted into Residence Halls. Residents must present proper ID to be scanned before entry. 
• Residents will have temperature checks before entry. 
• Residents must practice social distancing in all Residence Hall common areas. 
• Residents must wear facemasks or face coverings in Residence Hall common areas. They are not required to wear such items when alone in a private room with a closed door and when eating in common areas. 
• Residence hall lounges, kitchens and laundry rooms will remain open and cleaned often. Those areas may be subject to maximum capacity rules, and hours may be adjusted, to allow for social distancing. 
• Cleaning staff will be on-site every day to clean frequently-trafficked areas. 
• Hand sanitizers and hand wipes will be installed on each floor 
• Any resident who tests positive for COVID-19 will need to notify SFC and relocate to an isolation room immediately. 
• 24 hour security will be provided by SFC to ensure temperature checks and scanning into residence halls are occurring and students are adhering to the no visitors policy. 

We want to ensure you are fully prepared for the fall semester and access to technology is especially critical now with our new course designs.

Please check out the technology resources our Academic Enhancement Center and Technology ServiceDesk team we put together to help meet the needs of all students.

1. As a St. Francis College Terrier you have access to discounts on technology resources such as PCs, laptops, and other personal devices. You will ned to use your college email when purchasing any items to ensure you receive the student discount:
   • Apple
     To shop for Apple products, click the following link, Apple for Education.
   • CDWG
     To shop for several vendors including HP and Lenovo please click the following link, CDWG Technology Discounts.
     If you need to purchase a headphone/microphone headset, which is compatible with the on campus computer stations, on the 4^th floor labs- here is our recommendation: Logitech USB Headset H390 with Noise Cancelling Mic

2. For the fall 2020 semester we have reserved our 4^th floor computer labs specifically for on-campus student work, so no courses will be scheduled in those spaces!  Our awesome ServiceDesk team is available to assist you with your tech needs (room 4209 - servicedesk@sfc.edu)!

3. If you need relief funds to help support the purchase of a laptop or WIFI subscription, we encourage you to apply for the College’s Terriers for Terriers Relief Fund.

   If you are a returning student be sure to also check out your eligibility to receive CARES Act funding. 

4. The Academic Enhancement Center team will host weekly Virtual Tech Review Lunch and Learn where we will provide insight on SFC tech resources such as Canvas, Navigate (https://www.sfc.edu/studentlife/cfss/navigate), Self-Service, WebAdvisor etc., and answer any tech issues or questions students may have. Be on the lookout in your SFC email for dates and times.

5. Check out some of the technology resources our Academic Enhancement team has found online which may be helpful to check out if you are searching for an inexpensive computer or internet plan. Please know that these resources are not specifically endorsed by St. Francis College but have been pulled together by our academic support team to help save you the time!

• Many internet service providers have plans for students and may offer discounts based on household income. A full list of low-cost internet providers and technology resources can be found here.

• Did you know your smartphone could be used as a WIFI hotspot? Connect with your cell phone provider and if possible upgrade your phone plan to include tethering so you can use you cell phone as a hotspot when on the go!

• Altice offers internet for approximately 15$/ month and has Veteran friendly discounts.

• NYC residents can access low cost internet here.

• Some organizations offer refurbished computers if you meet certain eligibility requirements - check out:  https://www.pcsforpeople.org/

• Look at Dell’s website, where they sell refurbished computers.

• Do you want to buy a laptop but, are confused on which specs you should be looking for? Have no fear we are here to help! Your computer should have the following specs so you can tackle every assignment you have with confidence!

  • At least an Intel Core i5 processor (i7 preferred)

  • Windows 10 x 64.

  • 16 GB of RAM.

  • 500 GB hard drive.

  • Wireless networking adapter (for internet)

  • Three-year warranty (recommended)

  • Also, pick a computer according to your degree as many companies recommend computers which are more suited towards certain fields/ programs.

• Everyday resources to help save a few dollars:

  • If you shop with chrome use Rakuten, believe the hype!

  • Add honey as a browser extension so you can use coupons you didn’t even know existed!

  • Make an account with UNiDAYS so you have access to tons of in-store and online discounts exclusively for students!

  • Take advantage of Amazon Prime for students where you can sign up for prime for ½ the price!

All member of the SFC community are expected to adhere to New York State travel rules related to the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, visit the State's COVID-19 Travel Advisory page.

• 2020-21 Tuition and Fees
• Generous Financial Aid available
• Paying your St. Francis College bills

Any student who needs money for expenses related to the disruption of SFC operations from COVID-19 — to pay for things like a new computer or course materials — should apply for funds from the CARES Act. If eligible, you can receive a grant up to $775 with no need to repay. Students can also apply for money to support their education or to borrow a laptop computer to use for coursework through the Terrier for Terrier Emergency Relief Fund.