We're excited to welcome back Terriers to 180 Remsen Street, as we start our phased campus reopening this fall. We call our plan Back to Brooklyn.

In order to resume some in-person classes and labs beginning September 9th, many new measures will be in place on our campus to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 transmission there.

Our intent is to provide the safest possible environment to fulfill our goal of delivering a stellar Franciscan education aimed at student success and achievement.

I'd like to summarize some of the key new safety measures that will be in place.

First, to reduce density within campus buildings, only the following people should plan to be on campus at the start of fall semester:

• Students who are:
  • Attending scheduled on-campus classes, labs, or meetings with student-support staff, or taking part in pre-approved gatherings for student government or other student organizations.
  • Using College computers for course-related work.
  • Participating in scheduled on-campus practices or training sessions, as members of St. Francis College athletics teams.
• Faculty teaching in-person classes or labs.
• Staff in student-facing roles, whose supervisors have scheduled them to be there.
• Other faculty and staff who have received prior approval to be on campus. See the Faculty & Staff section on the Back to Brooklyn web page for the current approval process.
• Visitors who have contracted work with St. Francis College and/or appropriate advance approval from the SFC Facilities and Security team. Visitors will be admitted only at their scheduled times if their names are included on that day's visitor list.

The campus itself will be subject to new safety policies and procedures, and we require compliance of everyone who plans to come to campus. These include but are not limited to:

• Satisfactory completion of a health-screening questionnaire before campus entry. We will provide instructions on how to access and complete the questionnaire later this month.
• Undergoing a temperature check prior to admittance. Temperature machines will be in the main lobby. No one with a fever will be allowed into campus.
• Wearing a face mask or covering while on campus.
• Maintaining social distancing (remaining at least six feet apart) within campus buildings, whenever possible, including within labs and classrooms.
• Following distance markers and directional signage wherever posted. Please note elevator and escalator usage may be limited to allow social distancing, and visitors should plan that it may take longer to move between campus spaces.

Finally, we have set up new rules and processes that our Facilities and Security staff will follow. These include but are not limited to:

• Enforcing maximum capacity limits in the campus overall, and within campus spaces including classrooms, labs, auditoriums, and places of worship.
• Sanitizing the campus continually, with practices that comply with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, using Environmental Protection Agency approved products that are effective against the COVID-19 virus. The disinfecting schedule includes but is not limited to:
  • High touch areas throughout campus at least twice daily, including tables in common spaces, doorknobs, light switches, handles, hand railings, bathroom stalls, sink handles, grab bars, water fountains, and elevator buttons.
  • Classrooms and labs at the end of each session.
  • All locker rooms, sports medicine, the weight training room, and the cafeteria daily.
  • The gymnasiums after practices and games.

Please note that we will reduce some on-campus services to minimize people congregating in groups and to support social distancing:

• 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.
• Student lounges and study areas will be unavailable for any use that has not been approved in advance and scheduled to be there.
• Administrative offices will operate with reduced or no staff on site, and administrative staff working on campus may be located in designated central hubs rather than their standard offices. Anyone needing administrative or student support services should schedule a meeting before arriving on campus.

We are constantly monitoring guidance from local, state and federal health and education authorities, as well as independently assessing the COVID-19 pandemic situation, and the measures we implement in response will change as needed.

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 through the Terrier for Terrier Emergency Relief Fund.

Please continue to visit sfc.edu/backtobk for further information about fall 2020. If you have questions, you can also reach out to [email protected].