From: Chancellor Matos Rodriguez <ChancellorCommunications@cuny.edu>
Date: Wed, Mar 11, 2020 at 6:13 PM
Subject: An Important Message on Coronavirus

THE CITY
UNIVERSITY
NEW YORK

OFFICE OF THE CHANCELLOR

Dear CUNY Community,

As your Chancellor, my highest priorities in charting a response to the
fast-evolving coronavirus threat are to protect the health and safety of our
students, faculty and staff while maintaining academic continuity and
safeguarding students’ ability to finish their semester and protect their
financial aid. | know that you are concerned for your own health, the health
of your loved ones, and that of our communities. | also share these
concerns and know they weigh heavily on all of us.

As you are probably aware, per Governor Cuomo’s comments earlier today,
CUNY is implementing a comprehensive transition to distance education
for the remainder of the semester, following a five-day instructional recess
for pedagogical retooling that will begin tomorrow, March 12.

Our 25 campuses will remain open during and after the recess. These
measures allow CUNY to continue serving its students while alleviating
pressure on our area during this public health threat.


Here are the immediate implications for our campuses:

e CUNY will begin an instructional recess tomorrow, Thursday, March
12, that will conclude on Wednesday, March 18. No scheduled
courses will run on these days, except those of fully online programs
and courses otherwise authorized by campus presidents and deans.
This will allow CUNY to prepare faculty, students and staff to operate
in full distance education mode.

e Starting on Thursday, March 19, all instruction will resume in
distance-learning mode, and will remain so through the end of the
spring semester.

e Colleges will remain open during the spring semester. This will
include dormitories, libraries, research facilities, daycare centers and
mission-critical venues that support our students.

By transitioning to distance learning, CUNY will be upholding its
responsibility as the largest urban public university in the country and
meeting our goal of minimizing exposure to those on our campus
communities to coronavirus transmission.

Last night, we learned of the novel coronavirus infection of a John Jay
College of Criminal Justice student who tested positive earlier in the day
but had not been back to the campus since becoming symptomatic over
the weekend. Our thoughts are with the student and | know you join me in
wishing her a full recovery. Health officials said the infection posed no
threat to the school community, but out of an abundance of caution the
school was closed today.

Please know that these kinds of operational and academic challenges are a
key focus of my team’s attention through this crisis. Earlier this month, |
convened a Coronavirus Task Force led by Executive Vice Chancellor and
Chief Operating Officer Hector Batista and including the Dean of the CUNY
School of Public Health, Dr. Ayman El-Mohandes, to serve as a command
center and work hand in hand with our 25 campuses to provide systematic


guidance to our community, based on the latest information from the
federal, state and city health officials. If you have a specific question that is
not answered in this page, you can email the task force at
coronavirus.taskforce@cuny.edu.

This week, we urged campuses to reconsider holding non-essential
gatherings and community events of more than 50 people during the
remainder of the Spring 2020 semester.

These steps are bound to pose challenges and disrupt many of our
ordinary routines. | urge everyone to be patient as we make our way
through these extraordinary times.

We understand there are many who are feeling heightened levels of
anxiety, but as we all go about our daily lives, | suggest that you continue
taking precautions to ensure the safety and wellbeing of yourself and your
family and stay informed by regularly visiting CUNY.edu/coronavirus.

As much as possible, we cannot allow fears to overwhelm facts. This
includes the unsubstantiated rumors that have circulated via social media
alleging the spread of coronavirus on several CUNY campuses. | urge you
to resist the temptation to be persuaded by information that does not come
from health and government officials or the University.

| want to thank our faculty, staff and students for all of your cooperation
during this challenging time. We will continue to share as much information
aS we Can, aS soon as we can, to keep you updated and apprised of any
developments.

Sincerely,

Felo