August 24, 2021

The Top 4 Things You Need to Know

1. All Students with on-campus presence or using campus facilities must be fully vaccinated.
2. Students must be fully vaccinated within 35 days of full FDA approval of any COVID-19 vaccine. (By September 27, 2021). Your first vaccine dose must be completed and submitted for verification to the vaccination upload form by August 30, 2021. 
3. All students are required to wear masks in all indoor settings regardless of vaccination status.
4. Students who fail to comply with the vaccine mandate and are not given a medical or religious exemption by September 27, 2021 will be disenrolled from the College.

To All FSC Students,

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given full approval to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. With the FDA full approval of this vaccine, the State University of New York (SUNY) is now implementing its policy that requires all students engaged in in-person learning or having any on-campus presence to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.  If you are already vaccinated, please Upload Your Proof of Vaccination.

We are using this opportunity to reiterate our plans for Fall 2021, consistent with SUNY policy:

• All SUNY students who plan to have an on-campus presence, including any use of campus facilities, must be vaccinated against COVID-19. Such students may receive any of the three vaccines available in the United States (Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson).
• Students have a 35-day grace period (by September 27, 2021) to both fully satisfy the vaccine requirement and provide the College proof of complete vaccination.
• Students with an on-campus presence are required to receive one COVID-19 vaccine dose within seven days of the full FDA approval of any COVID-19 vaccine. This means that the student must receive at least one dose of a single dose vaccine or a first dose of a two-dose series within that seven-day period (by or before August 30, 2021). A second dose, if needed, must be completed within the 35-day grace period which ends on September 27, 2021. Students who fail to comply with the vaccine mandate and are not given a medical or religious exemption by September 27, 2021 will be disenrolled from the College, without refund.
• Once vaccinated, students must continue testing weekly until 14 days after completion of a full vaccine course. Once a full vaccine dose has been completed, please provide verification of your vaccination status using the Student COVID Vaccine Upload Form. For students who’ve completed a vaccine sequence two weeks or more prior to start of classes, no testing is required.
• Medical or religious exemptions may be requested by qualifying students. In order to have an exemption request considered, students must submit such requests by August 30, 2021. Students with approved medical or religious exemptions should be aware that they may be excluded from all in-person classes and activities at the College’s discretion should a COVID-19 outbreak occur at the campus. Exemption forms can be found under Resources & Forms on the COVID Hub. Fully completed exemption forms should be submitted to covidexemption@farmingdale.edu.
• Students can schedule an appointment for a free and widely available vaccine at https://www.vaccines.gov. A number of vaccination sites are near the Farmingdale campus.
• The College has the discretion to create additional health and safety restrictions as it deems appropriate and has elected to require masks, regardless of vaccination status, in all indoor public settings.
• Students who have not received an exemption and elect to remain unvaccinated may withdraw and receive a full refund provided they are officially withdrawn by September 5, 2021.
• Students participating in applied learning experiences will be required to comply with the vaccination policies of their host site. This includes all levels of clinical and allied health training and educator preparation.

Visit the COVID Hub for more information, resources and forms. If you have questions, please email the Dean of Students or call the COVID hotline at 934-420-5500.

John Nader
President