The Re-entry Checklist is live
Dear Cornellians,
We are glad so many of you were able to join us Wednesday for the reactivation forum. While our time was limited, we hope you found the information helpful. We recognize that there was a lot of information shared, and there are still many questions to be answered. As we mentioned at the forum, we are continuing to work to provide you with up-to-date information, but plans are evolving and could change. In the meantime, if you were unable to attend the forum we encourage you to view the recording and continue to check Cornell’s COVID-19 website.
Re-entry Checklist
The Re-entry Checklist is your guide to a safe start to the semester and your ticket to enrolling for classes whether you’ll be on campus or remote. All students must complete the checklist. Required information includes, among other items, a local address for the fall semester (if you will be living off campus in the Ithaca area) and emergency contact information. Students living off campus will also have the ability to schedule their required arrival test through the checklist. Students living on campus will receive details on testing in their move-in materials. New students, please note this is in addition to the To Do List.
The Cornell Behavioral Compact will soon be added to the Re-entry Checklist for you to complete. All students who will be in the Ithaca area this fall are required to attest to the Compact prior to the start of the semester. The Dean of Students Office will be leading the Cornell Compact Compliance Team who will ensure accountability for any violations that occur. An online documentation tool for students, faculty, staff and community members will be available to report public health concerns to the university.
Quarantine Guidelines
For all students: We ask that you make every effort to quarantine at your home location for 14 days before arriving in Ithaca.
For students from states under New York travel advisory: Students arriving from states under Governor Cuomo’s executive order requiring a 14-day quarantine should plan to arrive in New York by August 17.
- Students planning to live in on-campus housing will be provided a quarantine location and meals. You will receive more guidance about travel, quarantine guidelines and initial testing as part of your move-in instructions.
- Returning students in off-campus housing are expected to comply with this travel advisory, and they should plan to quarantine in place at their off-campus residence and follow the testing protocols announced earlier this week. For questions or concerns about complying with New York state quarantine requirements, please contact the Off-Campus Living office.
As mentioned during the forum, this is a fluid situation and could change before August. We continue to be in close contact with state officials and will communicate changes broadly as we become aware of them. If you’re planning to fly to the Ithaca area, we strongly encourage you to purchase refundable tickets and appreciate your continued flexibility in the face of this uncertainty.
On-campus Housing Assignments
Cornell Housing expects to assign rooms by July 24. Move-in assignments and arrival information will follow shortly thereafter and will include an assigned date and time for your arrival to campus. Undergraduate students residing in on-campus residence halls will be extremely limited in the number of items they can bring with them, and parents/families will not be allowed into campus facilities in order to maintain the health and safety of our campus spaces. Shipping is available. Additional information will be sent directly to students and will be posted on the Housing website as soon as it’s available. As a reminder, please contact Cornell Housing as soon as possible, but no later than August 10, if you are no longer in need of on-campus housing.
Enrollment Updates
The Fall 2020 Course Roster will be rebuilt to reflect the teaching modality of each course. The Roster will also reflect revised class schedules and classroom assignments. In order to comply with physical distancing guidelines, occupancy limits – and subsequent enrollment caps for in-person courses – are being revised. Please continue to monitor your email for updates about enrollment, including very important instructions about enrollment procedures and timing.
Last year’s Comprehensive Review of Mental Health revealed that many students feel competitive pressure to take an overload of credits. In addition, we recognize that the many changes required for the fall semester (e.g., elimination of breaks to reduce risks associated with travel and possible disruptions associated with quarantine/isolation) may introduce additional new sources of stress for students. Accordingly, we have decided to proactively limit the number of course credits in which undergraduate students can enroll to eighteen. In certain cases, students may be granted permission to add one additional learning experience – such as support courses, project teams, research and independent study courses, teaching assistant positions, and physical education courses – for a maximum of twenty-one credits. Seniors needing more than eighteen credits to graduate may seek permission from their college to take excess credits. Students with questions should contact their college advising office.
We encourage you to continue to refer to Cornell's COVID-19 and Reactivation website for the most up-to-date campus information. Please also plan to attend next week's Graduate and Professional Student Town Hall on July 22 at 4 p.m EDT and an additional Campus Reactivation Student Forum following at 5:30 p.m. EDT. Recordings of these forums will be available after on the university's COVID-19 site.
Sincerely,
Ryan Lombardi
Vice President for Student & Campus Life
Lisa Nishii
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education