January 18, 2022
Hello Bears!
Thanks so much to the main campus students for your quick replies and completing the Spring 2022 semester start survey. (JCC students did not do this survey.) We have over 1,500 students who have already done this. If you have not yet fully completed that survey, please do so ASAP.
We are also pleased to share that the vast majority of our students are planning on getting your tests done before you come back (83%). In addition, 81% of students who are eligible for the booster are planning on getting it before they return. We are very grateful to all of you for following through with these important requirements before classes start on Monday, January 31, 2022.
A few important reminders:
- If you have tested positive in the last 90 days, it is really important that you upload a copy of your positive test result and/or isolation order to the Student Health secure portal. You are exempt from pre-arrival testing if you were positive in the past 90 days.
- If you have received the booster, please upload a copy of your vaccination card/booster record to the Student Health secure portal. If you still need to schedule a booster shot, visit www.vaccines.gov to find a vaccine clinic or appointment near you. If you received your booster at least 2 weeks prior to being exposed to someone who tested positive, you will not have to quarantine. In addition, if you are boosted, you are exempt from weekly testing.
- Students who have recently tested positive are eligible to get the booster once you are released from isolation, are symptom-free, and as long as you have not received any recent IV antibody treatments.
- You can upload your pre-arrival test results here. Please remember that tests must be completed within 72 hours of the date of your return to campus/the area. If you are taking an at-home test, that must be done within 6 hours of your return to campus/area. IF you are uploading a RAPID test result, please take a picture of it along with the results key. JCC students are not uploading to this file share; we are collecting your pre-arrival test information in the Grad office by sending results in an encrypted email to graduate@potsdam.edu
- Find a test site near you by searching here.
- In addition, New York State has partnered with Quadrant Biosciences (the same lab that does our saliva swab tests on campus) and has free clinics at a number of locations across the state. You can book an appointment with one of them, and have your results sent to SUNY Potsdam.
- Recent scientific information is showing that cloth masks alone are not very effective in preventing the spread of the Omicron variant. For added protection, we highly recommend that you purchase KN95 masks (or similar aerosol filtering masks, such as N95, KF94 or FFP2) for the semester. While these masks can be hard to find in stores, they are available online. As an alternative, layering a cloth mask or a brace over a surgical mask and/or tying the ear loops can provide a better fit and greater protection.
You can keep up to date with campus information by frequently checking our Potsdam Prepared website.
Thank you for all you are doing to keep yourselves healthy and each other safe. I’m looking forward to the start of the semester.
Sincerely,
Eric D. Duchscherer
Dean of Students
SUNY Potsdam