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Thursday, September 30, 2021

From the Vice President for Student Affairs

Posted: Thursday, September 30, 2021

Enforcement of Student COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Underway

As announced on August 23 by SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras, students who did not complete their COVID-19 vaccination regimen by September 27—or have not received an approved medical, religious, or remote-learning exemption—will be dropped from all in-person classes for the remainder of the semester. The process to review the cases of non-compliant students and unenroll those individuals from in-person classes is underway.  

Unvaccinated students have been notified of the COVID-19 vaccine requirement deadline through the following outreach: emails about the vaccine requirement deadline, including a video message email; a text message asking them to indicate that they understand the vaccine requirement deadline; and phone calls reminding them about the vaccine requirement deadline. The Weigel Wellness Center also hosted three COVID-19 vaccine clinics on campus, two of which offered the Pfizer vaccine, and one that offered the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Regular COVID-19 information updates have been posted on the Coronavirus Information website in the Updates and For Students sections as well.

Students have been informed that if they do not complete their COVID-19 vaccination regimen or have an approved exemption by September 27, they will be dropped from all fall 2021 in-person classes by the Registrar’s Office and may be held 100 percent financially liable for the courses. If an unvaccinated and nonexempt student has a mix of in-person and remote courses, they will be dropped from their in-person courses only. These students will still have a record in the Bengal Success Portal (BSP), and the adviser will still appear in Banner and Degree Works. If an unvaccinated and nonexempt student has all in-person courses, they will be dropped from all their courses. These students will not have a record of courses in the BSP, but the adviser will still appear in Banner and Degree Works.

If you are contacted by a student who is being dropped from their in-person courses, you can offer support in the following ways: 

  • Direct them to contact their adviser to discuss course planning for future semesters at Buffalo State College.
  • Refer them to campus support systems (i.e., Financial Aid, Student Accounts, and Dining Services) to address financial questions.

You can add advising notes and documentation about course planning and referrals in the BSP and Degree Works. Please note that current COVID-19 vaccination policies will remain in effect for future semesters.

As a reminderBuffalo State College continues to require all campus community members and visitors—regardless of vaccination status—to wear face masks while indoors on campus. The Weigel Wellness Center is leading educational programming on the importance of COVID-19 safety and is planning to host a “mask-out” in the Campbell Student Union with educational tabling and prizes to promote face mask compliance. The Weigel Wellness Center is also starting a new initiative to recognize and reward face mask compliance on campus and will be handing out raffle tickets to students wearing their face masks properly so they can enter a giveaway to win the top prize of a SONY PlayStation!

For more information and updates on COVID-19, please visit the Coronavirus Information website.

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