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From Interim President William Tramontano:
I am pleased to report that the Queens College campus will reopen tomorrow, Tuesday, March 17. Students, faculty, and staff may return to campus. As we are in the middle of the instructional recess, there will be no in-person classes on campus tomorrow. I would like to offer a special thank you to our dedicated Buildings & Grounds staff for working diligently to make sure the campus is ready for reopening.
All campus offices will be open tomorrow. Vice presidents and assistant vice presidents may authorize staff to work remotely. If you have any questions, please contact your supervisor.
Please note that Rosenthal Library remains closed until further notice as a staffer who was last in the library building on March 10 tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19). Though the staffer was asymptomatic and presents a low risk to the Queen College community, out of an abundance of caution the building will be closed while it undergoes a thorough cleaning.
Despite the library being closed, there are still many important services accessible to our community. Computer access is available for those who need it in the I Building. The library will continue to provide many services remotely, including information and research chat services in real time, remote research consultations, virtual synchronous and asynchronous information literacy, document delivery services to its borrowing community, support for remote access issues, and support with making course content available. Additionally, working in concert with the Center for Teaching & Learning, library faculty and staff are being trained in Blackboard Basics to provide real-time one-on-one support, and the library will be offering remote workshops on digital tools to support online learning.
While we are on the topic of libraries and books, I am pleased to announce that over 50,000 eBooks are now available to Queens College students, free of charge, courtesy of the online bookstore Akedemos and the digital course material platform, VitalSource. This will be of great benefit to our students who may have lost access to course materials with the rapid shift to the distance learning format. Students can begin to access this service today by registering at bookshelf.vitalsource.com using their official QC email address. Any customer service questions related to registration should be directed to VitalSource at this help page.
Food services are operational during this transition time, and will continue to remain so after distance learning begins on March 19. For hours and locations, please refer to http://bit.ly/2ILQ0aw.
The Knights Table Food Pantry remains open--by appointment only--during this challenging time for many in our community. Email [email protected] or call 718-997-3977 to schedule an appointment.
I have been so proud to watch our dedicated faculty and staff as they continue to work diligently to prepare for distance learning when all courses resume on Thursday, March 19. During this unprecedented time, they are doing their best to make sure our students will continue to receive a top-notch Queens College education while we navigate this challenge.
To ease the transition to distance learning, the college's Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) has established a Faculty Support Hotline (718-997-4900) and a Student Support Hotline (718-997-3000) for technology assistance for distance learning, Blackboard, and CUNYfirst starting on Tuesday, March 17 at 10 am.
Counseling services are still available to students who have previously scheduled appointments; unfortunately, the Counseling Center cannot schedule new appointments at this time. The Counseling Center will be contacting students with appointments to inform them of options for "distance" sessions, which may include meeting with counselors via telephone and videoconferencing. Students with appointments are strongly encouraged to contact their individual counselor with any questions or concerns they may have; the Counseling Center can be reached at 718-997-5420. Students who are experiencing heightened emotional states, or who may need someone to talk to, especially during this difficult time, are encouraged to contact their personal counselors or NYC WELL for assistance. Faculty and staff can access counseling via our Employee Assistance Program, Deer Oaks, by calling 1-888-993-7650.
Before closing, I would like to remind you that if you feel sick, please contact a health care provider. If you don't have a health care provider, please call 311. Hospital staff cannot ask you about your immigration status or deny you care based on your ability to pay. You may also contact Queens College's Health Services Center at 718-997-2760 or [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns.
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