ITHACA, N.Y. — Ithaca College had shifted to remote learning in March at the start of the pandemic shutdown, and the school will continue that instruction format for most students through the fall semester.

“This means that we will not be welcoming all students back to campus this fall as we had hoped,” Ithaca College President Shirley Collado said in an Aug. 18 statement posted on the school’s website.

Ithaca had announced in May its intention to have students return for on-campus instruction on Oct. 5, but officials have now scrapped that plan. 

Under the newly revised plan, classes at Ithaca College will begin Sept. 8 and conclude Dec. 14. In between, Thanksgiving break is scheduled Nov. 25 through Nov. 27, per a schedule posted at the school’s website. 

Students whose programs require hands-on experience for licensure or accreditation (such as those in certain health professions) will be permitted to attend some instruction on campus, per Collado’s message.

Collado called the move to continue remote learning this fall an “agonizing” decision made in consultation with the members of Ithaca’s senior leadership team, “informed by the best thinking of so many members of our college community and data around the evolution of this pandemic.”

She went on to say that the reality of COVID-19 is “deeply concerning,” noting 5.4 million infections in the U.S. and more than 170,000 deaths. Even though the Ithaca area has a “low prevalence of infections,” the school has learned from watching other communities “how delicate this equilibrium is, and how quickly it can be disrupted,” Collado wrote.

She also noted the “on-campus experience” this fall would be “very different” from what Ithaca would want students to have, citing the “absolutely necessary modifications around things like facilities preparedness and population density.”

“But I sincerely believe this is the correct and responsible choice for Ithaca College to help protect the health and safety of our students, their families, our faculty and staff, and our Ithaca–area communities,” said Collado.

Ithaca College officials “fully intend” to bring all students back to campus for the spring semester, “as long as circumstances around COVID shift to enable us to do so in a reasonably safe manner,” Collado wrote.      

ITHACA, N.Y. — Cornell University and the New York Agricultural Experiment Station (NYSAES) in Geneva will use more than $1.37 million in in federal funding for food and agriculture research.

Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences operates the NYSAES, also known as Cornell AgriTech.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded the funding, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) said in a news release. 

Specifically, this funding was awarded through NIFA’s agriculture and food-research initiative — education and workforce development program.

This program provides funding to support postgraduate research and training for the next generation of food and agricultural scientists. The funding is divided among nine separate grants.

“This federal funding is a wise investment in two great agricultural research institutions, Cornell University and the New York Agricultural Experiment Station, that will help our farmers and agricultural community develop cutting-edge agricultural technology and keep us at the forefront of agricultural development,” Schumer said.

Gillibrand said the funding will help “support the work of up-and-coming scientists and researchers who will contribute to developments from our academic institutions, private industry, and government entities.”

The projects and grant amounts are listed in the accompanying chart.

Binghamton’s classes begin Aug. 26, but the semester started when about 6,800 students began moving onto campus over a seven-day period, beginning Aug. 19, rather than over two days as in past years. 

The school believes the longer move-in period will “keep density down each day” and allow the campus to test students for COVID-19 before they enter the residence halls.

“We’ve done our best to prepare for everything that needs to be addressed to keep our students and all members of our campus and community safe from the virus,” Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger said in a statement. “The best way for the semester to be successful is for the entire campus and community to pull together.”

Stenger on Aug. 12 was joined by local elected officials, along with various campus and community representatives, to announce plans for restarting the school.

Students will be tested using a nasal swab rapid test, with results in about 30 minutes, Binghamton said. Those who test positive will be expected to return home until they are medically cleared. If that is not possible, they will be isolated in a dedicated residence hall on campus.

“Even New York City and Long Island, where most of our students come from, are experiencing [test positive] rates of around 1 percent,” said Stenger. “And an analysis by the public health department of Upstate Medical University of the risk presented by students returning to SUNY campuses shows that Binghamton University presents a risk level of ‘very low to low’ which isn’t zero, but is the lowest rating achievable in their analysis.”

Other ways the campus has adapted in preparation for the fall semester include: 

Requiring all people on campus to wear face masks at all times in buildings and shared spaces (including classrooms), except when alone in a private room, private office, private vehicle, or cubicle space when appropriate social distancing can be maintained or more isolated areas when social distancing can be maintained.

In addition, Binghamton is offering classes in a number of in-person, online, and hybrid formats and “reducing density” in all classrooms to maintain social distancing.

The school is also posting face mask, social distancing, one-way entry/exit reminders, and other signage throughout campus.

Binghamton is also modifying ventilation systems to run air systems for longer durations, increasing outdoor-air ventilation, and upgrading filtration to, typically, MERV 14 and MERV 13 (minimum efficiency reporting value), which are commonly used in hospital inpatient and general-surgery applications.

Hartwick College

Hartwick College says its students will return to campus between Aug. 22 and Aug. 30 with classes beginning Aug. 31.

The college says it has specific protocols that all students and employees are required to follow pertaining to their return to the campus in Oneonta.

All Hartwick students are required to provide evidence that they have tested negative for COVID-19 “within a maximum of 14 days prior to arrival.”

In addition, students arriving from a “hot spot” state, as determined by New York State, will be required to quarantine for 14 days, per current guidelines — even if the student has tested negative for COVID-19. 

Between Aug. 22 and Aug. 31, all students (both residents and commuters) and all employees will undergo COVID-19 testing upon their initial arrival on campus. After Aug. 31, all students and employees will be tested every other week until the end of in-person classes on Nov. 20.

Coursework will be delivered both in-person and virtually for students in the fall semester. Changes to the academic calendar for the fall semester eliminated breaks until in-person instruction ends on Nov. 20. All students will leave campus by Nov. 21 and then complete the semester’s instruction and exams remotely. Final exams conclude on Dec. 10.

Hartwick is also instituting safety and cleaning measures throughout the campus. These include increased sanitizing of academic and administrative buildings and residence halls; additional hand-sanitizer dispensers at building entrances, dining and café locations, fitness entrances, and event spaces; and markings and signage in campus buildings to indicate six-foot distancing.

Before classes begin Aug. 31, every member of the Hartwick community “must commit” to a social compact including measures such as wearing a facemask in all public spaces on campus, maintaining six-foot physical distancing at all times, employing frequent handwashing, and participating in daily screenings including temperature checks.