Dear NYU Silver Students,

I hope you are doing well and are managing some rest and relaxation ahead of the official start of classes on Monday. At Silver, we’ve been actively preparing for the start of the semester, and wanted to share some important updates and reminders:

→ All classes are resuming in-person on Monday, January 24 (MSW program classes at our Rockland and Westchester campuses will resume on Tuesday, January 25).

→ The University has asked all faculty and instructors to exercise flexibility as we transition back to in-person, especially in the first two weeks of the Spring semester, due to the Omicron variant and ongoing impact of COVID-19. As Silver’s Associate Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs Robert Hawkins communicated to all faculty and instructors last week, each faculty member is determining how to best exercise that flexibility given pedagogical goals for their course, and can make resources, such as recorded lectures or lecture notes, available to students who are unable to make it to class because they are ill, in quarantine, or are experiencing travel disruptions. Faculty may also experience these disruptions, so Dr. Hawkins has provided specific guidance for faculty in these situations. Please familiarize yourself with these guidelines around flexibility and please direct any questions to your instructor.

→ If you are unable to attend class in-person due to illness or other factors at the start of the semester, please inform your instructor so that they can work on any necessary arrangements with you; conversely, instructors will inform their students should they temporarily pivot to a remote session.

→ Field Learning has provided extensive updated guidance and information about placements this Spring for all students, and these are posted on the Silver Updates webpage.

→ Over the winter break, the School upgraded its technology at the Washington Square North building. Please note that if your instructor temporarily pivots to a remote class session in the first few weeks of the semester due to illness or other reasons, you may feel free to join the remote session from the campus classroom originally scheduled for the meeting. To join the meeting from the classroom, click “Join” on the Zoom control panel in the room, and then enter the meeting i.d. when prompted. Classrooms are not available, in general, to join Zoom meetings; only for the purposes and in the situation outlined above.

→ As a reminder, all eligible NYU community members must have received a booster shot as of January 18; there are serious consequences for non-compliance, so please carefully review NYU’s Vaccine Questions and Supports.

→ The University’s expectation is that all students will get tested within 72 hours of returning to campus, preferably a PCR test; should you need to get a COVID test, the University has options for students, and kits are still available in the lobby at 1 Washington Square North and at the Rockland and Westchester campuses. 

→ The University has updated its mask guidelines, which includes wearing KN95 or N95 masks, or double-masking (surgical with cloth) while on campus; the University has surgical masks available at Campus Safety desks across campus. At this time, Silver is providing *one* KN95 mask for all faculty, students, and staff; here is more information regarding how to get a complimentary mask at the Washington Square, Rockland, and Westchester campuses. 

→ As a reminder, there is temporary suspension of any indoor dining and events/social gatherings inside NYU buildings. The School is working on designating a space for eating at 1 Washington Square North when restrictions are lifted by the University.  Weather permitting, there are options to eat outdoors near the Washington Square campus, as well as approved indoor spaces.

→ The School is now working to update signage throughout the building on masking and other guidelines. Should you experience any issues around non-compliance and need guidance on reporting, please consult NYU’s non-compliance resources.

I hope these updates and reminders are helpful as you prepare for the coming semester. Please look out for additional messages next week from Silver Student Affairs regarding supports and resources available to you, and please access the Silver updates webpage for all updates and communications and submit any questions via the Input Form.

Neil B. Guterman
Dean and Paulette Goddard Professor