Embedded Files
Dignity and Solidarity:
To sign on in support, go to:
https://forms.gle/ogxaiYFEF27knd2y6
The following are comments shared by students, faculty and staff regarding why they support the The Petition for Dignity and Solidarity @SUNY New Paltz:
The administration is completely disregarding the health and safety of faculty and staff. They are more concerned about tuition dollars than they are about the well-being of employees.
The University is unnecessarily putting faculty, staff and students at significant risk for contracting Covid-19, which they can spread to vulnerable family members (especially those who are too young or can't be vaccinated). The policies put forth by the administration are not sufficient for protecting the campus community from significant spread of the virus. It would be irresponsible to go forward without implementing more significant and stringent safeguards to protect the community.
I stand in solidarity.
People should be able to assess their risk and that of their family members and make decisions that are honored by administration about the safest modality for them to teach this fall 2021.
To support the concerns of the NP staff and students.
In solidarity for those struggling during the midst of a global health crisis. #WE not ME, a slogan repeated to us throughout the past year that seems to have been forgotten or not fully understood by campus administration.
to support the health & safety of my colleagues & students
I came to New Paltz because of its history as a teaching college, and because of how effectively and passionately the faculty continue to train teachers. For a school that focuses so much on the success of future teachers, it feels wrong for the administration to put its current teachers and their families in danger.
I have a strong desire to protect my very young family and immunocompromised child.
In solidarity, and also because this affects all of us.
I identify with the statement and its purpose
Because I care about my colleagues and my community
I’m teaching in a classroom with a fire code to fit 37 people with a full class of 35. It’s in humanities, a building with poor ventilation and substandard filtration and windows that don’t open. I gave birth to my baby at the beginning of this pandemic. I wont put her at risk now.
Because health and safety of faculty, students and staff come first!
In solidarity with my colleagues
I am signing in solidarity with my colleagues who are rightfully concerned about the health of their families and the health of their students.
I live with someone who is at high risk of dangerous complications if they contract COVID, and another person at high risk of medical discrimination if they had to be hospitalized. I worry about lifelong disabling health conditions for myself and my family if we contract COVID. In person learning is not safe until the spread is under control.
In support of my colleagues, who are doing more to keep Covid cases from growing than the New Paltz admins are.
To protect my 5-year-old and 13-month-old; to protect myself; to protect my colleagues.
It is vital that the University attend to the health and safety concerns of its faculty.
Faculty and staff at my campus face similar issues
To show solidarity with others regarding in-person teaching concerns with COVID-19 and delta variant
I want safe working conditions for everyone on my campus, from instructors and students to professional staff and administrators. It just seems unconscionable to look in the face of present data and choose anything but the safest option for the members of this community.
I'm signing because the professors who changed my life deserve to be protected, and because students I don't know deserve to be protected. In the WGSS program, CONSENT is at the center of all decisions, and I know that my former professors have not consented to be exposed to unsafe conditions. Some have children, some have immunocompromised family members, and they should absolutely not have to share any of this information to justify not consenting to being exposed to COVID-19, especially as numbers are rising and aggressive new variants are mutating.
As a measure of concern for everyone's well-being--especially for autoimmuno-suppressed, parents and caretakers.
In solidarity of colleagues.
The administration needs to show greater flexibility when dealing with serious issues involving the health and safety of its employees and their families.
I am signing as an act of solidarity. I am signing to support my colleagues who are care takers, they should have the agency to shift their work from in-person to remote to keep their loved ones safe and healthy and this decision should not cause harm to their work/job security.
I don't have children or people I immediately care for, so I can't imagine what they're going through. I think we need leniency and flexibility now more than ever.
I am signing for many reasons as I am not simply concerned about my own health and well-being, but that of our extended community as well. I contracted Covid-19 in March 2020 from a student and that experience was very traumatic. I would like to avoid repeating that situation much less being the reason why another person catches this virus, which was actually the case as a result of my previous battle with Covid-19 even though I immediately quarantined once notified. I am stressed over the reality of the rise of the Delta variant, the possibility of vaccinated individuals still catching the virus, the absence of unquestionably adequate working conditions, and the availability of reasonable options given the risks involved. We can and must do better in the creation and maintenance of safer more nourishing world. We have an obligation to care deeply as MLK once stated that "We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. The idea that we are separate, isolated beings with no deeper connection to one another is the single greatest threat to our happiness and security", thus my happiness, safety and well-being is intimately connected to that of others. Let's act like it.
Though I personally do not feel the need to utilize virtual or hybrid instruction, I cannot stand in the way of those that have actual circumstances that necessitate these as options. Uncharted times call for uncharted understanding. If the job gets done well, who is to say whether it was or wasn't worth the risk?
Workers and students alike do not feel safe. We need more flexibility.
To restore agency and dignity to all of us who have worked so hard to protect the health and safety of our loved ones and ourselves.
I am signing to support those who wish to protect their health amidst unsafe working conditions.
Solidarity with my colleagues trying to keep themselves and their loved ones safe from the Delta variant. I have a vaccinated cousin in Florida who was exposed to non-vaccinated individuals and got Covid. He has diabetes and is now fighting for his life in the hospital with Covid pneumonia and heart AFib. Vaccinated people can get sick and can spread this disease.
I believe faculty should have some more say in switching to hybrid this semester if they feel it is necessary. I agree the time to apply to switch to hybrid was very short. I also was very disappointed that faculty were told that all students would be vaccinated by the start of fall semester and the fine print to that was added later.
in solidarity
justified petition
In support of my fellow UUP members
I support teachers, professionals, and staff in deciding what teaching mode to implement to best protect themselves, their loved ones, colleagues, and all students.
2 autoimmune diseases, caretaker for my 95-year-old mother, to take care of myself.
To have options for flexible or altered teaching modality as a parent of a child under 12
Insufficient safety protocols concerning COVID on campus. Very risky policy by SUNY NP.
I stand in solidarity with my colleagues. Also, am very scared about the contagion of the Delta virus variant. I am scared for the broader community and acutely scared for my two young unvaccinated children and partner who is at extremely high risk for serious virus complications. We've carefully mitigated the risk for the past 18 months and I don't want to see that hard work lost. I miss seeing my students and value the flexibility to teach them in a way that honors everyone's safety.
To indicate my support for urgent action to enhance health and safety protocols on campus, with equitable policy implementation.
we need better tools to combat this surge of delta cases. we need to stay safe.
Because I am appalled that the institution (locally and statewide) have been so lackadaisical in responding to the rise of COVID cases caused by the delta variant. We are in the middle of a global pandemic. Life has not returned to normal and we shouldn’t pretend that it has. After a year and a half of “pivoting” we should know that it is better to be safe than sorry.
Because teaching and learning must take place in conditions of health and safety.
To keep our campus community safe.
We not me
In support of my colleagues
I support this initiative (although I will be teaching in person classes).
To support my colleagues. I also have young children at home and fear for their safety.
These times require flexibility to keep everybody safe.
In solidarity
Safety must be foremost
Faculty need more flexibility in teaching modality because of the recent rise in the Delta variant of Covid-19 and their individual circumstances i.e. young (< 12 yrs) unvaccinated children at home.
Concerned about the safety and well-being of my friends on campus and the nearby community.
To support young families that need this option
Health and safety of my family and our community.
I too am concerned about the Delta variant because I have a 14-month-old granddaughter and one can pass this COVID variant along unknowingly since it does not always show signs or symptoms in vaccinated persons.
I feel strongly that the health and welfare of the campus community is threatened by failure to respond adequately to the pandemic.
The COVID variant is highly contagious. Our understanding of it is still not clear. Even though vaccinated people may not (at this point) become as sick as unvaccinated people, they can still contract it - we do not fully understand the long-term health implications. Therefore, it is not right to expect anyone to work in a potentially harmful situation when there are alternative instructional modalities. In addition, faculty - who have the most direct contact with students in enclosed spaces - can bring COVID home to unvaccinated and vulnerable family members.
We must be permitted to make decisions based on our own personal situations and administration should simply support these personal decisions. We should not be expected to ASK for permission for modifications in instructional delivery, especially during a pandemic.
Vaccination is not a guarantee. Masking is not a guarantee. Staying away from each other is. COVID IS NOT GONE. It can spread between anyone at any time. Let us learn from history and stop taking chances with our lives! No one should be forced to work in a space without social distancing, especially when it is entirely possible for that work/teaching to be done remotely. Furthermore, many positions, such as mine, have no student contact and no tasks that need to be handled in person. Although my chances of contracting COVID-19 at my office might be relatively low compared to some, my chances at home are zero. ZERO. I appreciate that everyone is concerned about their young children and their elderly family members, as they should be. However, let's not brush aside the fact that we all care about OURSELVES too, and there's nothing wrong with that. Just because you don't have a child or immunocompromised person living with you, or because you don't fall into the ADA category, does not mean that you should have to risk your own life over a job that can be done remotely. Each individual who can work from home should be able to choose to do so fully and completely with no pressure to come to campus. I personally was pressured to come to campus 3 days a week for "face time" despite the fact that I see more of a person's face on the computer screen than I do when we're wearing masks in person. I had to make a case for my reason to telecommute at all, and was told that it is being decided on an individual basis. HOW WELL ONE IS ABLE TO PLEAD THEIR CASE TO THEIR SUPERVISOR IS AN APPALLINGLY UNFAIR AND INEQUITABLE WAY TO DETERMINE ONE'S WORK SCHEDULE.
Because I want the flexibility needed to best support my students and to keep my family safe as we continue teaching & learning in an ongoing pandemic!
In Solidarity of those who are immunocompromised or live with those who not able to be vaccinated yet (ie children).
to encourage school administrators to reconsider how they are structuring school in order to reflect a system that allows faculty and students to feel safe. to encourage school administrators to reconsider how they are rushing to create a sense of normalcy, putting the lives of people at risk and without giving them viable options to take care of their health and the health of others.
To support the health of faculty and students!
As a student, I would love to get back to in person learning but I am very nervous about this jump. I still very much believe that proper accommodations are needed and should not be a for some situation. As someone who lost a loved one to COVID-19, this virus is very much a real nightmare for me and I want myself, my friends, and peers to be as safe as possible- to be safe in a mutual agreed, not forced way.
To Support my SUNY New Paltz Community.
I do not feel safe to teach on campus.
So that Faculty/Professionals don't need to choose between health and employment
I am teaching an online asynchronous class that was planned to be as such prior to the pandemic. However, if I had to teach in person this semester, with an unvaccinated baby at home, I would share the significant concerns that have been stated by faculty and staff. The spread of the Delta variant in vaccinated people is concerning, despite the common asymptomatic and low side affect experiences. Those working in education have already shown how dedicated they are to their students' education and have a right to make reasonable accommodations to protect their family's health.
Because COVID is a serious thing and being in an area where the numbers are high with the new variant it’s harder especially when I have to go home for thanksgiving break I have to make sure I don’t have it because of my dad who has a serious heart condition cause knowing that if I do come in contact with someone who has it and I bring it home, my father wouldn’t be able to overcome it as quickly as someone who doesn’t have serious health issues.
I notice that the faculty in my department are not feeling safe coming to campus, and I can understand that. The Administration cannot shift these risks onto the shoulders of faculty, particularly those with smaller children.
I want all my SUNY colleagues to have a safe and successful semester in this next phase of the global pandemic.
Just as people should have a choice to return to in person classes, people who do not feel safe should have the same choice to keep themselves and their family safe
Managers need to *work with* campus employees to put science-based safety first
Faculty and staff members with unvaccinated and otherwise vulnerable people in their home, who work closely with large groups of students in relatively close quarters, should have the flexibility to move their classes and/or office hours online. The administration has urged us again and again to be flexible and compassionate with our students, which we have. We ask that the administration also be flexible and compassionate with our faculty.
I support instructors whose well-being or the well-being of their family members requires minimizing their health risk by teaching remotely. I think the justification for teaching remotely should be broader than just "immunocompromised". Parents of healthy children who are too young to be immunized should be allowed to teach remotely.
Because individuals--not institutions-- know best how to keep themselves, their families, and their communities safe.
New Paltz needs to give the concerns of its staff and students highest priority and have the safest possible situation on campus! My continued love for New Paltz and this community compelled me to sign this petition.
To protect myself and others so that we all may have a happy and productive semester.
Because it is the right thing to do.
I don't feel the procedures as they stand protect us or students enough
Solidarity
Because I expected better precautions and instead I’m in small classrooms less than 3 feet away from others. My very first class is about the size of my bedroom with 30+ people in it. That’s a major health risk for me. I work in a residential facility and I have children at home some which are too young to be vaccinated and the twins have bronchial pulmonary dysplasia. I would appreciate appropriate social distance and well-ventilated area and to be honest I expected smaller class sizes in order to accommodate the need for public safety.
Forcing students and faculty into close quarters during the current surge of the more contagious delta variant will result in even more cases. A rise in cases anywhere is a threat to the safety of us all.
We need flexibility during these ongoing changes.
Solidarity with my colleagues who are afraid for their vulnerable family members.
Because I believe we all deserve a safe work environment without additional stresses during this already stressful and extraordinarily challenging time.
Since the very start of the pandemic, the administration has prioritized securing its own dollars and not the physical and mental health and safety of students and staff, whom the college is supposed to serve. People over profit!
For better COVID restrictions
So this virus can get better and so everything can be normal again!
To support the health and safety of everyone
As an educator in a public school, concern for my colleagues and students
For the safety of myself and those of my family members who are at a higher risk of catching COVID and the Delta-Variant.
I support all said concerns and want everyone to be safe as well as my family at home.
Support for my colleagues at-risk themselves or with at-risk family
Solidarity. My concerns for how this administration is handling Fall without regard for concerns for health and safety. These issues cross the boundaries of our individual institutions.
I am signing because I feel that our campus is not doing enough to provide our entire community with options that allow us to learn and engage with one another in a safe environment.
The governor, and the chancellor must take our safety into account. How dare they endanger us as this virus is on the upswing.
Because we must put people first. Because the health and safety of all, but especially the most vulnerable in our community, must be the first priority. Because equity must be a core value that we continually practice at all costs.
I would feel more safe being home and doing online classes but I do not have the opportunity to because most are not being taught online.
As a student, especially a resident on campus, I feel incredibly unsafe on campus with restrictions loosening as significantly as they have since last year. The first night in the residence halls they held in-person mandatory meetings packed in the lounges where we were asked to basically sit side by side touching, some on top of each other, to make enough room for all the residents. The administration isn't taking COVID as seriously as they should be anymore- it's willfully negligent and going to cost them more in the long run than they think they're saving or earning back their losses from the past year and a half when people start getting sick with Delta. If it's like this for resident students, I can only imagine how it is for faculty and staff.
To stand in solidarity with those who are more affected than me.
The best education comes from a hardworking professor. I don't believe that my professors are able to work at their best when they are worried about getting themselves, their families, and their students sick.
SAFETY FIRST!
My loved ones and the those around me
I graduated from SUNY New Paltz in 2019 and I have been a resident of New Paltz since 2015. I am signing out of concern for my former professors, current students, and the potential impacts on our community.
Most importantly I am signing because I am a teacher myself and I have first-hand knowledge of the harmful impacts this can have on everyone. The school district I work for similarly relaxed COVID protocols, allowed in person teaching at full capacity. Regardless of safety measures, myself, several coworkers, all of my students (who are too young to be vaccinated) and our families were exposed to the virus. The coworker who contracted COVID and exposed all of us to the Delta variant was vaccinated.
In the past few weeks prior to the start of the Fall 2021 semester, there have been numerous cases of vaccinated individuals getting COVID - just in New Paltz. We have had businesses close down as well.
This isn’t okay. This shows a lack of understanding and compassion. It puts our dedicated professors/staff members, our students and our community in danger. Really isn’t a good look for New Paltz!!
Because it is unjust to have a policy that increases burdens on or otherwise penalizes those facing greater vulnerabilities to infection from sars-cov-2 or any other highly contagious illness.
We all want the same outcome; to stay open all semester and keep faculty, students, and families safe. Reasonable adjustments in our approach can and should be made to achieve that outcome.
So that we can keep everyone safe
I do not want my coworkers or students who live with unvaccinated (including children who can't be) and/or immunocompromised folks in their household to have to make the choice between being a part of this semester and the wellbeing of their families. They should have the opportunity to decrease capacity, switch course modalities, etc. as needed for safety. I personally am teaching a low capacity hybrid course in an appropriately sized classroom, and I think more folks should be afforded this option.
Because the delta variant needs to be taken seriously.
I'm signing because I believe in people over profit.
I support this effort
I would like to see more options offered by the campus to keep the college community as well as the community surrounding the school to remain safe
To make sure teachers/teachers' families that are compromised can feel safe and lower the risk to themselves or their loved ones.
For the safety of the students and the availability and option to hold online classes to promote safety
Because there needs to be a better way of handling the situation
I want to protect our wonderful faculty, particularly contingent faculty, who are juggling so much during this pandemic. They deserve our support.
I am signing because these wonderful New Paltz colleagues and union members, working collectively, have come up with multiple ways of fulfilling their responsibilities to students and to public higher education in creative and intelligent ways that support health, community, and solidarity. I support them totally.
The way this semester is being handled is incredibly irresponsible, and I want to see the administration be held accountable for their poor choices.
In solidarity with colleagues who have children or are caretakers and are concerned about teaching in person.
Make sure our community of students and staff are teaching and learning safely. For the health of my family, myself and others I am in contact with.
Solidarity
allow academic faculty to determine modality for their classes
Students, Staff and Faculty all deserve safe learning and working conditions
A lot of people in my family have compromised immune systems and I want to be able to visit them without worrying about getting anyone sick.
I strongly believe that faculty should be permitted to change the modality of their courses, particularly if they have unvaccinated children at home.
WE not ME
help protect people from the delta variant
I believe that the practices adopted by the SUNY system here at New Paltz and listed above are unjust in their treatment of professors and faculty that have been impacted most during the pandemic.
I am signing to support my professors who want to keep themselves and their loved ones safe.
To stand in solidarity with my marginalized people.
I believe COVID concerns among faculty and on campus should be taken seriously especially with the increased cases in Ulster County.
to support
I believe that an institution should support its faulty, community, and students. My professors shouldn't have to work in an environment that they feel unsafe in or that doesn't support their autonomy, especially as it relates to the health of themselves and their vulnerable loved ones.
I'm signing because as much as I enjoy the current freedom I have on campus despite the pandemic, I respect those (students/staff/others) who are still rightfully uncomfortable with working and commuting during the pandemic and are sensitive to virus in any way (immunocompromised, loved ones at home at risk, economically sensitive, etc.)
protect my health and safety
I am supporting all faculty and staff who are not being given the necessary flexibility this semester to deal with all of the uncertainties of the coming months. Faculty are expected to be flexible for students right now, let's extend that flexibility to one each other.
I support everyone’s right to choose how they want to handle this, not have the decision to be in person forced.
if we are going to have in person classes we cannot be sitting on top of each other, we need to be able to feel safe and be distanced at least a little bit, because going from nothing or a few people to everyone again is overwhelming! Accommodations need to be available for all that need them.
To stop the spread of the Delta variant. The campus isn't ready for this man people cramped together in small classrooms yet. As a student I don't feel safe from COVID and that should be the school’s biggest priority.
in solidarity
In solidarity, and for everyone's health and well-being.
To stand in solidarity to fellow SUNY faculty urging compassion and humane policies related to COVID health and safety concerns.
because I believe students should have the option to be online this semester.
on a campus that proclaims to be so community oriented it’s sad to see the most vulnerable members of the SUNY New Paltz community being left out of a conversation about their own safety and the safety of their families. shout out to adjuncts who are putting themselves on the line to advocate for themselves/their students, you make this community great and I’m sorry the campus is letting you down!
I am in support of safety measures for students and staff.
I want to protect our most vulnerable community members.
Because I’m concerned about everyone’s health and safety
Flexibility is key to balancing all the conflicting demands placed on all of us by the pandemic
Solidarity with fellow faculty members and the need for flexibility and understanding in our community.
We all need to feel and be safe during this pandemic, and this petition will allow more people to feel comfortable regarding their own safety and the safety of those in their lives.
This concerns the well-beings of the people that make up the foundation of the school. Policies should be flexible for change in order to create a safe environment for everyone. What makes SUNY New Paltz the exceptional place it is, is its approach to putting its people first!
It is important to give people a choice especially when it comes to their personal health. Everyone is aware of their own responsibilities so they should also have control of their decisions as long as it is done with respect of themselves and others.
There needs to be more action taken in to place to help prevent the spread of the sickness as there are many students that don't take responsibility for the actions they are taking. There are many students that are going out and lying about their covid vaccine status which will cause many love ones, friends, and family to be sick. There should be more precaution to prevent the spread especially since the mandate on the vaccine isn't in place and many people from different areas are coming together causing there to be a high risk of spreading.
I value the health and safety of my professors and peers.
It’s absurd that our faculty have to attend classes in which they are uncomfortable with.
I am auto-immune compromised, and the current status is endangering my life.
As the mother of a young child, I appreciate this effort and stand firmly behind it.
Allow instructors with health and safety concerns for their students and their families to develop adaptations appropriate to their disciplines and pedagogical needs to reduce face-to-face exposure time in their classes immediately, and until a vaccine mandate has had time to come into effect (i.e. those mandated are fully vaccinated).
I support and stand with my professor and believe they deserve to work in an environment they're all comfortable in and where they feel safe.
In solidarity with caregivers of those who can't be vaccinated
Too protect my family who have health problems which, make them more vulnerable to covid.
I wholeheartedly support this cause. Faculty should not have to feel unsafe in their work environment.
Equality, peace everyone deserves to live content within themselves and their environment
For Safety
I believe faculty should have the freedom to choose how they teach during this pandemic. As much as everyone would love for things to go back to normal, the pandemic is still a huge risk. Faculty knows what’s best for their own safety and deserve to protect themselves and their loved ones at their discretion, even at the cost of attending in-person classes.
Because I believe all students and professors should be able to make the final call regarding personal health and Covid safety.
For everyone's safety. If a professor or student is uncomfortable with going in person to class then the class should be online.
It affects peoples lives, I think people should have the choice to be safe if they need it.
It is very hypocritical of the SUNY New Paltz to continue to chant “we not me” and not include the safety and health of their workers and students.
COVID exposure, poor decision and planning by management preventing COVID spread.
I want a safe environment for my peers and professors.
I feel as though there are not enough varied and accessible options for individuals who do not feel safe on campus because of the school's lack of Covid-19 preparedness.
Teachers should have the option/right to teach online in order to keep themselves and their families safe. Students as well.
All students, faculty, and any other people on campus deserve the feeling of safety while at work or in the classroom. There needs to be options for those who are at high risk/ have loved ones who are at high risk. This is a serious matter and every possibility needs to be taken into consideration.
Lack of cleanliness and thought put into safely accommodating students. Classrooms are NOT ventilated, mask wearing is not enforced, classrooms are not socially distanced whatsoever.
I agree that "we" have the right to feel safe. I would love to be in-person but "we" need to feel safe.
I believe that faculty deserves to feel safe in this scary period of time the same way students are accommodated to feel safe. They teach us, they guide us to where we want to be professionally and personally. I'd rather take a class outside, online, etc. if that means it keeps my professors safe because they deserve just accommodations as much as we, the students, do.
I feel like teachers and students deserve the right to choose for themselves when they don't feel safe in an in person learning environment.
Safety for myself and others.
Professors should have the right to choose what method of teaching they feel the most comfortable with as many have different levels of comfort within the changing face of the pandemic.
I am concerned for the health of myself, my friends and my family during this time.
I have two unvaccinated children at home and the college is not been able to tell faculty if unvaccinated students and/or faculty are in our classrooms and meetings. I think the option should exist for parents of young children to teach remotely, even if I personally prefer to teach in person this semester.
Safety of loved ones.
For the safety of my loved ones.
Because SUNY needs to put people over profit, as it is the People's University.
Safety
I am currently recovering from breakthrough covid (covid that infected me despite being fully vaccinated) and I am high risk. I believe it was the Delta variant that got me, but I can't be certain. While I am not experiencing any long-term side effects of the virus, I would prefer not being in person if possible to keep myself and others safe from further variants. It's a miserable experience even with vaccination.
With the new variant out, seeing so many people crowded in one place on campus makes me worried.
I am terrified of catching this virus in the crowded classrooms and bringing it home to my family, roommate, and peers.
The same reason I transferred…new Paltz has a lot of shit they are gandering wrong.
Because we stand in solidarity with the faculty and staff that don't feel comfortable w the circumstances of the crowded classrooms during the COVID delta variant
Safety
I think it's unfair for the university to continue to be open meanwhile there are many faculty and students who feel unsafe to have in person classes. While New Paltz enforces safety measurements to keep us all safe, it's still not guaranteed that this virus will not spread towards our loved ones. We need to take some action and perhaps continue to have remote classes or hybrid in order to play it safe. I know we are all excited to come back and have things "normal" again but it simply can not be since the cases of COVID-19 has increased in Ulster county. As the motto in this university states, "We not Me", I think the school should rethink its decision about having in person classes again.
Safety!!!!
As a student with family members who are immunocompromised, I genuinely understand how frustrated these educators/faculty members are.
Due to the news of the new strain 'Delta' it is too soon to not give students and staff the option to continue virtually without the proper equitment in place for safety! This is putting me (have severe asthma) and other people with young children and those at risk in danger.
Solidarity.
The safety of our faculty and to ensure nobody is punished for putting their health as well as their loved ones health first.
Proper health safety measures should be in place. There is no ventilation, no vaccination mandate, no consideration for class size, no consideration of students/faculty with compromised immune systems or small children. Your administration is ableist and un-empathetic. Do better.
I have children under the age of 12 and am concerned for their safety during this time of high transmission rate. I was on campus and the rooms are overcrowded and not adhering to a minimum of 3 feet more like inches apart.
It’s in our power to keep us safe from Covid.
I stand with the students and faculty!
My professor is immunocompromised.
Faculty should be allowed to have the option of moving their course online if they do not feel comfortable or safe in an in person environment.
I’m signing because I believe feeling safe in a teaching, learning, and living environment in essential in order to succeed and excel in life.
I support the giving faculty and staff the option of working remotely and prioritizing their health first during a still very dangerous pandemic. There is no legitimate reason for the administration not to honor this basic human right to all campus workers.
I believe in this petition.
I think it's important that SUNY administration recognize the health and wellbeing of students and faculty and make accommodations for teaching in different formats, especially given the apparent lack of social distancing protocols on campus.
I care about the health & wellness of my fellow students and my professors.
I am in solidarity with our instructors here at SUNY New Paltz. This is a matter of safety for everyone.
I find it immensely unfair that because of New Paltz’s current fall 2021 semester plans, I cannot take one of my classes online due to feeling uncomfortable being on campus with COVID cases rising. They only offer one section of this class in the fall semesters, and because I am a senior, I now have to graduate a semester late because SUNY New Paltz requires that in person classes must be taught in person. I do understand that everyone is trying to get back to a normal life, but for me personally, this is not the time. I feel like I’m being punished because I feel uncomfortable. Thus, I think students and faculty alike should be able to make their OWN decision about how they want to go about teaching their class.
To make the campus a more inclusive institution in which the safety and concerns of both faculty and staff are respected. If someone is immunocompromised, they are seriously at risk of contracting covid 19, why should that person be forced to sit in a small room with 30 people, with the knowledge that the same course could just as easily be taught online, or without having been given the option to join class via video. Classes as far as I can tell do not hold up with the social rules and guidelines I thought we all as citizens established at the beginning of the pandemic. I don't understand how in class I'm able to feel the breath as well as the air move when the classmate behind me lifts a paper. We are too close and the worst part I cant even move my desk up because the classroom space compared to the people in it. There's nowhere to go.
I think it's irresponsible and inconsiderate to have this degree of inflexibility for students and professors in the middle of a pandemic, where both students and professors are already under serious pressure.
To support faculty and students’ health.
I want everyone to feel safe.
I have compassion and appreciate all the staff do for us. Schools cannot function without them and we should accommodate them with anything they need to keep themselves and their families safe.
I feel it is important to keep each other as safe as possible as we are currently going through a difficult stressful and dangerous time. The Delta Variant is dangerous and we need to do more than what is being put in place right now to stop and or slow the spread.
I'm signing in solidarity with faculty who are experiencing these issues around the country. It has to stop. We can't let greed over tuition money cloud our judgements around safety.
Professors and other faculty members’ safety should come first and foremost. They should be given the option to teach remotely and their comfortability should always be kept in mind. I’m disappointed in my alma mater that they haven’t taken a stance to protect their staff in the first place. Please do better.
I agree w what the petition is arguing. And feel that some of my classes are pretty cramped.
Because I believe in order to get through the pandemic we all need to look out for each other and work as a team.
Because the Covid Pandemic is not over!!
I stand in solidarity with the safety and health concerns that students and faculty have. SUNY New Platz was the example SUNY when the pandemic first started, keeping the university open while other SUNYs shut down rapidly. I believe SUNY New Paltz can continue to lead the SUNY system as the example of what can be done to promote a thriving campus community while also keeping health and safety as a top priority. In working with the faculty and students to see their health concerns met, the University would continue to be the example the SUNY system needs in this ever changing pandemic.
To support my colleagues' rights to a safe work environment.
Delta variant is raging!
I'm a student with children who do not have the option of vaccination and I believe some classrooms are small and packed with poor circulation.
I was in a packed classroom (Humanities 211) for one of my classes at SUNY New Paltz and I felt extremely unsafe. The room had a student in every seat, and the seats weren't even student desks. I do live with an anxiety diagnosis, and sitting in that room on that day was extremely difficult to do so. I would either prefer for the class to be online or a much bigger room.
To prevent the spread and creation of more variants.
Not enough online only classes during a pandemic.
At this time, administration policy is placing students, faculty and families at great risk of harm.
It is disturbing to deny someone who does not feel safe for their well-being an alternative option rather than teaching their class in person. Online classes have preformed successfully since the beginning of the global pandemic and could continue to do so during the duration of high risk periods.
To protect our communities from the spread of a contagious and deadly virus.
I live with an older single parent at-risk of severe effects from COVID. I don’t want to unnecessarily compromise his health by attending in-person classes with unvaccinated individuals when I could easily take same the class online.
Bosses don't keep us safe--we keep us safe.
It doesn’t feel safe.
Professors deserve to feel safe!
I’m high risk for getting Covid & I'm afraid Of coming back to the city and spreading it to my diabetic mother & grandmother.
To stand in solidarity with those who want to learn and/or teach while still feeling safe and protected. Also, the school literally can’t run without us, so it’s our responsibility to make petitions for what we need.
There should be more testing and appropriate classroom distancing.
We need to work in solidarity in all that we do.
To keep our campus community safe.
I want to feel safe on campus, and not like every day is another gamble of my health in order to get an education.
For the safety of students and staff
The campus policy is specifically ignoring cases of classes requests where people could be killed. They foolishly ignored CDC advice to maintain social distancing.
SUNY New Paltz needs a better and more flexible community response to protect the immunocompromised and those with underlying medical conditions. Some faculty and students have both. The HR/ADA response to “accommodations” does not take into account realities of Covid, medical complexities, and impact on faculty lives. This must change. Additionally, the campus “safety” measures have been lax unless pressure has been applied by the community (mask mandates, allowing instructors to be unmasked, poor ventilation, etc). We need to have a safer work environment.
Because the profit driven institution needs to be challenged.
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