Are residential students required to be vaccinated?
Yes! Buffalo State College is requiring all students living in campus-operated residence halls to be fully vaccinated prior to occupancy for the fall 2021 term, with limited medical and religious exemptions only and independent of the FDA approval process. For the purposes of this guidance, people are considered fully vaccinated for COVID-19 more than two weeks after they have received the second dose in a two-dose series (e.g., Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna), or more than two weeks after they have received a single-dose vaccine (Johnson & Johnson/Janssen). Subject to final NYS guidance, COVID-19 vaccines recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) may now be accepted for purposes of determining vaccine status.
What do I do if I will not be fully vaccinated prior to my move-in date?
People are considered fully vaccinated for COVID-19 more than two weeks after they have received the second dose in a two-dose series (e.g., Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna), or more than two weeks after they have received a single-dose vaccine (Johnson & Johnson/Janssen). If your move-in date is less than two weeks from your second dose OR you will not receive your second dose until after your move-in date then you must do the following:
Provide a negative COVID test from within five-days prior to your move-in.
Wear a mask at all times on campus until two weeks after your second dose.
Maintain social distance (six feet or more) from others on campus until two weeks after your second dose.
Can I request a medical or religious exemption?
Yes. More details are forthcoming, but please contact the Weigel Health Center at weigel@buffalostate.edu for more information. Please note that students who are granted a medical or religious exemption and continue to live on campus will be required to provide proof a negative COVID test withing five days of their move-in date and participate in weekly, on-campus surveillance testing.
Can I terminate my housing if I am not vaccinated?
No. Students can only request to terminate if they are granted a medical or religious exemption through the Weigel Health Center. Exempted students must student a request to terminate here (https://residencelife.buffalostate.edu/forms) within three business days of their exemption notification. Please attach a screenshot of your exemption notification to your termination request.
If I am unvaccinated will my housing assignment change?
Maybe. Buffalo State College reserves the right to reassign exempted unvaccinated students from their current housing assignment. The purpose of such reassignment would be to avoid placing a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated students in the same room or suite. If possible, reassigned students would be assigned to space in the same residential community as their current assignment; however, this may not always be possible given that the campus is expected to be at full residential occupancy. An exempted student reassigned to a different residential community and/or room type will be charged the lower of the two housing rates between the two assignments.
Unvaccinated individuals with an approved exemption from the vaccination requirement may request to remain in their assigned housing and share a room with their roommates and/or suitemates by gaining written consent from all roommates/suitemates. Unvaccinated students must initiate the process by disclosing their vaccination exemption status to their roommates/suitemates. Once written consent has been acquired from all parties, they should provide these to the Residence Life Office at reslife@buffalostate.edu within five business days of notification that their exemption has been approved.
Do I need to be vaccinated to eat in Bengal Kitchen or another campus dining location?
Maybe. Campus dining facilities, including the Bengal Kitchen and the Retail Food Court located in the Campbell Student Union, and Starbucks located in E. H. Butler Library, are expected return to normal operations and in-person dining this fall for fully vaccinated individuals. Unvaccinated students may be limited to take-out options only.
