Students and faculty at Stony Brook University (SBU) are required to meet their respective COVID-19 vaccine and testing requirements for the 2021 in-person fall semester, according to the Stronger Together website.
Stronger Together, which provides updated COVID-19 guidelines for SBU, affirmed the university’s adherence to New York state policy that all State University at New York (SUNY) students enrolled in at least one in-person course, or using any in-person campus facility, must submit proof of their vaccination prior to Sept. 24 to remain enrolled for the fall semester.
As of Sept. 7, Stony Brook reported that 92% of students taking at least one in-person class have submitted proof of vaccination.
“Our Student Affairs team will continue to follow-up with students to ensure 100% compliance, as this is an important health and safety measure for our campus community,” Stony Brook officials said in an email sent out to the student body on Aug. 25.
Vaccinated residential and commuter students are still subject to regularly scheduled COVID-19 testing after submitting proof of vaccination.
Residential students will participate in testing every other week while commuter students will be tested once each month. Unvaccinated commuter students must get tested weekly to continue with courses until submission of vaccination prior to Sept. 24. Testing locations and appointment scheduling can be found online through the Student Health Services website.
Faculty and staff who are fully vaccinated are required to test approximately once a month. As of Aug. 19, 68% of faculty and staff have reported in SOLAR that they are vaccinated.
Unvaccinated faculty and staff must adhere to weekly testing and all COVID-19 health and safety guidelines. If faculty choose to remain unvaccinated, they must make it known to the university and ensure that all mask wearing and social distancing guidelines are being followed in addition to their regular testing.
There are limited exemptions to the vaccination requirement for medical or religious reasons. Requests must be approved by the university with documentation provided by medical personnel or a personal statement of religious concerns and can be submitted online.
For those who are looking to get vaccinated, vaccines are offered at the Student Activities Center in rooms 226 and 227. Stony Brook West Campus offers both the Johnson and Johnson and Pfizer vaccines with no appointment required for the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
To schedule a Pfizer vaccine appointment or view hours of operation, visit the Student Health Services website.