Laney College Back to Campus Update

Dear Laney Community:

I hope this finds you healthy and ready for 2022. It has been great to see employees on campus this week and we are certainly looking forward to the start of the semester. Acknowledging the concern with COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, I would also like to assure you that we continue to operate with safety in mind.   

Currently, our enrollments for Spring are not seeing the declines of other colleges, and I believe that our perseverance is something our students see. Special thanks to everyone for your work with enrollment.

I am reaching out to provide a few updates as many more of us return to campus. Please refer to this email as a guide of what to expect as you arrive on campus, especially the measures we have employed to manage a safer return. Before reading, though, I will ask that you make sure that you have (510) 466-7236 on your phone, which is the number for campus safety. You can call it 24/7, and in addition to calling in the event of emergency, you can dial it to request a safety escort if you need one. 

CAMPUS:

Laney re-opened after winter break on Monday, January 10, 2022, in preparation for the Spring semester, which begins on the 24th. Those who arrive on-site are expected to check in daily with BrightStar staff members to show proof of their daily health screening and vaccination status (BrightStar is the district vendor providing screening services for the campus). Beginning this week, we expanded our checkpoints to include the Tower Lobby, A120, and the Forum.

Once the semester begins on the 24th, checkpoints will be at the following indoor locations.

• Tower Lobby

• A120 (next to Admissions & Records )

• F170 Lobby

• D107 (near Culinary Arts)

• Lower Forum

Signage will be going up throughout the College to direct people to check in at each screening area. BrightStar will also be coordinating with Marina Security to assist with ensuring that those who arrive on campus go through a screening checkpoint before entering our buildings. 

As part of our collective efforts to keep everyone as safe as possible, please adhere with the following guidelines:  

• Before arriving on campus please perform a daily screening using the Company Nurse website and be prepared to show your device’s green screen to the screeners posted at campus entry points.

• If you have not already done so, please also upload your proof of COVID-19 vaccination to the Company Nurse website prior to returning to campus.

• For those who have an approved medical, disability or religious exemption, please note that you are required to submit weekly negative COVID-19 tests. The test results must be uploaded to Company Nurse by Friday of each week. At Laney College, testing is available every Monday from 8 a.m. to noon in the Forum. Dates and times for testing at the other Peralta colleges is available at: https://safe.peralta.edu/covid-19-vaccine.

• All persons are required to always wear a mask over both their nose and mouth while on Peralta property unless you are alone in an office with the door closed, eating and/or drinking. Masks and PPE are available to you upon request made to your supervisor.

Instructions on how to use the Company Nurse website (as well as information and resources regarding the safe return to campus) can be found at the Safe Peralta website. 

VACCINATION POLICY:

Students accessing in-person courses (including hybrid) and face-to-face services (for example, the library, counseling, tutoring, etc.) are required to upload proof of full vaccination (unless they have a pre-approved medical or religious exemption on file with the District). After much consideration and discussion, we have determined that students who are only taking online classes will not be required to upload vaccination proof unless they seek to receive in person services on campus.

In news that may prove to be helpful for our international students, the District is now accepting alternative vaccines approved by the World Health Organization for compliance with the District's vaccination policy. The list of those vaccines are available here.

The Office of Human Resources has reached out to employees to confirm that everyone is adhering to the vaccination policy. Non-compliance will be handled appropriately and those who have been granted exemptions have been notified and apprised of the guidelines that they need to follow. Within my office, we have been contacting students who are scheduled for hybrid or face-to-face classes that have not uploaded their vaccination records.

AIR CIRCULATION/HVAC:

The District has completed its assessment of the office/working spaces at Laney College. I am pleased to report that for the majority of our spaces, there was sufficient air flow (which is critical in minimizing the risk of COVID-19 transmission). Areas where air circulation needed to be augmented now have filters so as to ensure adequate remediation. The final report is available for viewing on the Safe Peralta web pages, with a direct link to the report found here (Due to the size of our college, reporting for our campus will be found on several documents): https://explore.peralta.edu/generalservices/ventilation-summaries.

OTHER RESOURCES:

The Safe Peralta links below provide a quick reference point connected to possible exposure notification and prevention program. Employees are encouraged to consult these to better understand the measures in place to manage the College and District’s COVID response:

PCCD Guidelines for Staff in The Event of a Suspected or Confirmed Student COVID-19 Exposure

PCCD Guidelines for Employees in the Event of a Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 Case or Flu

Peralta CCD COVID Prevention Program

In closing, the circumstances related to the COVID-19 are constantly changing. We are being vigilant and thoughtful in our assessment of the situation, and we appreciate your support and partnership in our efforts to contend with the pandemic, serve our students, and keep each other safe. This is our plan for now, but please know that we will keep you apprised should anything change. 

Please feel free to contact me with any questions and I will do my best to answer them.

Take care and be safe.

Sincerely,

Rudy Besikof, Ed. D.

President

Laney College