The Daily Bulletin Archive

With the increased prevalence and transmissibility of the COVID-19 Delta variant, SUNY has recommended that campuses situated in counties classified as “substantial” or “high” risk for community transmission of COVID-19 conduct regular precautionary surveillance testing of all students, faculty, and staff members, regardless of vaccination status. Erie County moved from a “substantial” to a “high” transmission risk county on August 21, which means that Buffalo State College will implement SUNY’s new surveillance testing recommendation.

Buffalo State is in close consultation with campus labor unions about this recommendation and will require all employees (vaccinated and unvaccinated) and students (vaccinated and unvaccinated) to complete surveillance testing during the first week of classes (August 30 to September 3). This comprehensive testing of our full campus population will help establish a baseline and inform our next steps for testing protocols of vaccinated individuals this semester.

As previously communicated, weekly surveillance testing will still be required for any student who is partially vaccinated or has received a limited medical or religious exemption, and for any employee who has not yet voluntarily provided proof of vaccination to opt out of weekly testing.

Starting Monday, August 30, testing will be conducted in Buckham Hall’s D Wing main gym, which is located on the lower level (enter from Lot R-12, closest to the Technology Building), during the following days and times:

• Mondays 9:00–11:30 a.m. and 1:00–4:00 p.m.
• Tuesdays 6:00–11:30 a.m. and 1:00–6:00 p.m.
• Wednesdays 9:00–11:30 a.m. and 1:00–4:00 p.m.
• Thursdays 9:00–11:30 a.m. and 1:00–6:00 p.m.
• Fridays 9:00–11:30 a.m. and 1:00–4:00 p.m.

Students, faculty, and staff members may choose a convenient time within the available windows to present to Buckham Hall for surveillance testing. Everyone is encouraged to complete the registration process through the online portal before arriving in Buckham Hall to expedite the process.

No eating or drinking before the test.

Please remember, prior to testing:

• You must not eat or drink anything, including chewing gum, mints, or lozenges, within 30 minutes of reporting for your test.
• You should not have brushed your teeth or used mouthwash within the past three hours.
• You must abstain from smoking, vaping, or using smokeless tobacco products for 30 minutes prior to the test.

A user guide to the registration process (PDF, 2.4 MB) is available online. Individual test results will be securely posted to the online portal, and test participants will be notified via email when their test results are available.

An informative video about the test registration and sample collection process is also available online.

We appreciate your continued flexibility and understanding as we work to maintain a healthy and safe campus community.