Dear Graduate Students, We hope your first days of the fall semester are going as smoothly as possible. Please read on for some QC <https://www.qc.cuny.edu/community/Coronavirus/Pages/Default.aspx> and CUNY <https://www.cuny.edu/coronavirus/> pandemic-related updates. We know all this changing info can be frustrating and anxiety-inducing, but we'll continue doing our best to be flexible and kind and gentle with ourselves and each other, in hopes of having the best possible semester. VACCINATION VERIFICATION BY 9/27 Following the FDA's full approval of the Pfizer vaccine on August 23, 2021, all students attending in-person or hybrid classes during the Fall 2021 semester must now be fully vaccinated and have uploaded proof of vaccination through CUNYfirst by *Monday, September 27, 2021*. We've heard from the QC administration that *any student who isn't fully vaccinated by October 7 at the latest* (or who doesn't have a rare official exemption) will be dropped from their classes and still expected to pay tuition. If you haven't yet uploaded your proof of vaccination on CUNYfirst, check out this TikTok video on “How to upload your Vaccine Verification to CUNY” from *The Knight News* <https://youtu.be/BsagF0x30IU>. Even if you're still fully online this semester, we recommend taking care of this now so you don't have to worry about it in the future. FALL 2021 COURSES If you are taking a hybrid or in-person course this semester, please be patient as faculty await official approval to safely begin meeting on campus in their assigned classrooms. QC has to go through and clear every classroom to ensure there's adequate space for social distancing until all vaccination/testing verifications have been submitted, which means it's possible that classes will not be able to meet in person till after October 7. In any case, please wait for your professors to notify you about if/when you'll be meeting on campus. If your professors are not communicating with you about when and where you're meeting, please let us know and we'll follow up. A reminder that the last day to register for classes is tomorrow, *Tuesday, August 31*. If you enroll in a course last minute, we suggest emailing your professor <http://english.qc.cuny.edu/people/officehours/> to let them know and kindly request how to access their class. We do not recommend enrolling in a course if you've already missed the first day, unless you have the professor's approval. ENGLISH MA ADVISING WORKSHEET In our previous email, we forgot to share the *English MA Advising Worksheet* (attached here), which you can use to keep track of your program requirements. As always, please email us both if you have any questions or need advising or support. And please continue staying safe and taking care! Best, Caroline & Hillary, your Directors of Graduate Studies in English -- Dr. Caroline Kyungah Hong Associate Professor of English Director of Graduate Studies (English MA) Queens College, CUNY *she/her/hers* * Please note that I am off email on weekends and will respond to your email during business hours, Monday–Friday 9am–5pm, generally within 1–2 business days.