COVID-19 FAQ

Only students who have been pre-approved by the Residence Life office are permitted on campus or in the residence halls. Anyone arriving without permission will be sent home immediately at their own expense.

If you purchased Trailways tickets independently, please ask Trailways for a refund.

Your instructor will be reaching out with further details on how to access course materials. Please keep an eye on your SUNY Canton email for instructions and check Blackboard frequently. If you have not received word by noon on Friday, March 20, please contact the Provost’s Office at provostoffice@canton.edu.

Students are no longer permitted to return to campus to retrieve belongings. If you have essential belongings such as books, notebooks, laptops, or medications the residence life staff will retrieve them from your room and mail them to you. Please e-mail reslife@canton.edu with such requests. Students will be allowed to return to campus to retrieve non-essential belongings at a later date. We will provide further guidance as soon as we can.

Some students have expressed concern about being behind in their coursework and potentially not graduating on time. ALL labs, including those for biology, chemistry, and nursing, will be offered remotely for the remainder of the semester.

Faculty members should be in touch with students by noon on Friday, March 20. If you do not hear from your respective instructors, please contact your school dean’s office with your name, your course and your instructor’s information.

We are currently in discussions with SUNY officials on guidance moving forward. It is a part of our comprehensive plan for distance learning and we will be reviewing closely. There will be credits or refunds of the unused part of housing and food service for those who qualify. More information will be forthcoming.

Chaney Dining Center will be open for student meal pick-ups from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM and 5:00 - 6:00 PM seven days a week. The building will no longer be open for in-house dining.

Campus Store: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM | M-F | Online Campus Store

Many publishers, campus bookstores, and others have partnered to created VitalSource Helps will allow students to access many of your required course materials online. Please visit our VitalSource LibGuide for more instructions, and please carefully read the Quick Facts regarding access.

• VitalSource Helps
• LibGuide with instructions

Contact library@canton.edu, or use our Online Chat  for questions or help.

Also, many instructors may be using alternatives to their textbook, please reach out to their instructor.

Southworth Library Learning Commons has closed as of March 25. Please note that resources and services are available online with a list of library, tutoring, and connectivity support detailed below. For students approved to be on campus in the residence halls, we will be locating printers and cell phone charging stations near the RA lobbies. Technology needs (such as borrowing laptops) will be by appointment only for the remainder of the semester. Please check the Information Services webpage for the availability of technology resources and support. 

Access to:

• Tutoring: We want to assure you that although we are not together on campus, the Betty J. Evans Tutoring Center and all of your favorite tutors remain available for free drop-in virtual appointments. Please visit the Betty J. Evans website for details about hours, tutor schedules, course coverage, and how to connect with us. If you have any difficulty navigating or general questions, contact us at tutoring@canton.edu. Tutoring is online, 24x7, and our campus tutors are available in real-time virtual sessions throughout the day.
• Library: The Library would love to hear from you and can help with your questions. You can email them at library@canton.edu, or use the Online Chat on their webpage. Many of the textbooks are now online through VitalSource. You can also contact a librarian virtually, 24x7.
• WiFi: Commuter students can access the College’s ‘Drive-Thru’ WiFi parking lot, on the east side of Nevaldine South (where the electric vehicle charger is located). Students can pull into the parking lot and connect to campus WiFi from the comfort of their cars. This area will make it easier for commuter students with limited cell phone service or slow, unreliable satellite internet to download course materials.
• Printing: Printing is available in each residence hall outside of the RA office. See the Instructions for Printing from a Personal Laptop.

Yes. The Tutoring Center will remain available to students for the remainder of the semester via real-time tutoring sessions and virtual chats. Please refer to the Tutoring Services webpage for details and additional online services and resources.

Yes, Career Services is available via phone or web-based virtual meetings. We can still help with resumes, mock interviews and other career-related questions and assignments. Please use RooSuccess for scheduling appointments or email careers@canton.edu.

As directed by the State of New York, effective Monday, March 16th @ 8 PM SUNY Canton will be closing all operations and facilities in the Roos House, this includes the fitness center, pool, field house and ice arena.

Help with Internet Access:

AT&T | Comcast

Charter Communications is offering free Spectrum internet access for 60 days to students who currently don’t use the service in regions where Spectrum is available. The offer is available to college students, and those who opt for the free access should call after the 60 days to ensure charges aren’t incurred. To enroll, call 1-844-488-8395. Installation fees will be waived for new student households. Spectrum also opened up its wireless hotspots to the public.

Other Solutions:

While libraries, coffee shops, and public high schools may be closed, it may still be possible to connect from a car parked close to the building.

Mobile Hotspots:

If you currently have a cell phone with a data plan, you may be able to turn on mobile hotspot capabilities and connect your laptop. Contact your carrier support to explore options. Verizon | AT&T

Also see Information Services

Faculty and staff who have been or may have been exposed to COVID-19, or who have traveled to areas where the virus is prevalent should contact their primary care health provider for guidance on self-quarantining and/or receiving COVID-19 testing. The employee should also report their status to the Human Resources department at hr@canton.edu.

The Center for Learning Design, Innovation, and Online Instruction would like to offer you a variety of professional development opportunities on topics such as Blackboard basics, Collaborate Ultra, and Pedagogy of teaching with Blackboard and Collaborate. Please review the Preparing to Teach Online: Workshop and Webinar Schedule for dates and times convenient to you.

In addition, to help you prepare to teach with Blackboard if you are using it, we created a Remote Education Course Template that includes some pre-created items and tutorials to help you get started with your learning materials and activities faster. If you would like to have this template in your Blackboard course, please email us at cldioi@canton.edu.

The Library is ready to help you prepare materials to teach remotely and to help students access course materials.  Below is a list of resources available, and contact information for library liaisons.  Each school's library liaison will be reaching out with a more detailed message.

Please consider using alternative resources for your assignments, such as textbooks available through OpenStax or the courses available through SUNY's Ready to Adopt Catalog -- these are the most easily-accessed resources for your students and are designed for online teaching and learning.

If you are interested in adopting alternative resources, the librarians are ready to help you locate easily accessible, online materials for your students, such as eBooks and OER.

At this time, the faculty and staff meetings scheduled for Monday through Wednesday will take place as planned. If at all possible, please try to come to campus for these meetings. However, we understand if you are unable to do so, and ask that you please notify your supervisor if you will be participating by streaming the meetings remotely.

For parents of school-aged children and others affected by school closures, please be in touch with your supervisor. Suzan McDermott, Director of Human Resources, is working closely with SUNY System Administration in consultation with union leadership to determine appropriate arrangements for the weeks ahead.

Yes.The Tutoring Center will remain available to students for the remainder of the semester via real-time tutoring sessions and virtual chats. Please refer to the Tutoring Services webpage for details and additional online services and resources.

To comply with the Governor’s Executive Order, these rules will be enforced at SUNY Canton:

• Only faculty and staff that are designated as on-campus essential will be allowed to come to campus. Exceptions include:
• Staff who are asked to come to campus due to an emergency, for instance information technology staff in the event of a network failure.
• Faculty and staff who are primarily working remotely, but whose job functions necessitate occasional on-campus duties. These duties should be outlined by your supervisor in your remote work plan.
• Faculty and staff who apply to and are approved to come to campus by their area VP for an essential reason. Please complete the Campus Access Form and return to your Vice President.
• For those individuals who must be on campus, social distancing rules will be in effect, with a ban on non-essential gatherings of individuals in all buildings and at all times.