Hey everyone! Thanks so much for your support for this petition. We are at almost 300 signatures, so a few minutes ago I forwarded it to President Raab, Dean Eija Ayravainen (VP of Student Affairs and Dean of Students) and Assoc. Dean Leslie Ader (Student Affairs) with the following message:

"Earlier this week I started a petition in response to concerns shared by residents and RAs about the COVID restrictions at Brookdale. As of this writing, we have almost 300 signatures (we have not promoted it to anyone outside Hunter.)

In short, we believe the new weekly testing requirement on top of our 100% vaccination rate permits safely relaxing the stringent restrictions we have lived under since Brookdale reopened a year and a half ago. Such a long period in near-total lockdown has weighed heavily on our mental health. We understand the pandemic is not over and are not asking for a complete rollback of restrictions, but we need changes that recognize our social and emotional needs -- in light of the far lower Covid risk now that our already fully vaccinated population is tested so often. Our CUNY peers already allow visitation between residents, and City College allows guests with proof of vaccination (see attached.)

We greatly appreciate your consideration of our concerns and hope to hear from you soon."

I'll update again as soon as I hear back. In the meantime, keep sharing with other Brookdale residents!