"Wednesday, December 15, 2021, at 12 p.m. - LIU Students may request a remote learning accommodation if they are unable to attend spring 2022 classes in-person due to COVID-19 related concerns. Remote learning accommodations must be requested no later than January 14, 2022 by clicking here. Approved accommodations are for the entire semester and apply to all courses that a student is enrolled in for the spring. Please note, students enrolled in clinically- or laboratory-based labs must participate in-person during the spring 2022 semester.

Thursday, December 16, 2021, at 5 p.m. - Long Island University will require all students, faculty and staff who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 booster shot prior to the beginning of the spring semester. Proof of successful completion must be submitted in the University’s Vaccination Portal. The portal will re-open immediately after the New Year. Check your LIU email for more information.

Tuesday, January 18, 2022 at 11:30 a.m. - Welcome back, LIU! As we begin the semester, please remember to wear your masks indoors at all times. Masks should be N95, KN95, or a surgical mask. We must all do our part to keep the LIU community healthy."

These are all direct quotes from Long Island University's Coronavirus update page. (https://liu.edu/coronavirus) As stated above, they allowed all students to request remote accommodations if they have Coronavirus related concerns. Although all students and staff members are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, there is still the ever spreading Omicron Variant now rearing its head. They also required all students and staff who are eligible for a booster dose, to receive it as soon as they become eligible.

Unfortunately, they suddenly rescinded access for many nursing students and Professors were instructed to remove Zoom access from their Blackboard pages. 

The Nursing Department has informed those who request further information that this is new guidance coming from the University, not a specific campus/department. 

As the semester began this week, suddenly emails were sent out stating that all students who attend an in person aspect of a class, such as a Simulation Lab or Clinical Rotation in our COVID-19 infested hospitals. At clinical sites, nursing students are adequately using personal protective equipment although the school has only provided them with two N95 masks for the entire clinical experience. Many students are taking TWO clinical courses, and are in the hospital two full days per week. N95's are meant to be single use, and definitely are not appropriate protection for 28 clinical days in a semester. 

Many students in this program have immunocompromised or elderly family members that they live with and care for while attending their classes and clinical. Students must submit a written statement when requesting a remote accommodation, and every student who has been accommodated was approved one by one, based off of their personal statement to the University. 

This has been started by nursing students, but applies to all students that Long Island University deems "hybrid". This also applies to ALL of Long Island University's campuses. 

As nursing students we are taught about advocacy for our patients. In this petition, we are advocating for our health and education in the hopes that the Nursing professionals who teach us imperative skills along with other university officials will listen to our collective roar.