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MCC Daily Tribune

Good News on Three Fronts

We start this Thursday with good news to share:

Federal funding relief is on the way.
Yesterday, Congress passed a “landmark” $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill (a.k.a. the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021), designed to assist lower- and middle-income families through direct stimulus payments as well as funding for schools, child care, programs for older Americans, mental health services, and COVID-19 vaccinations, testing, treatment and prevention. It includes an estimated $2.6 billion for colleges and universities and roughly $100 billion in total relief funding for New York state.

This evening at 8 p.m., President Biden will address the nation to commemorate the one-year anniversary of shutdowns caused by the pandemic and to talk about the importance of the relief bill that he plans to sign tomorrow.

Our advocacy focus now shifts to Albany and the state budget. We will keep you posted on the specific impacts the relief bill and the state budget will have on MCC and our students.  (Read SUNY Chairman and Chancellor’s statement.)

In-person college staff are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Thanks to SUNY’s non-stop advocacy, the updated NYS DOH COVID-19 Vaccine Program guidance states that all in-person, essential staff at colleges and universities will now also be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at any state or local health department-operated vaccine site. According to the state’s Phased Vaccine Distribution Plan, beginning next Wednesday, March 17, enrolled providers other than pharmacies, may vaccinate any eligible individual, including essential MCC staff who work in-person. 

SUNY has also determined that any staff who provide regular residence life programming to students and who live on site in student housing facilities at SUNY campuses are also eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination through the NYS vaccination program under the phase 1b definition of “in-person college faculty and instructors.”

New York’s 'Am I Eligible' screening tool is continuously updated. New appointments will be released on a rolling basis over the coming weeks pending the availability of the vaccine.

MCC Tribunes return to the field today at noon.
For the first time in over a year, MCC’s baseball team will compete in a double header against Genesee Community College today at noon and 2 p.m. Baseball will be the first of four total teams returning to play this spring, including men's and women's soccer and softball. Since spectators are not allowed at this time, join me in celebrating this milestone by cheering on our student-athletes while watching the games via livestream. Read more.

By focusing on the positive and working together, we are overcoming the challenges caused by the pandemic. Thank you for all you do to educate and support our students and the many ways you inspire within our community.

P.S. SUNY plans to issue new travel advisory guidance. We will share that information as soon as it becomes available.

Katherine Douglas
Office of the President
03/11/2021