John's leadership on COVID safety and reopening

When the COVID crises unexpected hit, John got to work on solutions. The same is true for the recent monkeypox outbreak.

John led the effort to enact a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for City College students and employees in order to keep everyone safe. He co-authored the vaccine policy and passed it at the Board of Trustees. Students now include their vaccination status when they register for classes. There is also a masking requirement for those on campus.

The College will be evaluating these requirements as it monitors the pandemic, but for now, these COVID safety measures are still in place.

Additionally, the College has maximized ventilation of buildings and increased the outside airflow, in accordance with health officials' recommendations.

These safety measures have enabled the College to hold in-person classes without major COVID outbreaks.

John also made sure there was planning for the reopening of in-person classes after the shutdowns. A staff task force was formed reporting to the Board of Trustees, John also worked to expand in-person class offerings to the neighborhood campuses, including the Mission, Chinatown, Bayview, and the Haight.

Just recently, in August of 2022, John and the Board responded to the monkeypox outbreak by updating the College's infectious disease protocols for this latest health threat. The Student Health Center and the Queer Resource Center is now reaching out to students to provide information about the disease and access to the monkeypox vaccine.