Statement from Hector Batista, Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer

We have made the difficult decision to cancel all formal spring intercollegiate athletic competition for the 2020-2021 season. Our decision was informed by ongoing deliberations among the CUNY Athletic Conference, the Presidents Council, and Athletic Directors about the risks of a spring season.

We considered and weighed options and strategies for a safe return to play but due to the uncertainty of the pandemic and our obligation to follow all City, State, NCAA and NJCAA guidelines, as well as the University’s reopening guidelines, it remained clear that unresolved logistical issues continue to affect the ability to hold CUNYAC competition.

The East Coast Conference’s (ECC) has decided to move forward with playing spring sports which will affect Queens College and the College of Staten Island. We will monitor, as appropriate, each campus’s plans for participation.

Since last March, committees that include athletic administrators, athletic trainers, team physicians and others have met on a regular basis to consider how CUNYAC sports competition might take place despite the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic that continue to affect CUNYAC campuses and all of our communities. These discussions will now serve as a foundation for a safe return to play during fall of 2021 to coincide with the University’s plan for a safe and gradual return to mostly in-person instruction this fall.

CUNYAC and its members will work diligently to prepare for the fall semester by developing return to play plans and implementing best practices and lessons learned during the pandemic. Our efforts will be proactive so that we can come back better and safer than ever after the extraordinary challenges we have faced over the past ten months. Although, we are eager to a return to sports and to an overall return normalcy, we cannot cut any safety corners to get there.

We understand this decision will disappoint many of our students given the important role athletics plays in their college experience. We know that this is especially difficult for the student-athletes competing in spring sports who are not competing for a second consecutive athletic year.

Fortunately, students who are eligible for competition will not be charged a season of intercollegiate participation or a term of attendance for any term during the 2020-21 academic year, benefitting from a blanket waiver issued by the NCAA and NJCAA. Students will need to work with their respective campuses to determine their options.

Lastly, the Chancellor and I will host a CUNYAC Town Hall, via ZOOM webinar, for student-athletes that will take place on Tuesday, February 23rd from 12:00 to 1:00 PM. During this meeting, we will recognize their disappointment with the current athletics situation and emphasize that like them, we also want a return to sports but must do so in a careful and thoughtful manner. Most importantly, we will convey our strong support of our student-athletes and for our athletics programs.

Although we are still in the midst of an unprecedented public health crisis, we are hopeful about the year ahead and a gradual return to in-person activities, including sports, in the fall. Let’s continue to safeguard the well-being of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff by following the science and taking appropriate precautions.

Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.