91³Ô¹ÏÍø

On June 10th, 91³Ô¹ÏÍø University announced that it would require all campus-based students to submit proof of vaccination or a request for exemption on medical or religious grounds. The following week, on June 17th, we announced the same requirement for all campus-based employees, with exemptions as required by the State Department of Labor & Industries. On July 7th, we followed up with notice that the deadline for submitting the required documentation would be August 6th.

I first want to express deep gratitude to this entire community, for the way in which faculty, staff, and students have stepped up to care for yourself and for the health of this entire community by getting fully vaccinated, or filing an approved exemption. While the requirement to get vaccinated recently became a mandate for higher education institutions in our state, many responded quickly to the President’s early request to become vaccinated – showing the kind of community this is, our care for one another, and our desire to move closer toward the full 91³Ô¹ÏÍø Experience we all seek and aspire to provide.

As the academic year is about to begin, we wish to share with you that as of today 86 percent of the overall number of individuals expected to be on campus this fall are fully vaccinated. This includes 88% of all students, and 83% employees based on verified vaccination records or employee attestations. The total number we are tracking includes all students, faculty, staff and partners (e.g., Sodexo, Follett employees) who we believe will regularly be on campus.

For additional information, please visit our revised and updated COVID-19 Dashboard that now includes details on the vaccination status of our campus.

If you are a student who has not yet started the process, please act immediately to get your first shot or receive an exemption, and then . If you are not willing to start this process before or upon your arrival, please do not travel to campus; your registration is on hold, and you will not be granted key-card access to campus facilities. If you are an employee who has not yet started the process, please act immediately to get your first shot or receive an exemption, and then .

Unfortunately, COVID-19 cases continue to dramatically rise locally and across the nation, particularly within unvaccinated populations. Our top goal is the health and safety of our campus community, and we believe more than ever that vaccination, together with following mask protocols and other healthy behaviors, is the best way possible to achieve our goal for this academic year. Thank you for your continued support and participation in our COVID-19 mitigation efforts.