Dear Elmhurst University Community:
On behalf of the COVID-19 Task Force, we are delighted to offer this update to the campus on the state of our COVID-19 planning for the remainder of the summer and the upcoming Fall Term.
Our proof of vaccination requirement collection continues. The deadline for uploading your proof of vaccination is August 10, 2021. Please visit the COVID-19 Updates webpage or the Vaccination Requirement FAQ page for the most current information and links to forms and document upload sites. We will continue to offer our weekly vaccination sweepstakes for employees and students. For those who are fully vaccinated or have one shot and upload proof of vaccination, you are eligible to win $250.
The deadline for submitting exemption requests is Thursday, July 15. We recognize some individuals may have questions about the vaccines and, because of that, are hesitant to get vaccinated. We have identified campus Vaccine Ambassadors who are available to talk with anyone who has questions or concerns they would like to discuss. Email covid19questions@elmhurst.edu if you’d like to be connected to a Vaccine Ambassador.
Summer Masking Policy Changes
We do have an update to our current summer masking policy. Because we are unable to easily determine who has been fully vaccinated, our policy for the summer will remain that all individuals—regardless of vaccination status—must wear face masks while indoors; however, the following exceptions exist and will go into effect Monday, July 19:
- Employees are not required to wear face masks if all people in the work/office area have been fully vaccinated. You should always have your mask readily available in case someone enters your work area.
- Meetings: In cases where all people attending a meeting in person have been fully vaccinated, masks will not be required.
- Research Labs: In cases where all people working in a research lab have been fully vaccinated, it is at the discretion of the department to require masks.
Fall 2021 Planning
We instituted our vaccination requirement so that, in part, we could return to campus under more normal conditions. Our target for the Fall 2021 Term is to achieve a high vaccination level on our campus, and we’ve established August 10 as the deadline for submitting proof of vaccination. Our goal is to have as many people vaccinated as possible in order to lessen some of the precautions necessary. For example, vaccinated individuals could look forward to the following:
- No longer needing to wear a mask or maintain physical distancing when on campus.
- Not needing to observe quarantine if they’ve been identified as a close contact.
- Not having to participate in entry testing or surveillance testing.
- Participating in any curricular or co-curricular opportunities that require vaccination.
Of course, given the existence of variants and the remaining uncertainty about the pandemic, we will remain prepared to adjust requirements and protocols as needed. We recognize that some vaccinated members of our community may wish to continue wearing a mask on campus, and we encourage and support that.
Unvaccinated individuals who have been granted exemptions will be required to wear a mask on campus while indoors, participate in entry and weekly COVID-19 surveillance testing, maintain physical distancing where possible, and may not have access to certain curricular or co-curricular programs that require a vaccination.
Employees and students who are unvaccinated and who refuse to follow masking and testing protocols or who repeatedly ignore these protocols will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination/expulsion.
We are grateful for the care and concern that you have for our Elmhurst University community. Just as we were successful in navigating the pandemic last year, we are well on our way to returning to a safe and healthy community this fall.
Bluejay Proud!
Dr. Phil Riordan
Dr. Dean A. Pribbenow
COVID-19 Task Force Co-Chairs