COVID-19 Vaccination Deadline Approaching

Updated July 14, 2021

Dear Students,

I hope you are enjoying your summer! This email is a reminder that the deadline for submitting proof of the COVID-19 vaccine is fast approaching!!

All students registered for fall 2021 classes will be required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination to Health Services by July 23, 2021, regardless of whether they are residential/commuter, undergraduate/graduate/professional, or taking courses remotely but living locally. In short, any student who lives on campus and participates in on-campus classes, studies, research, or activities must be vaccinated unless exempted due to medical or religious reasons or granted a waiver as a result of taking all courses remotely and not living locally (i.e., residing in states outside of New England and New York). 

Proof of vaccination can be accomplished by uploading an image of your completed COVID-19 vaccination card to covidvac@wne.edu. Please be sure your vaccination card includes your name, date of birth, vaccine brand, and date(s) of vaccination. Students must be fully vaccinated before their earliest return to campus, which means completing the dosage protocol of the particular vaccine (one injection for Janssen/J&J or two injections for Pfizer and Moderna) and completing the two-week waiting period for optimal effectiveness. 

Students seeking an exemption for medical and religious reasons must complete the COVID-19 Vaccination Exemption Request Form by July 23, 2021. Note that medical exemption requests will require a verification letter from your medical provider. The medical exemption must indicate that the COVID-19 vaccine is medically contraindicated or otherwise detrimental to your health. Please be aware that students granted an exemption for medical or religious reasons will be subject to heightened surveillance testing to mitigate the risk of infection. 

Any questions about this policy should be directed to Health Services at 413-782-1211 or healthservices@wne.edu. 

Thank you for your anticipated cooperation with our efforts to keep the entire Golden Bear family safe and healthy to the greatest extent possible in the coming year! 

Kerri P. Jarzabski
Vice President for Student Affairs