Campus Update - Sent via email from PREsident Christopher l. Holoman
July 7, 2021 11:34 aM
Dear Centenary Community,
As we look forward to the opening of the 2021-2022 academic year at Centenary, I have some important information to share about COVID-19 vaccines and campus health and safety. Please read the information below carefully to ensure that you fully understand the College’s expectations and policies regarding vaccines and community health.
As always, Centenary’s first consideration is the safety of our students, faculty, and staff. Furthermore, as a community, we need to act to help keep each other safe. The measures that we followed last year—masking, social distancing, and contact tracing—were successful in preventing a major outbreak on campus and we will continue those as necessary. However, the availability of effective vaccines offers individuals an additional choice as outlined below.
Students, faculty, and staff who provide proof of full vaccination or who have had COVID within the past three months and recovered will be exempt from some safety protocols, including the campus mask mandate and most quarantine requirements. Students, faculty, and staff who choose not to be vaccinated for COVID-19 or who prefer not to share their immunization or health information will continue to follow safety protocols like those employed last year, including regular testing and wearing a mask on campus, and may be unable to participate in certain high-risk activities.
Centenary faculty, staff, and students are strongly encouraged to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. According to the CDC, large-scale clinical trials found that COVID-19 vaccination prevented most people from getting COVID-19 and is also very effective at preventing severe illness and hospitalizations related to the disease. If you have not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19, there are local and national resources available to help you learn about the safety and efficacy of the three vaccines and to find a vaccination site:
- The CDC provides frequent updates to its Key Things to Know About COVID-19 Vaccines page, including information about vaccine safety, side effects, and activities that fully vaccinated individuals can enjoy.
- Centenary’s Vaccination Information page contains local resources for vaccination sites, an FAQ, and links to a recording from the College’s expert vaccine panel discussion hosted in January 2021.
- Find a vaccination location near you at vaccines.gov.
All Centenary community members should report their vaccination status via one of the following forms:
Students: https://centenary.campuslabs.com/engage/submitter/form/start/482055
Employees: https://forms.office.com/r/h5QxHpgY6E
Faculty, RAs, coaches and other staff who need to know will be notified if the students in their area are exempt from the mask requirement. No health information, including vaccination status, will be shared.
Centenary community members who choose not to receive a COVID-19 vaccine or who choose not to disclose their COVID-19 vaccination status must continue to follow the community health measures that have been in place for the past year, including:
- Students and employees who have not provided proof of being fully vaccinated will be required to wear masks, practice social distancing, and provide proof of viral PCR testing every other week. Testing should be available to everyone at no cost, but all testing expenses are the responsibility of the student/employee. Because there are a large number of local providers, at this time, the College does not plan to offer testing on campus during the 2021-2022 academic year.
- Individuals who are exposed to someone who tests positive for COVID-19 will be required to quarantine (in accordance with current applicable guidelines, vaccinated individuals are required to quarantine only if symptomatic).
- Students violating these policies will be subject to the Conduct Policy. Employees violating these policies will be subject to the College Personnel Policy, including disciplinary action and termination.
Please send any questions regarding Centenary’s vaccine policy for the 2021-2022 academic year to covid@centenary.edu. This email address is monitored by Health Information (for students) and Human Resources (for employees), and an appropriate staff member will respond to all inquiries.
As it has since the beginning of the pandemic, Centenary will continue to monitor guidance, comply with regulations, and respond as appropriate to changing conditions.
I look forward to seeing all our returning and new students on campus very soon.
Sincerely,
Christopher L. Holoman