Covid Taskforce Update:
- Following an update in CDC guidelines from July 27, 2021 regarding facial coverings, Lincoln University will require masks to be worn in all indoor spaces.
- Lincoln University's Health Services Department is asking that all unvaccinated students please bring proof of a negative covid test with them within 48 hours of arrival.
FALL 2021 CAMPUS SAFETY PROTOCOL
Lincoln University is very excited to welcome students back for the Fall 2021 semester! We will be returning to a primarily face‐to‐face environment, and are looking forward to fully engaging with an academic and residential experience in‐line with a traditional on‐campus experience.
We are grateful for the students’ response to the COVID‐19 vaccine survey. Our data suggests that the vast majority of you have either completed or are in the process of completing the COVID‐19 vaccine series. There is a minority of students who have indicated that they will not be participating in the COVID‐19 vaccine series. As such, we cannot operate as a “Fully Vaccinated Campus” and must design protocols consistent with the guidance around “Mixed Vaccinated Campuses.” These protocols follow current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance regarding employing layered prevention strategies (face coverings, social distancing, hand washing, etc.) to protect both those who have received the vaccine and those who have not been vaccinated.
RESIDENCE HALLS:
Consistent with the current CDC recommendations, assignments regarding on‐campus housing will be adjusted based upon whether a student is or is not vaccinated. The University expects to establish cohorts of students who are not fully vaccinated to be housed together in the same residence halls or wings/floors of residence halls that do not mix with fully vaccinated students. That way extra protective measures can be concentrated in those areas reserved for unvaccinated students. The protocols for our public spaces, both indoors and outdoors, will generally follow the guidelines provided at CDC.gov.
Fully Vaccinated Students:
If you have received the COVID‐19 vaccination, you should submit a copy of your vaccination record to the University by no later than August 8, 2021. Students should only submit the vaccination card after receiving the final dose ‐ two doses if the Pfizer‐BioNTech or Moderna COVID‐19 vaccination or one dose if you receive Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID‐19 vaccination. (Students will be considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after the final dose, but you do not need to wait those 2 weeks to upload your card.) The Health Services site is secure and easy to use, and all information submitted will be treated as confidential. NOTE: All students who do not submit proof of vaccination prior to the deadline for doing so will be assumed by the University to not be fully vaccinated, including in connection with room assignments.)
To submit your COVID‐19 vaccination card:
1. Students should scan a copy of both sides of their COVID‐19 vaccination card and send it to healthservices@lincoln.edu.
2. Health service personnel will place a copy of the card in the student’s confidential student records in the secured medical files in the Office of Health Services.
By submitting your vaccination card, which will be treated as a confidential personal record by the University, you are enabling the University to better understand the vaccination rates on campus and to formulate the health and safety protocols that must be applied across our campus. Your submission of your vaccination card by August 8, 2021, will also make you eligible to be grouped in cohorts and assigned to University housing with other fully vaccinated students. It will also allow you to be treated as fully vaccinated for the purposes of accessing communal areas and gatherings on campus.
Submission of your vaccination card is your key to having the most “normal” in‐person experience possible while on our campus, though the University is striving to make the experience as enriching as is possible under the circumstances for all students, whether or not fully vaccinated.
Partially Vaccinated Students:
If you have begun the process of receiving the COVID‐19 vaccination but will not be considered fully vaccinated (two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna or one dose of the Johnson and Johnson and at least two weeks beyond the final dose), you should submit a copy of your vaccination record to the University by no later than August 8, 2021.
To submit your COVID‐19 vaccination card:
1. Students shouldscan a copy of both sides of their COVID‐19 vaccination card and send it to healthservices@lincoln.edu.
2. Health servicepersonnel will place a copy of the card in the student’sconfidential student records in the secured medical files in the Office of Health Services.
By submitting your vaccination card, which will be treated as a confidential personal record by the University, you are enabling the University to better understand the potential vaccination rates on campus and to formulate the health and safety protocols that must be applied across our campus. Your submission of your vaccination card by August 8, 2021 will also make you eligible to be grouped in cohorts and assigned to University housing with other partially vaccinated students. It will also allow you to be treated as fully vaccinated for the purposes of accessing communal areas and gatherings on campus once you submit proof that you completed the vaccination series. Submission of your vaccination card is your key to having the most “normal” in‐person experience possible while on our campus, though the University is striving to make the experience as enriching as is possible under the circumstances for all students, whether or not fully vaccinated.
Unvaccinated Students with Medical or Religious Exemption:
If you have not been vaccinated, and have a religious or medical reason that makes you unable to get the vaccine, we ask that you confidentially report to the Office of Institutional Equity to seek an accommodation. This is an important action for yourself, as well as for the entire campus, because it will help us better determine whether we can meet the threshold for a “Fully Vaccinated Campus,” as opposed to a “Mixed Campus” with more restrictive protective measures, under the CDC’s guidance. Unvaccinated individuals at the University who are eligible for a medical or religious accommodation are not counted as preventing the University from meeting the Fully Vaccinated Campus status if the campus is otherwise fully vaccinated. Achieving a Fully Vaccinated Campus status could permit the University to ease certain protective restrictions consistent with that status. Because we are providing a lottery program with prizes to encourage vaccinations that will apply to all students who are fully vaccinated at the start of the semester and also to all students who are unvaccinated but are entitled to an accommodation for medical or religious reasons, your voluntarily providing confidential information showing you are entitled to a medical or religious accommodation will allow you to participate in the prize lottery even though you are not able to be vaccinated.
Unvaccinated Students:
All students who do not submit proof of vaccination either full or partial prior to August 8, 2021, will be assumed by the University to not be fully vaccinated or intending to become fully vaccinated.
Housing assignments will be adjusted accordingly. Please note that similar to housing assignments for cohorts of fully and partially vaccinated students, housing for students who are not fully vaccinated will generally not be single rooms as it is not feasible for the University to provide such housing.
COMMUNAL SPACES:
“Mixed Vaccinated Campus” status means we must make adjustments throughout our campus environment to help protect everyone in our community. Click here to view the full COVID-19 Safety Protocol. Below, we have listed a few of these items:
MASKS
At this time, individuals who are fully vaccinated (two weeks after their final dose of a COVID‐19 vaccine), do not need to wear masks while on campus. Individuals who are not yet fully vaccinated are strongly encouraged to wear masks on campus when indoors and when outdoors in crowded settings and during activities that involve sustained close contact with others.
Lincoln University is supportive of all individuals who choose to wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status.
DINING
Fully vaccinated individuals do not need to wear masks when at University dining facilities. Individuals who are not fully vaccinated are asked to wear a mask when not actively eating or drinking for their well‐being and the well‐being of others.
HAND HYGIENE AND RESPIRATORY ETIQUETTE
Lincoln University strongly encourages all individuals to engage in health promoting behaviors such as hand washing and respiratory etiquette to reduce the spread of infectious illnesses including COVID-19. While
this may seem like a small thing to many, it is an important component to maintaining a healthy campus, with vibrant in‐person engagement.
TESTING
The University will conduct random COVID‐19 testing on an ongoing basis. All students, regardless of vaccination status, are subject to such periodic screening tests. This testing is intended to identify people who are asymptomatic to prevent further transmission, and will be carried out in a way that protects the individuals’ privacy and confidentiality.
STUDENT-ATHLETES
All student-athletes are encouraged to be vaccinated. Student-athletes who are not fully vaccinated will be subject to screening tests throughout the fall. The University will follow NCAA guidelines as they become available.
GATHERINGS AND EVENTS
Crowded settings still present a greater risk of transmission among people who have not been fully vaccinated. People who are not fully vaccinated should continue to avoid large gatherings, but if they choose to attend, they should wear well‐fitting masks that cover the mouth and nose, maintain physical distancing, and practice good hand hygiene. The University may limit the size of gatherings, including sporting events, to maintain physical distancing as a health and safety measure.
VISITORS
Lincoln University is welcoming visitors to campus at this time. This includes for move‐in day, sports games, and other community events. Non‐vaccinated visitors are asked to wear a mask when indoors, except while actively eating or drinking, and when outdoors when they cannot maintain physical distancing. Visitors and spectators must follow all COVID‐19 health and safety protocols in place at the University at the time of their visit.
Please note, that these guidelines are based on the University’s best understanding of the law and best practices at the time of their drafting. Please be aware that these guidelines may change with or without notice depending on factors outside of the University’s control.
As we have learned over the past year things change and develop rapidly and so we must work together to prevent the spread of COVID‐19 among the students, faculty, and staff, and to ensure the health and safety of everyone at our University.
For that reason, we encourage every member of our community to get vaccinated. If the University can achieve a Fully Vaccinated Campus, we can all enjoy a more normalized and enriching educational and residential environment. And, more importantly, achieving such status should enhance the actual health and safety of the entire campus.
Looking forward to your return.