Updates on Housing Policies During COVID-19

Everyone living on campus for the Spring 2022 semester, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to submit a negative COVID-19 test 72 hours prior to moving into the residence hall Spring 2022 semester.

As a campus community, we are expanding our efforts to promote campus safety and wellness because of the recent spike in positivity rates, chronic persistence of the disease, and emergence of new mutations, i.e. delta, omicron, of COVID-19. As part of our expanded efforts, the University is adopting a new policy that applies to all residents of Prairie Place for Spring 2022. Anyone living in Prairie Place will be required to be vaccinated. Students must upload proof to MedProctor that they have received at least one vaccine dose before they will be permitted to move into Prairie Place. Students who fail to upload proof that they have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will be denied residency. For those receiving a two-dose vaccine, they must obtain their second shot within thirty days of moving into Prairie Place or by February 17. As such, every resident of Prairie Place must be able to demonstrate that they are “fully vaccinated” by March 3, where “fully vaccinated” means two weeks have passed since receiving their final dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Any resident who cannot demonstrate proof of full vaccination by March 3 will be subject to immediate removal from housing.

Exemptions to the vaccine mandate are available to those who cannot be vaccinated due to medical or religious reasons; students seeking such an exemption should contact the Office of the Registrar. However, students who obtain such an exemption still must comply with the mandatory weekly testing requirements set forth below.

Any resident who is not fully vaccinated must participate in mandatory weekly testing and submit a weekly negative test result until they submit proof of full vaccination via MedProctor.

Students may test for free on campus and their test results will be delivered directly to the University. Those wishing to test off campus must submit their test results via MedProctor. Testing compliance is measured on a weekly basis, measured from Sunday to Saturday. Thus, students who are not fully vaccinated must submit proof of their first negative COVID-19 test by Saturday, January 22, reflecting the results of a test taken within the past seven (7) days.

A student who does not submit a negative test result for any given week will receive a written notification of that missed test by the following Friday. Such a student will have until the following Tuesday to submit proof that a test was taken during the week in question.

If the student does not submit proof that a test was taken during the missed week, the University will take the following steps to ensure compliance. Each “offense” means the failure to demonstrate proof that a test was taken on a weekly basis. If a student fails to test two weeks in a row, for example, such student will receive both a warning letter for the first offense, and a $25 fine and be placed on compliance probation for the second offense.

Interventions

First Offense: Warning Letter

Second Offense: $25 fine and compliance probation

Third Offense: $25 fine and account holds (registration and grades) and removal from housing

Appeals

Appeals of any intervention must be submitted by email to provost@govst.edu within two (2) business days of the intervention issue date.