Fall 2021 COVID-19 requirements & protocols for students
July 16, 2021 1:34 PM

Dear students,

As you prepare for the Fall 2021 semester, I am writing to share additional details about COVID-19 requirements and protocols. In order to maximize the safety of our entire community, the university will have updated precautions in place. Please read this email carefully to ensure you are able to make a smooth transition back to campus in a few weeks.

Vaccines & Testing  

• If you are able to be vaccinated for COVID-19, you are required to do so. You should be vaccinated as soon as possible with an accepted vaccine to ensure you meet the requirement. Visit vaccines.gov to find appointments in your local community. See more information here.
• If you have already been vaccinated for COVID-19 with a university-accepted vaccine, you should upload your Vaccination Record Card to the MyMcKinley Portal as soon as possible. See more information here. If you have already uploaded your record, you do not need to do it again.
• If you are an international student and you are not able to receive a university-accepted vaccine before you arrive on campus, you will be able to do so when you arrive. There will be on-campus vaccination appointments at the beginning of the semester. Until you are fully vaccinated and have a verified vaccine record, you will be required to continue the on-campus COVID-19 testing program. See more information here.
• If you are not able to be vaccinated, there is NOT an exemption process for the COVID-19 vaccine requirement. Instead, all unvaccinated students are required to participate in the on-campus COVID-19 testing program. See more information about the on-campus COVID-19 testing program here.
• If you are arriving to campus unvaccinated, you must begin on-campus COVID-19 testing as soon as you arrive. Testing frequencies have been chosen based on SHIELD team modeling that shows this testing frequency is necessary to maximize the safety of individuals in our community who are unvaccinated:
  • If you are an undergraduate student, you will be required to test and receive negative results every other day to maintain compliance and building access. This testing frequency will take effect starting on Aug. 2.
  • If you are a graduate/professional student, you will be required to test and receive negative results twice per week to maintain compliance and building access. This testing frequency will take effect starting on Aug. 2.
• If you are not vaccinated, and you are not compliant with the on-campus COVID-19 testing program, you will face student discipline. See more information about COVID-19 policy enforcement here.

Face Coverings

• If you are fully vaccinated, following CDC guidelines, the university no longer requires you to wear face coverings, except in healthcare settings including COVID-19 testing centers, the McKinley Health Center, etc. See the full list of locations where face coverings are required for everyone here.
• If you are not fully vaccinated, following CDC guidelines, the university will require you to wear face coverings in university spaces.

Note: Some fully vaccinated individuals may also choose to continue wearing face coverings. I encourage you to be mindful of this as people make their individual choices. You should not assume that someone wearing a face covering is unvaccinated.

Other COVID-19 Protocols

• If you have previously been on-campus while COVID-19 protocols have been in place, some procedures will be different. There will still be Wellness Support Associates (WSAs) who conduct daily spot checks across campus at various classroom buildings. Certain buildings may also choose to hire their own WSAs for the semester. Some instructors may check your building access at the beginning of classes. Please note that you are only required to show your building access screen (which shows if you are compliant via being vaccinated or testing, by using the Safer Illinois app or the Boarding Pass) to WSAs or instructors. You are not required to share or prove your vaccination status.
• If you have not previously been on-campus while COVID-19 protocols have been in place, please also familiarize yourself with:
  • Logistics for the on-campus testing program
  • On-campus testing site locations
  • Building access procedures
  • Safer Illinois app
  • Boarding Pass
  • Face covering policies
  • Travel guidelines
  • Testing positive for COVID-19 resources
  • Facility protocols
  • Health/support resources
  • Mental health/wellness resources

Please know these are the planned COVID-19 requirements and protocols we anticipate being in place for the Fall 2021 semester. However, we know that COVID-19 can be unpredictable. The university SHIELD team will continue to monitor for spread, spikes and emerging variants, including B.1.617.2 (Delta) which is already present in the county. We will also continue to follow guidance from the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD), the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).

Thank you all for continuing to make choices that protect the health and well-being of our entire community. I am hopeful and excited for this upcoming semester—to see many of you walking across campus, to gather safely together at events and to continue to build the most powerful university family in the world. It is such a privilege and honor to be your chancellor. I am grateful to each one of you.

Sincerely,

Robert J. Jones
Chancellor