Message from the President Regarding Changes in Government COVID-19 Vaccination Policies

The following email message was sent to all Randolph College faculty and staff on December 6, 2021. Visit www.randolphcollege.edu/covid19 for more information about Randolph’s actions and responses to COVID-19 pandemic.

Good morning,

As we head into the last weeks of the semester, I am reminded how important our community is to our everyday life, especially our faculty and staff. Your hard work, long hours, and devotion to students are the backbone of this institution. During years like we have experienced recently, this commitment is even more important. Each of you has played an important role in keeping our campus community safe and healthy and in-person during this pandemic.

One of the reasons we have been able to limit the spread of COVID-19 on our campus is because so many of you have chosen to be vaccinated. Although we have strongly encouraged the vaccination for everyone who can safely take it, we did not originally choose to mandate it for employees. Even without the mandate, we have had a high vaccination rate among our employees, and we appreciate that cooperation.

However, the vaccine now has FDA approval and new requirements have been instituted from the government. If the mandate goes into effect as planned, all employers with 100 or more employees will be required to implement policies that require employees to get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. This may happen as early as January 4, 2022. The penalty for employers is a significant fine. We are sending this message to make our community members aware of the pending deadline so that you can be prepared to either be fully vaccinated in time for the deadline or submit a request for an exemption.

If you have already submitted your vaccination records to the Office of Human Resources, then you do not have to do anything else. If you have received your vaccination, but have not submitted your form, please do so as soon as possible. If you have not received the vaccination, and do not have an exemption on file, I encourage you to make plans to do so. There are numerous facilities nearby, including Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Target, etc. who provide the vaccination. The immunization is free. Those who believe they qualify for a medical or religious exemption may contact the Office of Human Resources to receive the appropriate paperwork.

Attached is the updated Employee COVID-19 Immunization Policy and Exemption Request Form effective when the federal mandate is approved.

On behalf of the COVID-19 Task Force, I appreciate your understanding and cooperation in keeping our community safe and healthy during this pandemic.

Sincerely,
Brad Bateman

For more information and updates visit www.randolphcollege.edu/covid19