Sept. 17, 2021 – Friday COVID Update

EOU Community,

Throughout this pandemic, our primary goals have been to ensure a safe and healthy learning environment for the university community and to enable our students to make academic progress. A lot of people on campus have been collaborating almost non-stop on those goals to adapt classes, offices, programs and events, and provide the in-person experience that is vital to so many of our on-campus students. 

Last year, we came together and found the optimal balance of in-person activities and health protocols that enabled EOU to be one of just a handful of universities to have in-person classes. And, this year, we are fortunate to now have highly effective and fully approved vaccines added to our “toolkit” for mitigating risk. Leveraging tools such as vaccines, masking, daily health checks, and testing allows us all to safely come together for learning. With this full set of tools, we are prepared for another successful year together. 

Here are this week’s updates:

• Vaccination Option Form: The Sept. 15 deadline to fill out the Vaccination Option Form in Mountie Hub has passed. Thank you to all who have and will be responding! Human Resources is working with supervisors to follow-up with those who have not yet responded. 
• Federal mandate: Many of you have probably heard in the news about the federal vaccination mandate. It is not yet clear how this will impact EOU, but we anticipate that the U.S. Department of Labor will announce a set of rules in the coming weeks. We are working through the possibilities, and will keep you informed as decisions are made. 
• Informational video: The Office of Student Affairs created this brief video for faculty and staff who interact with students directly. The presentation covers details about COVID-19 protocols, vaccination/exemption requirements for students, and other useful information: youtube.com/watch?v=X_ckLTKoyp8.
• Updates to data dashboard: The data dashboard that tracks campus-related COVID-19 cases will be refreshed next week to reflect the current fiscal year and add new, relevant stats. 

Remember to wear a proper face covering, stay home if you are ill, and contact Human Resources with any questions. Find more information at eou.edu/coronavirus. 

Thank you, 

Executive Leadership Team