ÁùºÏ²ÊÍøÉÏͶעapp

Ìý
Header Logo

Oct. 28, 2021

Dear ÁùºÏ²ÊÍøÉÏͶעapp faculty and staff,

Pursuant to President Pitney’s Oct. 18 decisions for ÁùºÏ²ÊÍøÉÏͶעapp to stick with the process of seeking authority for narrow vaccine requirements, I continue to . The Operations Support Team reviews these requests and makes a recommendation to me. I then make a formal request to President Pitney for a final decision. We are working through broader requests (such as all lab classes) so that they may be constructed in a way that is consistent with the president’s direction regarding the necessity of narrowly applied COVID-19 vaccine requirements.

In her response memo, the president referred to potentially looming federal requirements. As you may know, President Biden issued executive order 14042, which established that employees of federal contractors be vaccinated against COVID-19.Ìý

There has been a national dialogue on the legality and enforceability of this order, but the fact remains that a significant amount of ÁùºÏ²ÊÍøÉÏͶעapp research is federally funded, either as a grant or a contract. As a major research university, ÁùºÏ²ÊÍøÉÏͶעapp works with a wide range of federal agencies, and we have begun receiving requests for contract modifications that would themselves trigger COVID-19 vaccine requirements for employees at ÁùºÏ²ÊÍøÉÏͶעapp. This is a complex legal question and we appreciate the Office of the General Counsel for its assistance in interpreting the landscape. Since accepting modifications would in all likelihood trigger a broad vaccine requirement at ÁùºÏ²ÊÍøÉÏͶעapp, and that requires approval of the president, I am working closely with President Pitney on our path forward. I expect additional communication in the coming days as this discussion matures.

We are monitoring the situation closely, and I will continue to communicate with you as we learn more. Thank you for your work to stay informed, and thanks for choosing ÁùºÏ²ÊÍøÉÏͶעapp.

— Dan White, chancellor

Ìý

ÁùºÏ²ÊÍøÉÏͶעapp is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer, educational institution and provider and prohibits illegal discrimination against any individual: .