COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements

After a challenging year, we are eagerly looking ahead to the Fall 2021 Semester and the resumption of a much more robust campus experience, with classrooms populated at fire-code capacities instead of COVID-capacities, fans in attendance at our (more numerous and routine) athletic events, chapel services where you don’t have to be separated by the full length of your pew, and a wide range of other campus events. All the public health data available to us here in Massachusetts and the advice we are getting from the Commonwealth suggest that all of these things should be possible.

The key to our ability to envision and plan for this kind of semester is COVID-19 vaccination, which is now widely available in the United States. Getting as many people as possible vaccinated will help to ensure that we can operate with the fewest health and safety protocols in place on campus next year, and the good news is that the preliminary data we have collected from our summer residents and employees on campus suggests that we are well on our way to a vaccination rate in excess of 90%. This is a great start that helps set the trajectory for the Fall.

Knowing how important it is that we achieve the highest possible rate of vaccination in our community, ENC will be requiring all students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to returning to campus this Fall. We do not arrive at this decision lightly, recognizing that there are people in our community who have concerns about the vaccine for a variety of reasons. But we have reached this decision in keeping with the advice of the American College Health Association (and other public health agencies) and with an eye to being able to offer the safest and most positive campus environment possible this coming year.

If you have not yet begun the vaccination process, you can visit Vaccines.gov to get valuable information about the vaccine and to help you identify a location near you where vaccines are available. Once you have completed your vaccination, returning students who still have the Coverified App can upload a photo of their vaccination card on the app (simply tap on “Report” and then “Upload Vaccine Record” to submit). New students or returning students without the Coverified app can send an email from your ENC account with a photo of their vaccination card to healthservices@enc.edu.

Achieving high levels of vaccination will improve our campus experience for everyone this Fall, but we also recognize that there are some for whom the vaccine is not an option. As we do with all of our required immunizations, students will have the option of requesting an exemption for medical and/or religious reasons. Students who need an exemption from the COVID vaccination requirement are certainly welcome to join us on campus this Fall, but they should anticipate needing to follow some additional protocols, especially with regard to testing and quarantine. To request assistance with the exemption process, you can email healthservices@enc.edu.

This past academic year forced us all to confront numerous challenges and overcome unfamiliar obstacles, and we are grateful for God’s grace that has brought us to what looks like the other side. We look forward to sharing together with you in a more vibrant community life this coming Fall.

Bill McCoy, PhD
Vice President for Academic Affairs
Chair, Emergency Response Team

23 East Elm Avenue
Quincy, MA 02170-2999
www.enc.edu
617-745-3708