December Updates on COVID-19 Protocols

Letter to Students, Dec. 10, 2021: Spring Semester Updates

Dear Andrews University students,

This note is to make sure you are informed of COVID-19 expectations and protocols for the start of the spring semester.

But first, we want to thank you for your ongoing and shared commitment to help keep our campus community as safe as possible in the face of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including the threats presented by the Delta and Omicron variants.

As you prepare for return to campus next semester, with spring semester classes beginning on Monday, Jan. 10, we want to also remind you of the key steps you must continue to take as we again recommit to the safety of our community when we gather together in the new year:

• Plan to limit your exposure, including being careful to use masking and distancing in group gatherings, in the final three to five days before your return to campus or when the semester begins.
• If you’ve not reported being vaccinated or having acquired immunity, please complete the Spring 2022 Screening Form to report vaccination, acquired immunity, or negative COVID-19 test results (test must be taken 3–5 days prior to arrival on campus). This must be completed and submitted prior to attending your first class.
• Please note that the Screening Form only allows access through an Andrews University email account. In most cases, if you see a permission notice from Google it is due to your web browser (such as Google Chrome) being logged in via your personal Gmail account versus your University account (which uses your Andrews email address). If you get this notice, you should switch accounts and be able to log in, then complete and submit the form.
• If you are registered for spring 2022 courses and have already reported being vaccinated or having acquired immunity, the COVID-19 Team will confirm your status with you via your University email address.
• Monthly testing at a student’s expense for those who are not vaccinated will be an ongoing expectation during spring semester. You can find local, southwest Michigan options for COVID-19 testing here.

Please reach out to our COVID-19 Team if you have any questions related to the Spring 2022 Screening Form or to report symptoms/exposure. The COVID-19 Team can be reached at covid19@andrews.edu.

Thank you once again for your shared commitment to our Community Covenant of Care, both this semester and in the new year and semester to come.

May God’s love and blessings surround you, your family and friends—and this world—in the holidays to come.

Andrea Luxton
President

Christon Arthur
Provost

Letter to Employees, Dec. 14, 2021: Spring Semester Updates

Dear colleagues,

This note is to make sure you are informed and up-to-date on COVID-19 expectations and protocols for the start of the spring semester.

But first, thank you for your ongoing and shared commitment to help keep our campus community as safe as possible in the face of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including the threats presented by the Delta and Omicron variants.

We hope you will have a safe and festive holiday with your family and loved ones. As you enjoy the holiday season, we want you to be mindful of the following:

• Please limit your exposure. Also, please remember that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, is required to wear masks while indoors on campus.
• Practice physical distancing in group gatherings, as appropriate.
• For those who have fully completed a primary COVID-19 vaccination, you are eligible to receive the booster shot, and we encourage you to please do so.
• Monthly testing at an employee’s personal expense for those who are not vaccinated will be an ongoing expectation during spring semester. You can find local, southwest Michigan options for COVID-19 testing here.
• Please note that work-related travel further than 50 miles from our main campus will remain restricted for all those who are not vaccinated.
• We are slowly lifting the restrictions on international travel for study tours and other University business with the understanding that only vaccinated employees may travel and follow the expectations of the host country, the CDC and Andrews University. We will continue to monitor the emergence of the new Omicron variant and will issue a full statement on international travel in January. 
• With the emergence and spread of the Omicron variant, and the ongoing presence and significant impact of the Delta variant, we will continue to monitor and respond to travel restrictions. As a result, some previously approved study tours or University travel plans may be reevaluated.

As you may have read, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) is undergoing a legal challenge. While OSHA is “remaining confident in its authority to protect workers in emergencies, OSHA has suspended activities related to the implementation and enforcement of the ETS pending future development in the litigation.”

If implemented, this OSHA ETS, with its expectations for vaccinations or frequent testing for those not vaccinated, would impact Andrews University and its employees (as will be the case for all U.S. organizations which employ 100 or more). Andrews University will continue to monitor this legal challenge and will update you on how it impacts you and the University once the final outcome is known. If you’re a contract employee working on our campus, e.g. through Dynamic Campus, Bon Appétit and Barnes & Noble, please confirm your employer’s expectations on the OSHA ETS directly with them.

Thank you once again for your shared commitment to our Community Covenant of Care, both this semester and in the new year and semester to come.

May God’s love and blessings surround you, your family and friends—and this world—in the holidays to come.

Andrea Luxton
President

Christon Arthur
Provost


Letter to Employees, Dec. 15, 2021: Indoor Masking Requirement Extended

Dear colleagues,

We wanted to share an additional update on our COVID-19 protocols as we prepare for our winter break and the new semester next month.

One of those updates relates to our requirement for indoor masking on campus, regardless of vaccination status. That requirement will now remain in place through Sunday, Jan. 9.

Please Note: We also wanted to confirm some additional details about the proposed Occupational Safety & Health Administration Emergency Temporary Standard, which would require weekly testing for employees who are not vaccinated. If that Emergency Temporary Standard does take effect early next year (it is currently under legal review), Andrews University will cover the costs connected with that weekly COVID-19 testing for those who are not fully vaccinated.

However, if the Emergency Temporary Standard does not take effect next year, for those who are not vaccinated or who do not have previously acquired immunity the current expectation of a monthly COVID-19 test at an employee’s personal expense will remain. You can find more information on COVID-19 testing locally, including free options, here.

We’re planning for a virtual Employee Town Hall on Thursday, Jan. 6, at 3:30 p.m., to review COVID-19 updates and protocols for spring semester. We’ll share additional details on that Town Hall, including Zoom links, on Monday, Jan. 3. Thank you, in advance, for your participation in that Town Hall.

Continued wishes for God’s blessings as you prepare for the Christmas holidays and the New Year to come.

Cordially,

Andrea Luxton
President

Christon Arthur
Provost