CENTRAL WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY Board of Trustees July 29, 2021 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY – Fall Planning
Fall planning, guided by a Fall Planning Committee and Fall Planning Task Force, is well underway for a thriving fall quarter (see attached memo from Dr. Wohlpart). Planning groups will have all met at least three times prior to the July Board of Trustees meeting, and are hard at work trying to consultatively and collaboratively make the best decisions possible, guided by up-to-date information from state and local authorities, for our entire Wildcat community. The members of the task force are committed to listening intently and respectfully to the ideas, concerns and preferences of each of the shared- governance groups represented. Their mission is to come together to draft a comprehensive set of recommendations that will help ensure a safe environment for students, staff, and faculty during the upcoming academic year. As was true in 2020-2021, the health and safety of the university community must come first. All of our plans continue to take into account the evolving COVID situation. While we are planning a near-normal academic year in 2021/22, we also understand the need to constantly assess our protocols and planning. The COVID-19 Fall 2021 Planning Task Force is currently focusing on how the university will implement the requirements of a Fully Vaccinated Campus, as defined in Governor Inslee’s Proclamation 20-12.3 on Higher Education on June 30, and by Department of Health guidelines provided on July 1. The first priority of the planning task force will be to determine the method of verifying students’ vaccination status and the requirements for submitting exemption requests. We will then turn our attention to addressing the same questions for employees. The task force will rely heavily on recommendations from the Washington State Departments of Health and Labor & Industries. The governor’s proclamation allows universities to establish their own means of obtaining or observing proof of vaccination, as well as requiring self-attestation. This choice will impact further decisions, such as the fall ‘21 face-covering policy and isolation protocols, should students or employees contract COVID-19. Many students, parents, and employees are eager to learn more about vaccination requirements, exemptions, and related procedures for fall. We plan to have a recommendation for student vaccination and exemption requirements for the Executive Leadership Team to review by August 5, with a recommendation for employees to follow soon after. To help educate the university community about the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines—and to dispel some common vaccine myths—we have created the attached quick reference guide, and created a Vaccination Information webpage. A separate Vaccination Requirement page contains updates about the fall quarter vaccination policy, and our FAQ pages provide the most up-to- date information for students, parents and employees.
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