Dear Students,
Congratulations on completing your Fall 2021 semester! You all deserve a restful semester break. While you are away, we want to remind you to be vigilant in protecting yourselves by following current medical advice. We have observed our campus community is most at risk when our members have been exposed to unvaccinated people over breaks, and therefore we want to mitigate the effects of that exposure upon reentry to campus.
Due to rising pandemic conditions and concerns, the following 2 items are required of every student.
As we did last January prior to the start of the spring academic term, all Valpo students, faculty and staff will be required to be tested for COVID-19, and receive a negative COVID-19 test result before returning to campus for the spring 2022 academic term.
Tests should be conducted within 72 hours prior to your return to campus, and all testing results are to be submitted no later than Monday, January 10, 2022. Students may upload and document their COVID-19 test results via the same portal used to submit flu shot & vaccination information — Valpo Vaccine Verification portal (https://secure.medproctor.com/Account/SignIn). All submitted results must have the student’s name, date of test, and outcome on the test result documentation or screen shot. In the event of a positive test, please isolate at home.
As a reminder, the University is requiring all students 16 years and older to obtain a COVID-19 vaccine booster by February 28, 2022, in accordance with the eligibility criteria. Students already eligible for a booster shot should make every effort to complete this requirement during the semester break period, in order to best protect themselves and help us all start the second semester as safely as possible.
Booster shots are readily available now with no out of pocket cost at major pharmacies and medical clinics. Eligible individuals can visit https://www.vaccines.gov/ for a complete list of options in the area of your choice. As you are already familiar with, please upload and document your required booster via the same portal used to submit flu shot information — Valpo Vaccine Verification portal (https://secure.medproctor.com/Account/SignIn). Students who have already received an approved University exemption may maintain the exemption. The University will host booster shot clinics in late January and February, for those who are not eligible until after the semester break. Questions about the booster requirement and other pandemic guidelines are answered in the FAQ here.
Thank you for your continued understanding and compliance with these necessary steps amidst the pandemic. Our protocols and 95% vaccination rate has resulted in a successful fall semester in which our positive case counts remained very low, and we have been able to remain in-person with normal academic and student life programs. These measures provide us the best opportunity to keep all of our Valpo family safe in the weeks and months ahead, and to be in-person with relatively normal operations and programs for the spring semester.
We hope you have a safe and relaxing holiday season and break, and we look forward to seeing you in January.
Sincerely,
Student Life Team
