Important Faculty Update on Vaccinations and Compliance Policy

Thursday, August 5, 2021

Summary: This message contains important information and updates on Yale’s COVID-19 vaccination program and related compliance policies for faculty.

Dear Faculty Colleagues,

I write today to update you on the university’s COVID-19 vaccination program, as well as the related testing requirements and compliance policies we are implementing that will allow us to protect the safety of our campus and have a productive, in-person fall semester.

I am pleased to report that approximately 85% of staff, 82% of faculty, and 85% of students at Yale are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and have reported their vaccination status. We expect these numbers to rise further as individuals complete the vaccination and registration processes. This represents a substantial scientific and logistical achievement. It demonstrates our community’s commitment to protecting each other and following public health recommendations.

While we have made significant progress, we must still do better. Receiving a COVID-19 vaccination is the most important public health action toward protecting our community. We remain committed to the goal of vaccinating as large a percentage of our students, faculty, and staff as possible.

All community members, including faculty, who have not yet submitted their vaccination documentation or requested an exemption must fulfill this requirement immediately. The deadline for completing this process was August 1. As of August 16, unvaccinated, nonexempt faculty and those who do not submit their vaccination documentation will be subject to a progressive disciplinary process, beginning with a notice of noncompliance and, if necessary, resulting in referral to the Faculty Standards of Conduct process.

For all individuals, including faculty, who are not vaccinated or who have not reported their vaccination status, we are increasing testing frequency and instituting the following compliance policies:

  1. Unvaccinated faculty and faculty who have not reported their vaccination status who are coming to campus are required to test once per week through August 16.
  2. Beginning August 16, the required testing frequency for unvaccinated and unreported faculty coming to campus will increase to twice per week.
  3. As of August 16, unvaccinated and unreported faculty who come to campus and fail to meet asymptomatic testing requirements will be subject to a progressive disciplinary process, beginning with notice of noncompliance and proceeding to restricted access to campus and, if necessary, referral to the Faculty Standards of Conduct process for further action.

In anticipation of students, faculty, and staff returning to campus, the university will temporarily raise the COVID-19 alert level to yellow on August 9. This alert mirrors those already in place at the state and county level. This temporary change will reinforce that we should be especially careful to abide by all public health guidance as we begin our in-person fall semester. We must remain committed to protecting the health and wellbeing of our community as we come together for in-person teaching, learning, and research.

Toward this goal, we will require an arrival test for all students coming to campus. We will also require all unvaccinated students to test twice per week throughout the semester, to wear a mask in public spaces regardless of the masking policy for vaccinated members of the community, and to maintain social distancing. Further, undergraduate students who have not reported their vaccination status or sought an exemption by August 9 will not be allowed to enroll for the fall semester.

This is a dynamic situation and we will continue to follow the guidance of Yale’s public health experts to carefully craft policies that are informed by science. Our public health committee, a group of faculty leaders from around the university who are experts in their respective fields, meet regularly to assess public health conditions and advise us on what safety measures will best protect the university’s operational, educational, and research missions.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to Yale, to our students, and to each other. I look forward to continuing to work together for a successful fall semester.

Sincerely,

Scott Strobel, Provost