A Message from Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C. - Student Vaccination Requirement for Fall 2021
Dear Parents and Guardians,
I hope this finds you and your loved ones well. For your information, I wanted to share with you a message that your student received earlier this afternoon regarding the COVID vaccination requirement for fall 2021.
Know of my prayers for you and your families in this Easter season.
In Notre Dame,
Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.
President
Dear Members of the Campus Community,
As you know, the University of Notre Dame, in partnership with the Indiana Department of Health, will tomorrow open an on-campus vaccination site for members of the University community. While the site was established primarily for students, we believe that we have enough vaccine to accommodate any member of our campus community who seeks to be vaccinated. We urge everyone who is not already vaccinated to sign up this week to receive the first of two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, with the goal of fully vaccinating as many members of our campus community as possible before the end of the spring semester.
A high rate of vaccination is critical in the local, national and global fight against COVID-19 and we are fortunate to have enough vaccine for all our students. In light of these factors, we have reached a decision we want to share with you.
Notre Dame will require all students – undergraduate, graduate, and professional – to be fully vaccinated as a condition of enrollment for the 2021–22 academic year. We will, of course, accommodate documented medical and religious exemptions. We will also offer a way to be vaccinated for those who are unable to obtain a vaccination prior to arriving for the fall semester or whose vaccination is not recognized by the state of Indiana. For students currently on campus, if you have not yet been vaccinated, we strongly urge you to be vaccinated at our on-campus site in the days and weeks ahead. Our goal for the fall semester will be to have as many members of the campus community vaccinated as possible, thereby reducing the risk of infection on campus and in the local community.
Having accurate data about the extent of community protection from COVID-19 is critical to our making informed decisions about safe campus operations. We have now established an easy way for members of the Notre Dame community to register their vaccination status, and we urge everyone to utilize this online tool. Please register your vaccination at this site. As you know, we have indicated that if 90% of students are vaccinated in the next few weeks, we can consider making some adjustments to our health and safety protocols in the final weeks of this semester.
We continue to be deeply grateful for the generosity, compassion, and resilience of the Notre Dame community in this most challenging year. As the availability of vaccines brings a new sense of hope and renewal, please continue to take care of yourselves and each other. Know that you and your loved ones are always in our prayers.
Sincerely,
Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., President
Marie Lynn Miranda, Provost
Shannon Cullinan, Executive Vice President