Dear OSU Community,

Required Updates to OSU’s Vaccination Program for All Employees

Recent federal Executive Order 14042 requires that all federal contractors and subcontractors have a fully vaccinated workforce to fight COVID-19. The Safer Federal Workforce Task Force subsequently issued guidance to federal contractors on how to implement this new, expansive order.

Because Oregon State University has many and various federal contracts and subcontracts, all OSU employees -- including student workers -- regardless of whether they perform their duties on-site or remotely, will be required to be fully vaccinated by Dec. 8, 2021. This new federal guidance will require additional action by all OSU employees, except for those who fully complied with OHA’s temporary rule for healthcare settings (by either uploading their proof of full vaccination or by receiving a medical or religious exception).

Please read this entire message and if you have questions, please contact [email protected].

Prior to now, OSU’s vaccination program only required on-site employees to attest to being fully vaccinated. And it allowed for non-medical – both philosophical and religious - exceptions. In compliance with this Executive Order, employees must now provide proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Employees who previously claimed an exception must either become fully vaccinated or go through a new exception process. The only allowable exceptions will be for medical reasons as documented and signed by a medical professional, or due to a sincerely held religious belief. Exceptions must be requested by using OSU’s exception forms, available through Student Health Services COVID-19 Immunization Requirements website for Staff and Employees.

Below please find guidance on how to ensure compliance with OSU’s updated COVID-19 vaccination requirement.

If you are fully vaccinated, and have previously attested to being fully vaccinated, beginning Friday, Oct. 29, 2021, please visit Student Health Services COVID-19 Immunization Requirements website and upload your vaccination card.

If you are fully vaccinated, and if OSU’s previous Vaccination Program allowed you to be excluded from the requirement, you are now required to comply. You can comply with this requirement beginning Friday, Oct. 29, 2021, by visiting Student Health Services COVID-19 Immunization Requirements website and uploading your vaccination card.

If you are currently unvaccinated, and claimed an exemption under OSU’s previous Vaccination Program, you must now become fully vaccinated by Dec. 8, 2021 or follow the medical or religious exception process described below. The timeframe in which you should act depends on the vaccine you choose. OSU requires that the vaccine be approved by the FDA (or for citizens of another country residing in the U.S., by the World Health Organization). The following vaccines are approved by the FDA and readily available in the U.S:

Moderna: The first dose must be administered no later than six weeks in advance of Dec. 8, which is Oct. 27, and the second dose no later than Nov. 24, which is two weeks before Dec. 8.

Pfizer: The first dose must be administered no later than five weeks in advance of Dec. 8, which is Nov. 3, and the second dose by Nov. 24.

Johnson & Johnson: The single required dose must be administered no later than Nov. 24.

Once fully vaccinated, please comply with this requirement by visiting Student Health Services COVID-19 Immunization Requirements website and uploading your vaccination card or other documentation proof of vaccination by Dec. 6, 2021.

If applicable, you can apply for an exception for medical reasons or due to a sincerely held religious belief, beginning Friday, Oct. 29, 2021. You will need to complete exception forms, provided on the Student Health Services COVID-19 Immunization Requirements website.

Medical exceptions for employees must be signed by a medical practitioner and will be verified by OSU’s Occupational Medicine program within Student Health Services. Exception requests based on religious beliefs will be verified by the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access. Completion of the exception process is needed as soon as possible, in case your exception request is denied and you need time to become fully vaccinated no later than Dec. 6, 2021, in order to achieve compliance with the program. If an employee fails to comply with the OSU vaccination program, Employee and Labor Relations (ELR) will work directly with the supervisor to engage in an individualized plan of progressive discipline.

Additional Measures

The Executive Order and federal guidance also address face coverings and social distancing measures (maintaining at least 6 feet from others at all times in the work environment) applicable to unvaccinated employees who qualify for a medical or religious exception. While in Oregon, employees currently must follow indoor and outdoor face covering requirements, this state requirement could be lifted in the future. If that occurs, then the federal mandate for an employer to require face coverings and social distancing of unvaccinated employees with a valid exception would remain in effect.

We discourage judgments of or assumptions about persons wearing face coverings or engaging in social distancing, and also note that some individuals may feel more comfortable continuing these public health behaviors even if fully vaccinated. It is possible that in the future OSU will have requirements for unvaccinated employees that are not applicable to vaccinated employees, and supervisors will be expected to help enforce the federal requirements on a day-to-day basis. We are providing this information now so you can consider how the future may look as you make decisions about your next steps.

More information on OSU’s Vaccination Program, and the application of this Executive Order, can be found here.

We will continue to communicate additional developments, including anticipated requirements under the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which is still unreleased. The federal contractor guidance explicitly states that it takes precedence over forthcoming OSHA requirements.

Thank you for your attention, support, and compliance with these changes to OSU’s Vaccination Program.

Sincerely,

Dan Larson
OSU Coronavirus Response Coordinator
Vice Provost for Student Affairs

Date: 
October 27, 2021