(1) POLICY STATEMENT 

Employee and student safety and wellbeing are a primary concern of Central Washington University (CWU). CWU is committed and obligated to provide safe and healthy university environments for employees, students, and visitors.  

CWU has developed this policy in accordance with the Governor’s Proclamations 20-12.4 (July 12, 2021) and 20-12.5 (August 27, 2021) for Institutions of Higher Education, as well as the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Washington state Department of Health, and the Kittitas County Public Health Department. It is the intent of this policy to implement and comply with the requirements of the Governor’s Proclamation 20-12.4 for a “Fully Vaccinated Campus.” Additional requirements may be forthcoming due to the evolving nature of the COVID-19 virus and the science supporting best practices for combating this disease. CWU will continue to monitor the situation for additional strategies in order to provide a safe environment for the CWU community.

The best way to ensure the safety of all CWU employees, students, and visitors and the safety of the people they interact with on campus is to implement a policy requiring all CWU employees, as a qualification for employment, and all students, as a condition of enrollment, to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and to provide proof thereof by October 18, 2021, unless the employee or student requests and is granted an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Medical and religious exemptions will be provided to employees and students to the extent required by law.  

 Exceptions for students include: 

A. International students living outside the United States and enrollment exclusively in on-line courses and programs, and 

B. High school students enrolled in College in the High School. These courses are held at K-12 locations and these students are obliged to follow safety protocols of their school districts.

 According the  Governor’s Proclamation 21-14.1 COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement, the failure of employees to meet this condition of employment by October 18, 2021 may lead to termination of employment. This policy is subject to and shall be construed in compliance with employee collective bargaining agreements and applicable state and federal laws. 

 The failure of students to submit proof of being fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or to submit an exemption request form by October 18, 2021, may lead to discontinuation of the student’s enrollment.

 (2) DEFINITIONS 

(A) Fully vaccinated against COVID-19:

An individual is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 two weeks after they have received a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine (e.g., Johnson & Johnson (J&J)/Janssen) or the second dose in a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine (e.g., Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna). The COVID-19 vaccine must be authorized for emergency use, licensed, or otherwise approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. For international students, all valid vaccinations that are recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), will be accepted by CWU.  For those who are not vaccinated by a WHO-approved vaccine, they will be required to receive one (Pfizer or Moderna) booster shot when they arrive to campus. 

(B) Proof of full vaccination against COVID-19:

Proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 is a CDC vaccination card, documentation from a health care provider, or a state immunization information system record showing that the employee or student is fully vaccinated against COVID-19.  

(3) RESPONSIBILITIES  

(A) Employees: As a qualification for continued employment, each CWU employee must, no later than October 18, 2021, provide: 

1. Proof of full vaccination against COVID-19, or 

2. Apply for a medical or religious exemption. 

An employee must provide proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 to HR either in person or through virtual means.  

An employee who requests a medical exemption that prevents them from safely being vaccinated against COVID-19 may request a reasonable accommodation as provided in CWUP 2-35-040 Reasonable Accommodation for Persons with Disabilities. An employee may request reasonable accommodation by completing forms available at www.cwu.edu/hr/workplace-accommodation. 

An employee who requests a religious exemption because of a belief, practice, or observance that prevents them from getting vaccinated against COVID-19 must submit the form available at: https://www.cwu.edu/hr/employee-covid-19-vaccination-verification and will be contacted by HR to participate in an interactive process to ensure workplace safety and identify appropriate mitigation strategies should an outbreak occur. 

The Executive Director of HR will review and make the final determination on requests for exemption, where questions exist concerning undue hardship or reasonableness of the requested accommodation. 

HR will maintain a system for tracking which employees have and have not completed the vaccination or exemption process.  

An employee who has an approved exemption for the COVID-19 vaccination, either medical or religious, will be required to wear face coverings while present on campus, may be required to test regularly for COVID-19 and may be prohibited from participating in some university activities. 

(B) Candidates: All candidates selected for CWU employment, beginning October 18, 2021, must provide: 

1. Proof of full vaccination against COVID-19, or 

2. Apply for a medical or religious exemption.  

If a selected candidate has not provided proof of vaccination or applied for a medical or religious exemption, CWU has the sole discretion to give the candidate additional time to provide needed documentation or to rescind the candidate’s employment offer. HR is responsible for tracking which selected candidates have or have not completed the vaccination or exemption process. 

(C) Students: All students enrolled at CWU, beginning October 18, 2021, must upload appropriate documents for one of the following via Med+Proctor: 

1. Proof of full vaccination against COVID-19, or 

2. Apply for a medical or religious exemption. 

A student who has an approved exemption for the COVID-19 vaccination, either medical or religious, will be required to wear face coverings while present on campus, may be required to test regularly for COVID-19  and may be prohibited from participating in some university activities. 

The COVID vaccination exemptions for students will be in effect for one academic year through August 1. All students wishing to update vaccination information or extend their exemption must submit this by August 1 for the following academic year. Students with an expected graduation date of summer term are exempt from resubmitting an exemption if they are enrolled in a summer course that extends past August 1. This exemption no longer applies if graduation is extended beyond summer term or if the student re-enrolls at Central.   

(D) Student employees: When engaged as a CWU student employee, students are acting as workers, not as students, and are thus included in Proclamation 21-14.1 – COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement. Student employees that have placements off campus are also included.  As such, they are required to submit proof of vaccination or apply for an exemption by October 18, 2021 as a condition of employment.

(E) Volunteers: All volunteers must follow procedures available at https://www.cwu.edu/financial-affairs/volunteer-procedures. All CWU volunteers, beginning October 18, 2021, must provide: 

1. Proof of full vaccination against COVID-19, or 

2. Apply for a medical or religious exemption. 

If a potential volunteer has not provided proof of vaccination or applied for a medical or religious exemption, CWU has the discretion to give the volunteer additional time to provide needed documentation or to rescind the ability of the volunteer to serve at CWU.

(F) Contractors: The Governor’s Proclamation 21-14.1 requires COVID-19 vaccinations for contractors who perform on-site work in educational settings where students or people receiving services are present. The Office of Contracts and Procurements is responsible for ensuring these expectations are upheld by external entities contracted with CWU.

This does not include non-CWU workers who are present at a site for only a short period of time and have a fleeting physical presence with others.

(G) Visitors and Invited Guests: All visitors and invited guests to CWU are assumed to be unvaccinated and therefore are required to wear a facial covering while on CWU premises.

[Responsibility: BFA, ASL, COVID-19 Fall 2021 Planning Committee and Task Force; Authority: ELT/President; Reviewed/Endorsed by: ELT, COVID-19 Fall 2021 Planning Committee and Task Force; Review/Effective Date: 9/21/2021; Approved by: A. James Wohlpart, President]