Thanks to an overwhelming amount of strong evidence of the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, we are pleased to announce our latest plans for returning to campus this fall.
Based on discussions with on-campus, local, regional, and national health and medical experts, we’ve set a goal to achieve near-universal levels of vaccination— 85% or greater — at PNWU. Given the widespread availability of COVID-19 vaccines in our region, this goal is sensibly achievable.
Vaccinated individuals are significantly less likely to contract or spread COVID-19. By achieving near-universal vaccination, we hope to gradually open our campus for appropriate in-person activities, with full consideration of the health of everyone in our community.
To achieve near-universal vaccination, we are requiring all PNWU employees and students to receive the final dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by July 26, 2021. This requirement pertains to anyone who plans to engage in any level of in-person activity related to PNWU. Medical, religious and personal exemptions to the vaccination requirement will be available to both students and employees and reasonable accommodations provided under applicable law.
This does not mean that currently remote employees will be expected to return to campus. Instead, the knowledge that all PNWU employees are vaccinated will enable our on-campus community to safely return at the appropriate time. We anticipate the continued use of non-pharmaceutical interventions on campus, including use of masks and proper social distancing.
PNWU employees must provide information on their vaccination status by July 26, 2021. Similarly, all students are required to upload their vaccination card to eValue, or provide proof of approved exemption, no later than July 26, 2021. All students and employees must be vaccinated or have an approved exemption and supervisor authorization before engaging in any level of in-person activity or instruction related to PNWU. Employees hired after July 1, 2021, must be vaccinated before they begin work, unless they are approved for an exemption.
Employee Vaccination Status Form
Student Vaccination Status Form (eValue)
Employees are requested to submit exemption requests to hr@pnwu.edu.
Students are requested to submit exemption requests to studentaffairs@pnwu.edu.
A collection of frequently asked questions is available now on our website, and more information will be communicated prior to July 1. In the meantime, we encourage all students to send any additional questions to University Campus Health Nurse Judy O’Neal (Phone: (509)388-6155, Email: joneal@pnwu.edu). Employees should direct their questions to PNWU’s human resources department (hr@pnwu.edu).
We owe everyone in the PNWU community a debt of gratitude for working together as a team with grace and generosity. Students demonstrated high levels of compassion and grit, and stayed focused on learning, and serving. Our esteemed faculty, staff, and administration modeled excellence and professionalism, and demonstrated their profound commitment to mission. The Board of Trustees and all of our colleagues and supporters continued their unwavering faith in our young University, providing historic support for our critically important work on health and equity.
The global pandemic tested each of us, and we learned and grew from these challenges. We will honor the more than 3.5M lives lost globally to the pandemic by learning from these trying times and advancing our capacity to lead and heal.
Sincerely,
Frank Alvarez, MPH
Chief Operating Officer
Edward Bilsky, PhD
Provost
Thomas Scandalis, DO
Dean
Michael J. Lawler, PhD
President