Student COVID-19 Compliance

Dear faculty member,

As we prepare for the fall semester, I wanted to share information with you regarding our efforts around student compliance with vaccination, testing, and other safety expectations. I would also like to provide you with steps to take in response to safety concerns that you may observe in our community.

We are currently in the process of requiring student compliance with USD’s vaccination policy. As of August 13, any students who have not uploaded their COVID-19 vaccine documentation to their portal or completed an exemption request have been placed on an Interim Suspension. The suspension will remain in effect until they come into compliance. Students placed on an Interim Suspension “are not permitted to be on campus for any purpose, including attending classes, living in the residence halls, or participating in any campus activities.” We have moved from 1111 students not in compliance on August 13 to 164 on August 27, with more students coming into compliance every day. We hope that all students will be in compliance by September 1, as we begin the fall semester.

If there are any students who are not yet in compliance, you will receive notification regarding any students who should not be permitted in classes by August 31. Students have been notified that they may not be on campus until they receive official notification that the interim suspension has been lifted. We will work to be as timely as possible with all of our communication with you and the students, to reduce as much disruption to class attendance as possible.

Students who have requested and received an exemption from being vaccinated are required to participate in testing on a weekly basis. Students who fail to be tested will be placed on an interim suspension until they are able to provide the university with a negative test result. You will be cc’d on the communication to any students in your classes regarding the interim suspension as well as the release from the suspension.

If a student who is on interim suspension attends your class, please note it and inform the Student Conduct Office as soon as possible after the class ends. You are not expected to confront the students or disrupt your class. Please use this form to report incidents of non-compliance to our office.

Although there will likely be some challenges, we hope that the shared commitment to a safe and successful year will motivate our students to follow the expectations that have been communicated.

Please feel free to contact me, Assistant Dean Luke LaCroix, Assistant Dean Marie Minnick or Assistant Dean Mandy Womack with any questions or request for clarification. We are happy to assist in any way we can.

Sincerely,
Donald R. Godwin Ed.D
Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students