Coronavirus Update

As Chancellor Groves has stated in the past, the University’s response to the pandemic and our reopening plans is constantly evolving. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Delta variant is roughly twice as transmissible and is now estimated to account for over 80% of all new cases.  While fully vaccinated individuals are well protected from serious illness from the Delta variant, they can still become infected and spread COVID-19 to others. This can happen even if they have no apparent symptoms.

As a result, the CDC is focused on encouraging all eligible Americans to get vaccinated and they have modified guidance on mask wearing as well. It now recommends that everyone, including fully vaccinated individuals, wear face coverings while indoors and in close proximity to others. Many states have followed suit and are reinstituting mask mandates for all residents and a number of public and private employers are requiring vaccination verification to work on site. Colleges and universities across the country are doing the same.

Given this rapidly changing situation, the Antioch Reopening Task Force made a recommendation to the Chancellor that we modify our reopening protocols and he approved that recommendation.  Antioch University now requires all students, faculty, staff and visitors who come onto an Antioch facility or attend an Antioch sponsored event be fully vaccinated, and provide pre-verification of vaccination status. With nearly 90% of Antiochians already vaccinated, we are much further along in this effort than the US as a whole and that is a tribute to your diligence and care of our community – for this, we thank you! However, in order to best protect the health and safety of our community, vaccination and masking must be universal in all University facilities until we reach a time when it is safe to relax these protocols.

At this moment in the US, there are three vaccines authorized and recommended to prevent COVID-19: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson / Janssen All three have recently been approved by the FDA.

The University is aware that COVID-19 vaccinations may not be readily available in some countries, and in certain cases, vaccines may be different than those available in the US.  We will accept proof of vaccination from any US-approved vaccine or vaccines approved in other countries. We will have resources readily available to support our international students who are not able to obtain a vaccination in advance of the start of their term. International students should contact their Antioch campus/program DSO/PDSO with any questions related to the vaccination mandate:

• AU Seattle: Brianna Martinez, Heather Howell or Alyson Brandell
• AU Los Angeles: Emee Dacanay or Yaru Wang
• AU Santa Barbara: Jessica Flores or Megan DeBrito
• AU New England: Laura Andrews Jamie Wheeler or Linda Drake Gobbo
• AU GSLC Jen Swartout

Note: Fully vaccinated means that you have completed the full regimen from Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson.

• If you are a semester-based student, the deadline for the fall semester was: Friday, August 27, 2021 for attendance during the first week of the semester, August 30^th. The deadline for semester-based students attending in-person classes in spring 2022 is December 10, 2021.
• If you are a quarter-based student, the deadline is: Friday, December 10, 2021 for attendance during the first week of the winter quarter, January 3rd.

We have instituted a protocol for students, faculty or staff who may qualify for either a Medical, Disability or Religious exemption. Detailed instructions will be sent via Antioch email.

If you refuse to get vaccinated and you have not been approved for a Medical, Disability, or Religious exemption, you will not be able to attend any in-person activities. Please speak with your program chair/director or Antioch campus/school provost/dean to discuss remote or other learning options if those are not already in place.

Yes, proof of vaccination is required for all members of the Antioch community unless you have requested and received a medical, disability, or religious exemption.

Vaccination is required for everyone who returns to any Antioch facility, in any capacity, this academic year. If a fully-remote student needs to visit any Antioch facility this academic year, they will need to follow all in-person protocols in place at the time.

Some programs are already operating remotely/virtually. Please speak with your program chair/director or Antioch campus/school provost/dean to discuss remote learning options if those are not already in place.

Per the CDC, If you’ve had close contact with someone who has COVID-19, you should get tested 3-5 days after your exposure, even if you don’t have symptoms. You should isolate yourself for at least five (5) days if your test result is positive and not return to any Antioch facility until you have received a negative COVID PCR test. Additionally, per Antioch’s mask mandate, everyone is required to properly wear a mask when indoors, while on any Antioch facility, regardless of exposure or vaccination status.

• The Campus/Program Provost/Dean will notify all close contacts and will provide specific guidance about isolation and testing, if applicable, and following CDC and local health guidelines.
• Per the CDC, If you’ve had close contact with someone who has COVID-19, you should get tested 3-5 days after your exposure, even if you don’t have symptoms. You should isolate yourself for at least five (5) days if your test result is positive and not return to any Antioch facility until you have received a negative COVID PCR test. Additionally, per Antioch’s mask mandate, everyone is required to properly wear a mask when indoors, while on any Antioch facility, regardless of exposure or vaccination status.

No, in order to protect personal privacy, you will not know who has or has not been vaccinated, unless the individual discloses that information to you directly. The vast majority of the Antioch community members in University facilities this fall will be fully vaccinated, which will provide significant protection to our Antioch community.

Antioch University will continue to comply with all applicable privacy, confidentiality, and public health laws relating to the collection and maintenance of health-related records. The University recognizes the importance of protecting private health information and will protect student, faculty, and staff privacy by limiting what sensitive information is collected, who has access to it, how it is used, and how long it is retained to the extent possible while protecting public health.

Yes, all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, need to wear a mask at all times when indoors at any Antioch facility. We strongly recommend individuals wear a surgical-style mask, or other medical-style mask, or consider double-masking (cloth mask on top of a surgical-style mask). We recommend against wearing a cloth mask alone.

Yes, due to the spread of the Delta variant and some breakthrough infections among those fully vaccinated, all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, need to wear a mask at any time when indoors at any Antioch facility. Fully vaccinated individuals do not need to wear a mask in outdoor University spaces, except where directed, in limited circumstances, including during certain University events.

We strongly recommend individuals wear a surgical-style mask, or other medical-style mask, or consider double-masking (cloth mask on top of a surgical-style mask). We recommend against wearing a cloth mask alone. Masks will be made available at every Antioch facility in the event that you do not have one.

COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective, and free! Per the CDC, after you’ve been fully vaccinated, you can participate in many of the activities that you did prior to the pandemic.

Key Things to Know

Here’s what the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has to say about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.

Long-term side effects are unlikely. Here’s what the CDC has to say about long-term effects.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC): A small number of people have had a severe allergic reaction (called “anaphylaxis”) after vaccination, but this is rare. Anaphylaxis can occur after any vaccination. If this occurs, vaccination providers have medicines available to effectively and immediately treat the reaction.

After you get a COVID-19 vaccine, you will be asked to stay for 15–30 minutes so you can be observed in case you have a severe allergic reaction and need immediate treatment.

Millions of people across the globe have now been vaccinated against COVID-19 and the FDA has recently approved the Pfizer vaccine. Read more about what the CDC has to say about vaccine safety.

Find a COVID-19 Vaccine: Search vaccines.gov, text your ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find locations near you in the U.S. Check the CDC website for more information and resources on finding a vaccine.

COVID-19 vaccines are free to the Public

If you didn’t receive the vaccine card or lost it, your first step is to contact your vaccination provider, such as Rite Aid, CVS, or a local government office. If you can’t contact your provider, you can reach out to contact your state health department’s immunization information system. All vaccination providers must report COVID-19 vaccinations to their Immunization Information Systems (IIS).

• State health departments will either email or mail a copy of your vaccination card, although it may take one to two weeks.
• While awaiting proof of vaccination, policies described herein will apply for unvaccinated individuals.

• Students participating in a remote-only program are not required to participate in COVID testing.
• Students with an approved medical, disability or religious exemption will be required to participate in regular testing. Direct guidance will be provided to those with exceptions.
• Please note that you are required to report a positive COVID-19 result to Antioch. Upon receiving a positive test result for COVID-19, please immediately notify your Campus/School Provost/Dean. They will provide guidance on next steps regarding class attendance and isolation and testing, if applicable.

Yes. Students, faculty and staff may access our Antioch facilities for specific academic purposes, including classes, academic and student support services and limited co-curricular activities. Antioch facilities remain otherwise closed.

Campus/School Point Persons:

• AU Seattle: Scott Titus
• AU Los Angeles: Sandy Lee
• AU Santa Barbara: Ryan Kasmier
• AU New England: Cheryl Lower
• AU Yellow Springs: Michelle Ward
• Graduate School of Leadership and Change: Jen Swartout
• School of Education: Jonathan Eskridge

• About Coronavirus (COVID-19) from the Center for Disease Control (CDC)
• Frequently Asked Questions and Answers About Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• The 2019 Novel Coronavirus (American Public Health Association)
• 2019 Novel Coronavirus: What Campuses Need to Know (American College Health Association)
• Coronavirus Tracker (Johns Hopkins University)
• US Department of State Travel Advisories
• Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak information (World Health Organization)
• Center for Disease Control (CDC) Updates & Current Summary

Articles:

• Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now (Medium, Tomas Pueyo)
• Helping Children Manage Stress During Anxious Times (Old Trail School, Katherine B. Howard, MA,NCSP, LPC)