Office of the Registrar

From: Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President

Dear OSU Community Members,

I hope your spring term is off to a great start. As we continue to monitor the status of the pandemic and public health conditions, and evaluate our response measures, I write to provide an update on OSU’s policies related to proof of meeting the university’s vaccination booster requirement and required testing for unvaccinated individuals.

 Vaccination Requirement – Boosters

 On Dec. 28, 2021, the university announced that all students and employees would be required to be up-to-date on their COVID-19 vaccination sequences by Feb. 15, 2022. This deadline was later delayed to May 1, 2022, due to slower-than-anticipated availability of the booster, as well as anticipated clarity from health authorities on what level of immunization would be necessary going forward to support community health.  We have learned that boosters will become increasingly individualized, with the timing of boosters being based on individual health conditions, age of the person, and timing of past vaccinations.

Having achieved very high rates of vaccination among OSU students and employees, along with consultation with local public health authorities, going forward, OSU currently plans to maintain a requirement to provide proof of initial vaccination, and in alignment with the CDC, recommend that you stay current in your vaccination. At this time, the university will not require booster shots for students and employees. To learn more about the factors that have informed this decision, please visit our Safety and Success FAQ’s.

 Testing

OSU plans to continue providing PCR COVID-19 testing on the Corvallis and Bend campuses through spring term for those who wish to obtain a test. 

At this time and effective immediately, OSU students and employees who have received an exemption from being vaccinated are no longer required to test weekly. Vaccinations are still an important measure in helping to prevent more serious illness and hospitalization, but testing only unvaccinated individuals no longer meets the intent behind requiring weekly testing – which was to significantly slow spread among those who were more likely to contract and transmit the virus.  To learn more about the factors that have informed this decision, please visit our Safety and Success FAQ’s.

We will continue working closely with state and local public health authorities to monitor pandemic conditions and communicate updated recommendations, and we thank all OSU community members for their commitment to the university’s public health responses.

Thank you,

Dan Larson, Vice Provost for Student Affairs, OSU Coronavirus Response Coordinator