Sun-Times file photo
The University of Chicago will require students to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before returning to campus this fall, the school said.
Students who plan to participate in in-person classes, research or other activities in the fall must be vaccinated, according to an email sent to students Tuesday.
“Universal COVID-19 vaccination for UChicago students will contribute to greater immunity, reduce the risk of sudden clusters of COVID-19 on campus, and help protect members of our community who are at the highest risk of developing serious disease from the virus,” Ka Yee C. Lee, provost, and Michele Rasmussen, dean of students, said in a joint statement.
University announces COVID-19 vaccine requirement for all students
May 18, 2021
Editor’s note: This message was sent May 18 to members of the University community from Provost Ka Yee C. Lee and Dean of Students Michele Rasmussen.
We write to share with you that starting with the 2021 Autumn Quarter, the University of Chicago will require all students to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
This requirement will strengthen the University’s ability to protect the health and safety of our campus and neighboring communities. Universal COVID-19 vaccination for UChicago students will contribute to greater immunity, reduce the risk of sudden clusters of COVID-19 on campus, and help protect members of our community who are at the highest risk of developing serious disease from the virus.
Higher education s racial reckoning reaches far beyond slavery washingtonpost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from washingtonpost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Share
The University of Chicago will hold a virtual Convocation ceremony this June and is planning limited, in-person diploma ceremonies for the Class of 2021.
The virtual Convocation ceremony will confer degrees to this year’s graduates and celebrate their accomplishments. Given the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic and guidance by the Centers for Disease Control, public health officials, and UChicago faculty and physicians working on the forefront of the COVID-19 response, University leaders determined that it would not be practical or safe to proceed with planning a gathering of several thousand people.
The University is planning smaller, in-person diploma ceremonies for each school and division, which will be limited to graduates and participating faculty and staff in order to maximize health and safety mitigations. Consultation with experts at the University of Chicago Medicine has emphasized that the safety of in-person gatherings will depend on managing the density o