The University of Indianapolis has updated its COVID-19 policy for the Spring 2022 Semester. In an email sent on Dec. 22, 2021 from University President Robert Manuel, to be in compliance with the vaccination policy, students, faculty and staff with on-campus activities must have a booster shot or an eligible exemption.
Updated vaccination documentation will need to be uploaded to Med+Proctor by March 1 or by the date eligible per the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, according to Manuel’s email from Jan. 7, as the date of compliance will vary. Dean of Students and Vice President for Student and Campus Affairs Kory Vitangeli said the decision to require the booster is a result of Manuel consistently meeting with health professionals.
“It just made sense, given that we were already requiring the vaccination in order to continue to keep our campus as safe as possible, which we’ve always kind of had that goal,” Vitangeli said. “And we just thought it was important to go ahead and take that step.”
According to Vitangeli, the mask policy will remain the same, requiring students, faculty and staff to wear masks indoors. Events must also operate at 50% capacity, which includes running admissions events at a lower density in order to ensure social distancing, Vitangeli said. However, she said it is hard to determine if classes will have to go back to an online format.
“I don’t think anybody, unfortunately, can predict what the next few months are going to look like, and what the semester will look like,” Vitangeli said. “All I can say is our intention, really, is to try to be in person if we’re able to, try to continue to keep campus open safely. But also, if things get to the point where it’s safer to go virtual, certainly the university is prepared to do that as well.”
