Dear Students,
As the end of the academic year approaches, I want to thank you for all your efforts to protect our community from COVID-19. We would not have been able to make it to the finish line of this extraordinary year without your help. I know that we all look forward to resuming many of the activities that characterize the residential college experience next fall. To that end, I write to share news regarding the College’s additional vaccination requirement.
Residential colleges present unique environments relative to the management of COVID-19. Prior to the widespread availability of vaccines, we were able to reclaim some normalcy through our testing, tracing, and isolation strategies, but these alone do not permit the full scope of activities to resume. We know that the best path to the activities you cherish as a member of a close-knit academic community relies on widespread vaccination for COVID-19. We are pleased that the majority of students on campus have already been able to secure vaccines, with many more planning to do so in the coming months. Therefore, we are adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of required vaccines for students. By Aug. 1, all students enrolled at Lafayette must provide proof of vaccination to Bailey Health Center.
We join the growing list of colleges and universities that recognize COVID-19 vaccination as the key to providing the most normal academic and campus life. The College will of course work with individual students who have limited access to COVID-19 vaccines, including international students. We have created FAQs to provide information about adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of required immunizations, as well as about the process for seeking religious and medical exemptions. Bailey Health Center has provided instructions on how to submit documentation on immunizations.
Thank you again for doing your part to ensure a healthy and safe campus community. Good luck with your final work of the semester, and best wishes for a pleasant and restorative summer.
To those I may not see before my own departure from College Hill, let me offer many thanks for your friendship and support over the years, and warmest wishes for your continued success at Lafayette. I expect to stay well connected as an honorary Pard and will continue to follow your careers with pride.
President Alison Byerly