UMGC Policy on Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination for Students

1. Purpose and Applicability

   University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) is committed to providing a safe workplace and educational experience to safeguard the health of UMGC students, staff and faculty as well as the community at large from spreading SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Because the spread of SARS-CoV-2 may be reduced by vaccinations—and in alignment with the University System of Maryland (USM) vaccination mandate—all UMGC students are expected to get vaccinated if they will be taking classes at any UMGC hybrid location.

   All UMGC students who are registered for courses at a UMGC hybrid course location that is not on a military base for classes must be vaccinated and provide proof of vaccination at least 48 hours prior to the day the session starts unless an exception is approved as a reasonable accommodation based on disability or religion. In addition, UMGC students are expected to adhere to any local, state, or site-specific requirements, including those requiring masks, social distancing, temperature screenings, health attestations, or onsite class safely activities. Students not in compliance with this policy may be disenrolled from the class prior to classes starting.

   Students taking UMGC Hybrid courses at a military base will be required to follow the on- base COVID protocols.

   This policy complies with the USM vaccination mandate and is based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health authorities.

   Definitions

   1. UMGC Student – any student registered or active at UMGC stateside location and in face-to-face or hybrid course that is not on a military base.

   2. UMGC Hybrid Course Location – Includes, but is not limited to, Adelphi and Largo locations, Regional Center Offices (RCOs), other stateside USM institutions and campuses, community colleges, military bases, or non-UMGC locations where UMGC classes are offered and where face to face instruction is provided.

   3. Fully Vaccinated – An individual is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose of a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson or Janssen vaccine. A person is considered fully vaccinated if they have received vaccinations approved or authorized for emergency use by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or COVID vaccines (e.g., Pfizer or Moderna, Johnson & Johnson or Janssen) that have been listed for emergency use by the World Health Organization (e.g., AstraZeneca/Oxford).

   4. Proof of Vaccination – Acceptable proof of vaccination includes, but is not limited to, CDC Vaccination Card Record, Vaccine Passport, Excelsior Pass, Common Pass, IATA Travel Pass, and/or a local, state, or county issued health form.

2. Procedure

   Students will be provided notification of the vaccine requirement at the time of registration in the PeopleSoft portal. Students who register for applicable onsite courses will be notified by UMGC about the vaccination requirement and other required onsite COVID protocols and be provided with directions for how to submit proof of vaccination or a exemption request, with timeframe(s) for having the vaccine(s) administered. If vaccine boosters are required by federal, state, local, or site authorities, students will be notified by UMGC and provided a deadline for getting such booster vaccines.

   COVID-19 vaccinations are free, whether an individual has health insurance or not. Vaccinations may be submitted for reimbursement through your health insurance where applicable.

   Students are required to submit proof of vaccination or copy of Approved Exception Letter for medical or religious reasons and receive approval by 48 hours before the session (course) start date. When a student submits proof of vaccination, documentation will be reviewed to determine if the proof of vaccination or exception is sufficient. If the proof of vaccination or exception is not acceptable, the student will be notified and given an opportunity to resubmit.

   Students without approved proof of vaccine documentation or an approved exemption, will be disenrolled from the onsite course prior to the course starting, and will be notified of such when it occurs.

   A student's proof of vaccination and exception letters will be treated like medical information and maintained in a secured file/system; access to the information for tracking and reporting purposes will be restricted to staff who work directly with students to collect this information (ie. MEC, Success Coach at physical locations). Information for whether a student is vaccinated or unvaccinated or granted an exception will be shared on a business- need-to-know basis. This may include supervisors, Student Communications, or others who are responsible for maintaining onsite safety and addressing violations or reporting duties and responsibilities.

3. Reasonable Accommodation

   1. Medical Reason

      Students in need of an exemption from this policy due to a medical reason must contact Accessibility Services at accessibilityservices@umgc.edu to begin the interactive accommodation process.

   2. Religious Reason

      Students in need of an exemption from this policy because of a sincerely held religious belief should contact Fair Practices at fairpractices@umgc.edu to begin the interactive accommodation process as soon as possible after vaccination deadlines have been announced.

Medical and Religious accommodations will be granted where they do not cause UMGC undue hardship or pose a direct threat to the health and safety of others. For more information on Student Accommodations, how to submit an student accommodation request, and the interactive dialogue process can be found here.