Monday, November 29, 2021 at 3:37 p.m.
Dear Campus Community,
Earlier this month, I indicated that the federal government had required a vaccination mandate that will be tied to a large number of NDSU’s federal contracts. This put NDSU into the position of losing tens of millions of dollars and many jobs if it did not impose a vaccination mandate on its employees. A copy of that email can be found here.
At that time, we only required a small number of employees who work in federal buildings located on NDSU’s campus to comply with the mandate, and we indicated that we were going to wait on expanding the mandate to see if either the federal government would modify it or if the courts would block it. Neither of these events have happened.
As a result, with this email, NDSU is implementing the second phase of complying with the federal mandate and notifying all its employees that they must have received their full series of vaccinations (i.e., either two shots of Pfizer/Moderna or one shot of J&J) and provide proof to NDSU or have received an exemption on or before January 4. Under the federal rules, there are only two permissible exemptions involving religious or medical concerns. Employees receiving an exemption will be required to maintain other mitigation efforts including mandatory weekly testing, masking and social distancing.
You are likely to have many questions regarding this mandate, and NDSU has created a series of FAQ’s which can be found here. In addition, that same website has links to the portals where you can submit your vaccination documentation or request an exemption. Please know that your vaccination information and exemption information will be kept confidential.
Please remember that this only applies to students if they also work at NDSU, not all students. The good news is that if you have already participated in the student vaccine incentive program, there is nothing further you need to do. We already have the information that we need. I am also pleased to announce that, in order to help those student-workers that need to get vaccinated and to encourage all other students to get vaccinated, NDSU is re-opening the vaccination incentive program for students until January 4. Information and requirements for the incentive can be found here.
For those employees who are already fully vaccinated, you will simply need to submit your documentation at the vaccine verification direct link found here.
If you wish to seek a religious or medical exemption, you should fill out the appropriate exemption request form at the direct links found here.
If you are not fully vaccinated and cannot seek an exemption, you should start the vaccination process as soon as possible. We implemented this mandate now to give the employees more than enough time to have a choice regarding vaccinations. The vaccinations that require two shots have a minimum waiting period between shots (four weeks for Moderna and three weeks for Pfizer), whereas J&J requires only one shot for full vaccination status. This means that if you want a Moderna vaccination, you should get your first shot no later than December 7, and if you would like Pfizer, your first shot should be no later than December 14. There are many places in the area where you can find a vaccination, and they can be found through this vaccine locator.
We appreciate your prompt attention to this matter, which again, is a federal mandate with which we have no practical option but to comply. Thank you.
Dean L. Bresciani, President
NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY