Required testing for unvaccinated students and employees

September 1, 2021

Dear UO community members,

As fall term approaches, we remain confident that our full suite of COVID-19 tools and the University of Oregon’s high vaccination rate will allow us to safely welcome students to campus for in-person instruction and experiences. To further help protect our campus community, especially during surges in cases like the one currently affecting our county due to the Delta variant, the UO is implementing another key safety precaution. Unvaccinated students and employees, including those who are partially vaccinated or choose an exemption, will be required to take part in weekly COVID-19 testing.

  • The weekly requirement takes effect Monday, September 27, the first day of classes.
  • The Eugene campus will utilize the free COVID-19 testing conducted by the UO Monitoring and Assessment Program. The PCR test uses a non-invasive saliva sample. Details are forthcoming about testing for our Portland and Charleston campuses.
  • We will provide additional details about registering for testing, monitoring and the consequences for noncompliance as the deadline approaches.  

We made this decision after consulting with public health authorities and employee groups, and reviewing scientific data and best practices. Current data show that unvaccinated people are at very high risk of contracting the Delta variant of COVID-19 and at significantly greater risk of suffering severe illness from COVID-19. Requiring regular COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated UO community members will help protect this population, detect cases earlier, and help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Submit your vaccination information

Thank you to the many thousands of you who have already been vaccinated against COVID-19 and submitted your information. University students and employees must submit their vaccination information by the deadline to continue attending or working at the University of Oregon. If you have not already submitted, please take action now.

  • Students are required to use myUOHealth to submit their records. Student deadlines are:
    • September 14 – residence hall students
    • September 27 – all other students

The UO is offering $50,000 in awards to students who complete the vaccine requirement by Friday, September 10 by uploading their information. (Drawings for 20 prizes of $1,000, 10 prizes of $2,000, and two prizes of $5,000).

  • Employees are required to complete a secure online form. The form is mobile-friendly and can be completed using any device. The deadline is September 17.

COVID-19 safety measures

The UO will continue to partner with public health authorities to monitor local cases, hospitalizations, and vaccination rates as we prepare for in-person classes and operations. Here again are the safety strategies that we are taking to protect our community and allow us to return to in-person classes, operations, and activities:

  • Requiring vaccinations – The UO is requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for all faculty, staff, and students.
  • High vaccination rates – More than 95% of UO students and employees who’ve submitted their information are fully vaccinated. In addition, Eugene and the zip codes surrounding the UO all report high vaccination rates. See the UO vaccination dashboard for the latest information.
  • Face coverings – The UO requires masks indoors at all times, and outdoors when distance cannot be maintained. This requirement will remain in place until no longer necessary from a public health standpoint. Our surveys have shown very high compliance with mask use among the UO community. Masks are proven to significantly limit the spread of COVID-19, including the Delta variant.
  • Testing and case support – The UO provides free COVID-19 testing and will require regular testing for unvaccinated students and employees.
  • Case management – We will continue to identify and support students, faculty, and staff who need to isolate or quarantine as a result of becoming positive or exposed to COVID-19.
  • Cleaning and ventilation – The UO has increased airflow in buildings, established OSHA- and CDC-required cleaning protocols and installed touchless bathroom faucets and soap and towel dispensers across campus to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
  • Vaccination proof required at events – The UO is requiring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test at public events such as games, concerts, or conferences.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back together on campus in just a few short weeks.

These are challenging times that require extra diligence and careful preparation. We are confident that with these public health strategies and all that we have learned from living with this virus that we can do what we do best: rely on science and best practices, remain vigilant and nimble, look out for each other with care and compassion, and move forward together with our in-person world-class educational and research experience.

We thank you for all that you have done and continue to do to move forward together.

Sincerely,

Michael H. Schill
President and Professor of Law

Patrick Phillips
Provost and Senior Vice President

André Le Duc
Chief Resilience Officer and Associate Vice President