Campus Message for July 21
I hope you are finding some time to recharge, relax, and that you are staying cool during this summer of record breaking heat.
With the state of Washington lifting most restrictions and COVID numbers relatively low in Spokane County, the EWU campus is slowly coming back to life. We were so happy to finally welcome more staff back to their campus July 1 as we prepare for in-person instruction for the 2021-22 academic year. The university is excited to see all the smiling faces again on campus, and we eagerly await the return of our students. With the return of in-person events and activities like student orientation and full capacity crowds at Roos Field, campus life at Eastern is on its way to returning to normal.
Of course it will be a new normal, as we are still in a pandemic and, like everyone else, we continue to monitor the concerning variants impacting COVID cases around the country and in our region. This is why the university will be following higher education recommendations issued by the State Department of Health and rules for workplace safety outlined by Labor & Industries. We must remain vigilant in our efforts – both collectively and individually – to keep making progress and to avoid setbacks.
EWU also continues to promote our vaccine requirement through the EagsVaxUp! campaign. Already this summer, Eastern has awarded various prizes to those who have uploaded their vaccination information into Med+Proctor. Prizes include gift cards, free parking passes and an iPad Pro. Each Wednesday in July one student’s name is drawn for the $1,000 WSAC Scholarship award, and on August 4 one student will win a tuition waiver for one full year.
While there are some exemptions for medical and religious reasons, EWU expects you to get vaccinated and follow protocols by uploading your vaccination documents. If you are not vaccinated yet, you are required to wear a mask inside of campus buildings. Please note that employees are no longer required to fill out the daily symptom attestation. However, we encourage everyone to monitor their health and stay home when they are sick. If you are aware of a campus community member who has symptoms or has tested positive for COVID, please let our COVID Response Team know immediately by reporting the situation at ewu.edu/reportcovid. These steps will help our campus community make a strong – and safe – return to in-person instruction, events and activities this upcoming school year.
For the latest information on COVID and campus, please visit our revamped resource page and updated COVID-19 protocols at www.ewu.edu/coronavirus.
David May
