Final Weekly Message on Preparations for Fall Semester

August 25, 2021

Members of the Rutgers Community:

Just days before we begin the fall semester, there is important news in the effort to vaccinate against COVID-19 and keep our campuses, our state, and the nation healthy.

FDA APPROVAL: This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave full approval to one of the three vaccines already authorized for emergency use in protecting individuals against the coronavirus. While formal FDA approval does not change the clearly established efficacy and safety of the vaccine, it will give greater assurance to some people who were waiting for this verification and, I hope, contribute to a dramatic increase in vaccinations across the country.

STATE WORKER MANDATE: Also this week, Governor Phil Murphy announced a requirement that all state workers—including employees at all state colleges and universities in New Jersey—must be vaccinated by October 18 or submit to ongoing COVID-19 testing. It’s important to state that this requirement conforms to the protocol already in place at Rutgers, by which any employee who has not uploaded their vaccine card must undergo weekly COVID-19 testing regardless of their work location or schedule. I certainly hope the Governor’s action, combined with the FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine, will encourage the shrinking percentage of our employees (now about 16.8%) who have not yet been vaccinated or uploaded their information to do so as soon as possible. Click here for vaccination sites at Rutgers.

RETURNING TO CAMPUS: In announcing a plan for repopulation of campuses earlier this summer, I had expected that the start of the fall semester would be the date by which we would suspend our social distancing requirement within offices, conference rooms, and other shared spaces within our office environs. Out of an abundance of caution related to concerns about the highly contagious delta variant of COVID-19, we will continue with our current social distancing practices and hope to be able to relax them within the first half of the semester.

UPDATED GUIDANCE: Thoughtful questions posed at last week’s town hall meetings with employees in Newark (click here for a recording), New Brunswick, and Camden helped us identify the need for further refinements to the Guide to Returning to Rutgers document. Look for a message later this week from Executive Vice President Antonio Calcado, directing you to an updated version of the document with new information such as:

• Updated Section on Face-Coverings
• New section on Reporting Concerns
• New Notifications Section

The university will also be releasing a second document, focused specifically on the return to classrooms. That document will also be announced by EVP Calcado in the coming days.

On a related note, as some of our faculty and others return to their offices for the first time in many months, the Return to Rutgers tech checklist includes tips and guidance on topics such as passwords, printing, RUWireless, and hybrid work essentials.

The new semester will also mark the return of Chancellor Brian Strom’s virtual Health Briefings, beginning September 9. These half-hour live presentations provide up-to-date information on our efforts to combat the coronavirus from both a research and public health standpoint.

OUR SHARED RESPONSIBILITY: As we return to a more normal mode of work, remember that this is a new normal, with new expectations. If you are sick or displaying symptoms of illness, please stay home. When you are on campus, please remember to wash your hands and to wear a mask and keep physical distance when indoors. These common-sense steps will be increasingly important as we repopulate Rutgers and prepare to coexist with the coronavirus safely and smartly in the weeks and months to come.

I wish our students, faculty, and staff the very best as we head into the new semester next week.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Holloway
President and University Professor