Dear Pacific faculty and staff,

Thank you to those who have been vaccinated for COVID-19 and uploaded their information to our portal. We requested and encouraged all our employees to provide vaccination information in response to Cal/OSHA’s (California Division of Occupational Safety and Health) requirement that employers collect the vaccination status of their employees.

Unfortunately, our latest data show that nearly a third of our overall work force has not confirmed vaccination. While we recognize that some employees may still be lagging in uploading vaccination information, we also know that vaccinations are a critical component in our efforts to mitigate risk and protect one another’s health.

With the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff and community at the forefront, Pacific now requires that all employees (full-time, part-time, and third-party/contractors) working on any of our three campuses be vaccinated for COVID-19 and provide vaccination information in Pacific’s Health Portal by the deadline (see below). As with students, employees have the option to complete a vaccination declination form to waive this requirement for medical or religious reasons.

This decision to require vaccinations was not easy to make and was not taken lightly.  It is based on the recommendation of Pacific’s COVID-19 Council and is aligned with similar decisions made by many universities nationally, including the University of California system and many other private colleges and universities in California.

Pacific has revised its COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan and implemented revised employee best practices (per CDC and Cal/OSHA) based on their policies that an individual’s vaccination status determines the protocols that they will need to follow on campus, per state and federal guidelines.

For fully vaccinated individuals, there are no COVID-19 related restrictions on campus, with the exception of some clinical settings.

For unvaccinated individuals, those not fully vaccinated and those who have not provided the university their vaccination status, the following constraints apply:

• Wear a CDC-approved face covering whenever indoors (common spaces, classrooms, etc.) on campus (unless you are in a room alone).
• Maintain a 6-foot distance from other people when removing face coverings to eat or drink.

Employees who do not provide vaccination proof or have an approved declination form on file by Tuesday, July 6 will be considered unvaccinated until such time as the vaccination requirements are met.

If you have been vaccinated somewhere other than a Pacific clinic but have not yet uploaded your vaccination card to our secure portal, please do so as soon as possible.

The deadline for providing proof of vaccination or submitting a declination form is August 16, 2021. Anyone who has not provided proof of vaccination or has an approved medical or religious declination may be subject to progressive discipline and must follow the precautions outlined for unvaccinated people.

Vaccinations are a critical component in our efforts to mitigate risk and protect one another’s health, and support our ability to return to a more vibrant campus environment with the full range of activities and services that are essential to our students’ success.

Visit one of Pacific’s vaccination clinics or use California’s My Turn website to make an appointment at a location near you.

We look forward to seeing you back on our campuses.

Warm regards,

Christopher Callahan
President

Maria Pallavicini
Provost and COVID-19 Council Chair