UGA Campus Update
Fall 2021 News for Students
As the Bulldog Nation comes together again this fall, please take care of yourselves and each other. Mask up and vax up to help protect your families and friends, our faculty, staff and students. Vaccinating and wearing a mask will help keep our UGA community safe and healthy. Join the team to defeat COVID-19 at UGA. Follow the UGA Vaccine Ambassadors on Instagram. In this issue:
Vax Up! The University strongly encourages all faculty, staff and students to be vaccinated. However, based on USG guidance, the University cannot require students, faculty or staff to be vaccinated in order to be on campus.
Faculty, staff and students can schedule an appointment directly with the University Health center to get vaccinated and receive a limited edition t-shirt PLUS a $20 local gift card of choice, courtesy of the President’s Venture Fund. While supplies last, options include gift cards to the UGA Bookstore, Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, Fully Loaded and El Barrio. Getting your vaccine is fast, easy and at no cost to you.
Incentives are for new vaccinations only. Share the word with friends and colleagues!
Face Coverings The University System of Georgia encourages everyone—whether vaccinated or not—to wear a face covering while inside campus facilities. However, face coverings and social distancing are not required.
Any students who want face coverings can pick them up at no cost at Information Desks in the Tate Student Center and the Miller Learning Center.
Pursuant to state and University System of Georgia (USG) rules, we cannot ask our students or fellow employees for proof of their vaccination status, and we should not treat vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals differently unless dictated by law or applicable guidance. In addition, students should not be asked about their vaccine status and segregated in a classroom or from other instructor-student interactions (e.g., office hours, group work, field trips, labs, etc.) based on their vaccination status.
However, students may be required by off-campus partnering organizations to wear masks and/or be vaccinated as a condition of participation in experiential learning opportunities such as study abroad programs, externships and delivery of medical services.
Vaccine Clinics Faculty, staff and students can also take advantage of vaccine clinics being offered this fall at the Tate Center. The University Health Center is partnering with the Georgia Department of Public Health to administer COVID-19 vaccines at the Tate Center in room 137 from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. on Aug. 19, Aug. 23-26, Aug. 30, 31 and Sept. 2. Incentives will be available at the vaccine clinics while supplies last.
DawgCheck The Daily Symptom Checker on DawgCheck has been discontinued. However, any faculty, staff or student who tests positive for COVID-19 is still REQUIRED to report their positive test through the online portal and follow the guidance provided. The UGA community may also consult DawgCheck for guidance if they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and/or have been exposed to an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19.
COVID-19 Testing UGA will continue to offer free testing for COVID-19 to all members of the UGA community at the University Health Center. Based on CDC guidance, vaccinated individuals do not need to be tested unless they are symptomatic. Appointments can be booked via the Vet View scheduling process.
Student Well-being Resources When it comes to your health and well-being, know that you have the support you need, any time, any place. Whether you are on campus, studying from home, or studying abroad, UGA is here for you.
COVID-19 Student Educational & Response Team (CO-SERT) The COVID-19 Student Educational and Response Team (CO-SERT) is a temporary collaborative team at UGA, charged and led by Student Affairs, to provide a central point of contact, review and response or referral on identified questions and concerns involving students and COVID-19 health and safety guidelines. Questions and concerns from faculty, staff and community members related to students and COVID-19 health and safety guidelines may be submitted to askstudentaffairs@uga.edu.
Health & Safety Experts UGA senior administrators will continue to consult, as needed, with designated faculty and staff experts on health and safety matters throughout the academic year. The Medical Oversight Task Force will be co-chaired by Dr. Shelley Nuss, Campus Dean of the Augusta University/UGA Medical Partnership, and Ms. Jen Swails, Interim Executive Director of the University Health Center. Many of the health and safety recommendations made by the Preventative Measures Advisory Board in 2020-21 are now standard operating procedures for the University. Therefore, that body—at the recommendation of co-chairs Dr. Lisa Nolan, Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, and Mr. John McCollum, Associate Vice President for Environmental Safety—will be on inactive status this fall but on standby for consultation, if needed.
Watch For Dawgs! As more faculty, staff, students and visitors return to the campus over the summer, our community will be busier and more active as individuals walk, bike, drive and ride the bus on shared road spaces. Remember to give yourself extra time to travel across campus and as traffic increases, remove distractions (phones, headphones, etc.) so that together, we can make all of our roads safer. Safety is our collective responsibility; please keep your head up and Watch for Dawgs!
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