NewsTop Stories

COVID-19 booster now required for return to in-person classes

file photo by Jingyao Liang
file photo by Jingyao Liang

Vincent M. Franco
Staff Writer

All University of La Verne students and faculty who plan to return to in-person classes this semester  must provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination – and booster –  by today or within two weeks of becoming eligible for the third booster shot. 

This is an update to the University’s previous vaccination policy, and it follows the recommendations from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, and it is in line with updated COVID policies of universities across the state and nation.

“Having individuals be up-to-date is going to make a difference in our ability to (stay) in-person,” said Chief Student Affairs Officer Juan Regalado.

After the mostly online start of spring 2022  semester, most classes will return to in-person Monday.

The County Health Department along with state and federal health regulators consider the two-dose vaccine – plus a booster dose – the best protection against serious illness and the best way to slow the spread of the disease, as we enter year three of the coronavirus pandemic.

The University is offering free vaccinations and boosters via the health center by appointment.

“They are effective in reducing hospitalizations,” said Jamie Solis, director of student health services.

“It doesn’t mean that you’re not going to get COVID,” Solis said, adding that all COVID research finds that vaccination dramatically reduces the need for hospitalization. 

Vaccinations and boosters also slow community spread, protecting the most vulnerable, and lowering the chances that a new variant will crop up. 

Walk-in COVID-19 test clinics will also be available from 8:30 to 2:30 Monday through Friday, starting today, on the first floor of the parking structure at D Street and Arrow Highway.   

Those who received their vaccines less than five months ago will be eligible for – and required to get – boosters at the five-month mark. 

Students and faculty should  upload their vaccine information via a new portal system the University adopted, Med+Proctor, which can be found at the University’s student health web page.

The University will still allow vaccine exemptions for medical, religious, American with Disabilities Act, and philosophical reasons. Exemptions are evaluated via student services and human resources for students and employees respectively.Those exempt will be required to test for the virus regularly. 

Vincent M. Franco can be reached at vincent.franco@laverne.edu.

Other Stories

Vincent Matthew Franco is a senior journalism major with a concentration in print and online journalism. He has been involved in journalism and print media in high school, community college and is now at the social media editor of the Campus Times and a staff photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine. He previously served as arts editor.

Other Stories

Jingyao Liang, a junior business administration major and photography minor, is a staff photographer for the Campus Times.

Previous article
Artificial intelligence gets endowed professorship
Next article
Darkness brought to light through sculpture

Latest Stories

Related articles

News

Lecture discusses living in the present

Michele Assael-Shafia, assistant professor of law at the University of La Verne, spoke April 17 in the Ludwick Center Sacred Space, closing out the University’s “What Matters to Me and Why” speaker series for semester with a powerful message.
News

Leo Food Pantry offers food security to students

Food insecurity has been a concern among college students since before the COVID-19 pandemic. With the holiday season approaching, students at the University of La Verne have to look no further than what is already happening on campus.
Columns

Commentary: Trump plans to take our rights, deport our friends

As of Nov. 6,  Donald Trump has been elected as president of the U.S., winning both the electoral college and the popular vote, the latter for the first time ever. 
Arts, Etc.

Photography exhibit embraces creativity

A new macro-photography exhibit is on display at the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery on the Scripps College campus.