At the beginning of the Fall 2021 semester LSUS announced that students and employees will be required to be fully vaccinated this semester or begin undergoing weekly COVID-19 testing. COVID-19 presents unprecedented health and safety challenges for the Pilot community. In order to continue offering the safest possible environment for face-to-face classes on campus, we have implemented capacity limits in classrooms, social distancing in shared spaces, a mask mandate, case reporting for contact tracing, and quarantining. After October 4, 2021, and until further notice, we will require all students and employees (except for students and faculty who are in a degree program that is offered 100% online), to be either vaccinated or regularly tested.
We will begin weekly testing on October 4th for all unvaccinated students and employees of the university. Unvaccinated employees and students may request an exemption from vaccination but will still have to test once a week. Students wanting to submit an exemption can do so on myLSUS (https://www.lsus.edu/current-students/mylsus) starting on September 24th. Employees can download the COVID-19 Vaccination Exemption Request form from the Human Resource Management page (https://www.lsus.edu//faculty-and-staff/human-resources) and return it to the Human Resource Management Office. The university will contact unvaccinated individuals in the coming weeks with their testing schedule and protocols. On-campus testing will be provided at no cost to students or employees, and the university will also accept weekly test results from recognized testing providers in the region (primary care doctors, medical facilities, pharmacies, and vaccination clinics). In-home, self-administered test results will not be considered.
Compliance Categories
Students and employees will be considered within COVID-19 compliance if they fall into one of the following groups:
- Have received at least the first shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or the single shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine; proof of vaccination must be emailed to covidtesting@lsus.edu and vaccinations MUST be reported to the university for compliance by October 1st at: https://lsucommunity.iad1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aXiuvOCUy0FVzxQ
- Unvaccinated and undergoing weekly testing beginning the week of October 4th
- Unvaccinated with a submitted vaccination exemption and undergoing weekly testing beginning the week of October 4th
- Unvaccinated with a verified proof of a positive COVID-19 test within the past 90 days (at the end of the 90-day window, if the student or employee does not get vaccinated, they will need to begin weekly testing)
Non-Compliance
Students
Any student (excluding those in a degree program that is offered 100% online) who does not present evidence of vaccination must be tested weekly according to this Directive. A student who fails to comply will receive a warning letter and, during the Fall 2021 semester, will be prohibited from participation in Student Organization events, Student Activities Board events, Recreational Sports, or Collegiate Sports.
Testing will continue into the Spring semester, as will the expectation of continued compliance. Non-compliance for the Spring semester may include a student being disenrolled.
Employees
Any employee (excluding those faculty members who exclusively teach in a degree program that is offered 100% online) who does not present evidence of vaccination must be tested weekly according to this Directive. An employee who fails to comply will receive a warning letter for the first two weeks of non-compliance. Subsequently they will be given two weeks to re-establish compliance with this Directive or be subject to disciplinary penalties up to and including termination.
As always, the university leadership team, with the guidance of the Pandemic Action Team, will continue to monitor developments related to the COVID-19 virus, and may alter this Directive based on changes in the landscape of the pandemic.
