COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement FAQs

Yes.

All Butler University students, faculty, and staff are required to receive a full course of an authorized COVID-19 vaccination. Full vaccination means it has been at least two weeks since receiving the final dose of an authorized vaccine.

Yes. Because Butler has required COVID-19 vaccinations for students, faculty, and staff this year, and because we expect more than 90 percent of our community to be vaccinated early in the academic year, the likelihood of sharing a room with an unvaccinated student is very low. Still, not every student on campus can get vaccinated due to medical, religious, or other concerns, and it is important that we respect their situations and choices. Butler will not reveal a student’s vaccination status to another student, will not segregate students in the residence halls based on vaccination status, and will not accept requests to move students to new accommodations based on vaccination status.

No. All of the COVID-19 vaccines are currently approved for emergency use by the FDA and underwent extensive testing. According to the CDC, COVID-19 vaccines:

• Were developed using science that has been around for decades.
• Are not experimental. They went through all the required stages of clinical trials. Extensive testing and monitoring have shown that these vaccines are safe and effective.
• COVID-19 vaccines have received and continue to undergo the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history

Yes. Butler University will consider requests from students, faculty, and staff who have valid health-related, religious, or strongly held personal reasons for not getting a COVID-19 vaccination.

To request an exemption from the COVID-19 vaccination requirement, please complete the COVID-19 Vaccination Exemption Request Form:

• Students should complete and send the form to healthservices@butler.edu with the subject “COVID-19 Exemption Request.”
• Faculty and staff should complete and send the form to benefits@butler.edu with the subject “COVID-19 Exemption Request.”

All requests for exemption to Butler’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by our Human Resources and medical teams. Individuals will be notified in a timely manner if their request is approved or denied. Until a determination is made, requestors will be required to adhere to all University policies and protocols for unvaccinated individuals.

Yes. Among the protocols, unvaccinated individuals:

• Will be required to undergo regular COVID-19 surveillance testing throughout the semester. More details will be shared later.
• Will be required to quarantine for 10 days if they come into contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19
• Will be unable to participate in study abroad programs
• Will wear face coverings when indoors and in the presence of others

Yes; however, if you choose to not get the vaccine, you can apply for a personal conviction exemption citing your prior COVID-19 positive status. According to the CDC, experts do not yet know how long you are protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. Even if you have already recovered from COVID-19, it is possible—although rare—that you could be infected with the virus, or a variant of the virus, that causes COVID-19 again. Studies have shown that vaccination provides a strong boost in protection in people who have recovered from COVID-19.

If you were treated for COVID-19 with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma or if you have a history of multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-A or MIS-C), consider waiting 90 days before getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Talk to your doctor if you have questions.

Students, faculty, and staff are expected to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination prior to August 1, 2022. You can find a vaccination clinic near you and schedule an appointment through the CDC website. For individuals who are unable to get fully vaccinated by August 1, the University intends to host a vaccination clinic on campus in August. More details about the vaccination clinic will be communicated in the coming weeks.

Students, faculty, and staff who are not fully vaccinated by August 1, 2022 are expected to follow all University policies and protocols for unvaccinated individuals until they become fully vaccinated.

All students, faculty, and staff are required to show proof that they have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19. If you have previously sent a photo of your vaccination card to Health Services, there is no need to take further action. For those who have not yet sent their vaccination card to Health Services, you can easily upload a photo of your vaccination card into our system. Please follow the instructions below, or click here to see these instructions with graphics.

1. Go to myhealth.butler.edu and log in with your Butler credentials
2. Click “Immunizations” from the left-hand side of the window
3. Click on the “Add immunization record…” button towards the top of the screen
4. This will then bring up a File Upload window for you to then search for the Immunization document you wish to upload.
5. We accept the following file types: PDF, PNG, JPG, JPEG, GIF
6. Once uploaded, click on “Save Records”

We highly encourage people to get vaccinated prior to August 1, 2022. Butler University intends to host a vaccination clinic on campus in August if we are able to secure enough doses of the vaccine. Details about a possible vaccination clinic will be communicated in the coming weeks. You can find a vaccination clinic near you and schedule an appointment through the CDC website.

No. However, Butler University highly encourages all campus affiliates and guests to receive the vaccine and will allow them to participate in on-campus vaccination clinics, as we have done in the past. Unvaccinated guests and affiliates are expected to adhere to University policies and protocols while on campus, including the wearing of face masks and social distancing.

No. All full-time undergraduate students are required to live in University housing for six academic year semesters except those who are: a) commuting from and residing full-time in the primary residence of their parents or legal guardians which is within 30 miles of campus; or b) married or civilly unified and residing with spouse; or c) are a legal guardian of a child and residing with said child; or d) are a military veteran with two years of active service.

Yes, the University may require COVID-19 vaccinations for students, faculty, and staff.