Dear students,
The University of Tulsa is excited to welcome you to campus this fall. I write today to share with you some important information about what to expect when you return next month.
Physical distancing and capacity
- We anticipate returning to normal capacity this fall without physical distancing restrictions. Classrooms, residence halls, intercollegiate athletics, events, clubs, social gatherings and other elements of campus life are returning to normal operations without restrictions. COVID-19 visitation restrictions will also be lifted for residence halls.
Masks
- Masks are no longer required, indoors or outdoors, on the TU campus. Consistent with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, people who are not yet vaccinated should wear a mask indoors. This will help protect you and those around you, further mitigating the spread of COVID-19. TU continues to welcome mask wearing by anyone who chooses to do so.
COVID-19 testing and vaccinations
- Return-to-campus and ongoing testing: To ensure a safe return to in-person classes and campus life this fall, TU will require all students to undergo a return-to-campus COVID-19 test and to participate in ongoing prevalence screening during the fall semester whenever prompted to do so. Regular COVID-19 testing is critically important to our ability to keep our students and employees safe.
- Rapid tests: During the fall semester, TU will employ rapid antigen tests in lieu of the PCR nasopharyngeal tests, which require laboratory analysis. These rapid tests will be conveniently administered on campus with no out-of-pocket expense to students, and your results will be sent to you via text message in as few as 10 minutes.
- Testing exemption for the fall: To be exempted from these COVID-19 testing requirements, students should upload a copy of their CDC Vaccine Record Card to the Alexander Health Center (AHC) patient portal as proof they are fully vaccinated. Fully vaccinated individuals are not required to undergo COVID-19 screenings on campus. Students who have not provided proof of vaccination to the university by July 31 will automatically be enrolled in our testing program, including return-to-campus testing, and will be expected to comply with CDC guidance for unvaccinated individuals.
- Already vaccinated? If you have received a vaccine, please upload a copy of your vaccine card to the patient portal following these instructions. If you have difficulty uploading your card or verifying that a prior upload was successful, you may email a copy of your card to vaccine@utulsa.edu.
- Want a vaccine? If you would like to receive a vaccine on campus with no out-of-expense, contact the AHC at 918-631-2241 for an appointment. Oklahoma law prohibits colleges and universities from mandating vaccines, but we believe the best personal protection against COVID-19, including the Delta variant, remains vaccination. The spread in cases in Oklahoma and our region is almost exclusively among unvaccinated individuals. We encourage our students to get vaccinated to protect themselves and others, and TU will continue to incentivize vaccination throughout the summer.
Quarantine / isolation procedures
- In accordance with public health guidance, TU will continue to require students to notify the university of a positive COVID-19 diagnosis and to follow all instructions related to isolation and/or quarantine. Students who test positive for COVID-19 must not attend class or participate in in-person campus activities until medically cleared to do so. Similarly, students who are identified as a close contact of a confirmed positive COVID-19 case must quarantine if they have not been vaccinated against COVID-19. Fully vaccinated individuals are exempt from exposure-quarantine requirements. Detailed information on TU isolation and quarantine requirements is available online.
- Anticipating a strong vaccination rate and low level of community transmission, TU will provide only limited isolation housing this academic year. Having emergency plans in place for quarantine and/or isolation is critical to protecting your own health and that of the entire TU community, especially if you are not yet vaccinated.
TU will continue to follow the science and the data. Rest assured that the COVID-19 Management Team is remaining in place for the fall and will allow the university to adjust operations to changing circumstances and communicate those to you rapidly.
If you have any questions about TU’s COVID-19 policies and procedures, please email covid19@utulsa.edu. We’re all looking forward to a more normal year that allows us to gather in person with far fewer restrictions, and we eagerly await your arrival on campus this fall.
Sincerely,
Matt Warren
Vice President for Risk Management and Chief Compliance Officer