Dear colleagues,
The University of Tulsa is planning for a return to “new normal” business operations effective Aug. 2. University spaces will return to pre-pandemic occupancies, and furniture that was removed for reduced in-person operations will be replaced. Employees working remotely will be expected to return to campus on Aug. 2 unless they have been approved by their supervisor for a flexible work arrangement or by the university through the disability accommodation process. TU’s Flexible Work Arrangements Agreement is available on SharePoint.
On May 13, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new guidance with respect to the benefits of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Fully vaccinated individuals are no longer required to wear masks or observe physical distancing unless otherwise required to do so by law or policy. At this time, 53% of TU’s employees have reported to the Alexander Health Center (AHC) that they are fully vaccinated. To ensure continued workplace safety for all of our employees, TU’s mask and physical distancing policy will remain in effect and unchanged until 75% of the TU workforce is fully vaccinated. At that time, fully vaccinated employees and guests will not be required to wear masks or observe physical distancing on campus.
TU’s plan for the fall semester centers on preserving in-person operations. Public health experts believe that between 75% and 90% of people need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to prevent community spread and to safeguard against future shut-downs. To promote vaccinations and safeguard business continuity for the fall semester, TU will provide an additional floating holiday to nonfaculty employees once 80% of our workforce is fully vaccinated. Faculty incentives, also tied to our 80% workforce vaccination goal, have been approved by Deans’ Council and will be announced separately.
TU publishes updated workforce vaccination rates on its COVID-19 dashboard on Tuesday afternoons. To be counted, employees must verify their vaccination status by uploading a copy of their COVID-19 Vaccine Record Card to the AHC portal.* To make an on-campus appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine with no out-of-pocket cost, please contact AHC at 918-631-2241.
If you have any questions about TU’s COVID-19 policies, please email covid19@utulsa.edu. Thank you for keeping our community safe and healthy.
Sincerely,
Matt Warren
Vice President for Risk Management and Chief Compliance Officer
*Step-by-step instructions on how to upload your vaccination card and/or how to verify that your upload was successful are available online.