MEMORANDUM

To:                   The Dalhousie University community

From:              Frank Harvey, Provost and Vice-President Academic
                        Gitta Kulczycki, Vice-President Finance and Administration

Date:               Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Re:                   Proof-of-full-vaccination procedures for winter term

In follow-up to our November 23 update, this message contains details of how proof-of-full-vaccination requirements will be applied for the winter term.

Please review the following communication carefully, particularly if you have not provided Dalhousie with proof of full vaccination.

• Instructions and next steps
• Consequences for non-compliance with vaccine requirements
• Accommodations

We have been able to provide a very safe, supportive campus environment this fall thanks to our students, faculty and staff who have followed Public Health and Dalhousie health and safety guidance. This impressive collective effort has allowed us to confirm very high double vaccination numbers — 98.2% full vaccination among the more than 22,500 registered individuals on campus.

This is all reinforced by an approved postsecondary safety framework and other provincial and Dalhousie requirements including continued masking. These successful measures remain the foundation of our safety plan for the winter term.

Our winter term approach to vaccination builds on what worked well this fall while addressing areas where improvements need to be made. Our principled decision in the fall to adopt a declaration and testing mandate came with the additional challenges of tracking thousands of tests. Our revised requirements remove the testing option for those who have failed to follow the previous mandate. The new measures and directives will include more stringent enforcement mechanisms and related consequences, more details of which can be found below.

These renewed efforts reflect our strong commitment to our shared health and safety, and our support and appreciation for the overwhelming majority of our Dalhousie community who have eagerly and enthusiastically followed our requirements during the fall term. For everyone who has already provided proof of full vaccination, no further action is required (pending any additional public health requirement for booster shots). We are committed to supporting you, and to supporting those with approved accommodations.

We know a significant number of those who have not completed their Campus Check, or were required to share regular proof of testing, may not be on campus, and many will be fully vaccinated by this point. We continue to compile information confirming numbers in this category.

Until this point, non-compliant students, faculty and staff have had the privilege of being surrounded by the overwhelming majority of our community who are compliant and contributing to campus health and safety. With significantly higher risks for unvaccinated individuals and the potential for further COVID variants of concern, the remaining non-compliant members of our community who are (or will be) on campus will be required to meet the same standards most of you have already met to make our Dalhousie campuses safe. The specific consequences of non-compliance are outlined below.  

Instructions and next steps

The following summarizes vaccination expectations for the 2022 winter term to participate in on-campus activities (courses, employment, services, programming & events, etc.), based on information we have compiled through the Campus Check process. This would also apply to students, faculty and staff who are conducting their work at alternate sites (ex. hospitals).

For those who have not provided proof of full vaccination, there are important deadlines below that need to be met through the winter term. Please review these deadlines carefully.

Consequences for non-compliance with vaccine requirements

Students

Students who do not follow the actions outlined above or as outlined in subsequent communications will not be allowed to attend in-person classes or on campus activities in the winter term as per the timelines outlined above. It is important to note that instructors and faculty members will not accommodate non-compliant students who are unwilling to get vaccinated or do not have an approved accommodation.

Based on the deadlines outlined in this memo, if you are not compliant with Campus Check requirements, a Code of Student Conduct report will be filed, and you will be immediately banned from Dalhousie’s campuses until the investigation and Code of Conduct process is completed. Disciplinary consequences would range up to and include de-registration from courses.

Faculty and staff

Employees (faculty/staff) who do not register with Campus Check to provide proof of vaccination, or do not request and then submit an approved accommodation, will face disciplinary consequences consistent with the terms of their contracts of employment (including collective agreements) up to and including unpaid leave and termination of employment.

Given the range of possible consequences available through these mechanisms, we will not be outlining specific enforcement details but reaffirm our commitment and assurance that we will use the tools available to us to support compliance with these revised vaccination requirements.

Accommodations

Individuals may seek an accommodation from Dalhousie’s vaccine requirements. Accommodations will be handled through the standard accommodation process. If an accommodation for vaccine exemption is approved, testing will be required in the majority of cases. It is anticipated most accommodations will be a result of medical exemptions and that accommodations based on other grounds will be infrequent. If you have questions related to grounds for accommodations, you can contact Human Rights and Equity Services.

If you are applying for an accommodation, you should do by December 23, 2021. You will be required to undertake twice-weekly testing beginning January 4 (confirmed through Campus Check) until your application can be reviewed and a decision is finalized.

Students: Please see our Student Accommodation Policy and connect with Accessibility Services in Halifax or Truro. If you have specific questions about impacts on your progress of study, please contact your program’s academic advisor.

Faculty and staff: Please contact Accessible Employment with Human Resources at accessible.employment@dal.ca

More information

Further details and FAQs regarding the updated vaccination process can be found on the Campus Check website. You can also email campuscheck@dal.ca with questions.

Thank you to all of you who are continuing to step up and do your part to support our shared health and safety.

Sincerely,

Frank Harvey
Provost and Vice-President Academic

Gitta Kulczycki
Vice-President Finance and Administration

Dalhousie University is located in Mi'kma'ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi`kmaq. We are all treaty people.

We acknowledge the histories, contributions, and legacies of the African Nova Scotian people and communities who have been here for over 400 years.