Dear members of the UCCS community,

We sure are living in challenging times. Our understanding of the COVID-19 virus and the Omicron variant is changing every day. We know that this variant is much more contagious but less severe than the Delta variant. We believe that our strategy to do our best to contain the spread and still offer the best on-campus learning experiences we can is achievable in this new environment. We believe that vaccines and boosters are a vital part of that virus defense (though vaccine exemptions are available) and it is important to wear masks when indoors to protect yourself and others.

Here are a few other things we are doing on campus to limit the spread of the virus.

• We are making sure that air exchange in buildings is doubled and filtered to reduce the presence of the virus.  
• We will provide blue medical procedure masks when needed to anyone on campus.  
• We will offer testing as required and provide contact tracing when we are informed of a positive case.  
• We will monitor conditions on a by-class basis to determine when or if it is appropriate to change delivery modes to protect our students and faculty.  
• We will monitor local conditions and make operational decisions informed by those factors.  
• We will start classes in person next week; we will make another evaluation on Feb. 1 to determine if any changes to this plan are needed.
• We will impose gathering limitations as necessary.  
• This weekend, as we have students returning to on-campus housing, we will test returning unvaccinated students. 

Our priority remains the same: to ensure a safe campus environment that enables us to continue to provide the best educational environment for our students and support the faculty and staff who are striving hard to do so. Let’s make sure that patience, flexibility and compassion are at the top of everyone’s mind as we navigate these trying times together.

In my message to campus last week, I shared a few important announcements:

• Our spring semester will begin as planned, with in-person classes starting on Tuesday, Jan. 18.
• A COVID-19 booster shot will be required for all eligible students, faculty, and staff beginning Jan. 18 through the revised attestation process.

I also asked you to keep an eye out for additional information. Please find those details below.
 

COVID-19 Vaccination Attestation

All UCCS students, faculty and staff will be asked to complete an updated attestation beginning Feb. 1. Exemption requests will be considered. Watch for an email with your personal link to complete the attestation. 

The new attestation form will ask if you have received a COVID-19 booster. If so, you will be asked to fill in the month and year that you received the booster. The form will also ask for the month and year of your last COVID-19 vaccination. (This would be your second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or single dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.) Faculty and staff will also be asked if UCCS can contact the State of Colorado to verify their COVID-19 vaccination and booster dates. Granting this permission will eliminate the need to upload vaccine records in the future.
 

Events

Non-academic campus events should be kept to a minimum until we have a better understanding of how the new Omicron variant of COVID-19 is impacting our community. Please work with your dean or vice chancellor and consider if your event can be rescheduled, canceled or moved to a virtual environment. 

If an event is approved, event organizers should notify attendees that we strongly recommend that only fully vaccinated (including a booster, if eligible) individuals should attend. The face covering mandate remains in effect for all campus indoor events and activities.

Athletic events will continue as scheduled and will follow current campus protocols for spectators, including face coverings at indoor events. Athletes, coaches, officials and spectators will continue to follow RMAC rules.  
 

On-Campus Housing

Students who are moving into the residence halls this week were provided additional information about COVID-19 vaccinations; testing prior to moving in; and ongoing testing for those who develop COVID-19 symptoms, have an exposure or request testing for any other reason. Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated individuals will be tested at move-in. Residence hall students have received emails with this information from Housing and the Wellness Center with more information. 
 

Face Coverings Recommendation

Due to the highly contagious nature of the Omicron variant, public health experts now say that individuals should upgrade from cloth face coverings. Blue level three medical procedure masks (sometimes referred to as surgical masks) adjusted to fit tightly to your face are recommended (for up to 8 hours) to better protect yourself and others. We will continue to provide medical procedure masks at locations across campus, just as we did throughout the fall semester. 

For those wanting additional protection, the CDC recommends wearing two masks — a disposable medical procedure mask underneath and a cloth mask on top to help provide a tighter fit on the face. Make sure you can breathe easily if you choose this option. 

Individuals may choose to use a basic disposable N95 respirator instead of a mask. The campus will provide these respirators for those who are interested in this level of protection. Please note that OSHA requires fit testing for this level of respirator. A distribution and fit testing schedule for the N95 respirator is being developed and will be available soon. 
 

Key facts:

• According to the CDC, about 60 percent of KN95 respirators in the United States are counterfeit (fake) and do not meet requirements. You should thoroughly research KN95 and N95 masks before purchasing them on your own.
• The CDC does not recommend using face shields as a substitute for masks.
• We encourage the use of masks for faculty in all classrooms when they do not impact the delivery of content. Per the Chancellor’s Executive Order, faculty may remove masks when teaching when space allows for distancing greater than 10 feet.
• A poorly fitting or improperly worn respirator or mask may reduce its intended benefit.

To every member of our campus community: Your continued patience, flexibility and adherence to public health protocols is deeply appreciated. Thank you for your continued efforts to ensure that we can continue to learn, live, work and grow on the UCCS campus. You help us to stay Mountain Lion Strong.

Respectfully,

Venkat Reddy
UCCS Chancellor