COVID-19 UPDATES
Updated COVID-19 Policies – Vaccination and Testing
Governor Pritzker’s executive order requiring that all higher education faculty, staff, and students receive the COVID-19 vaccine is still in place. Please be advised of the following policies:
All employees will be required to:
- Provide proof of being fully vaccinated for COVID-19 to Human Resources
OR
- Employees (including adjunct faculty and part-time and contract staff) who have not documented being fully vaccinated with Human Resources, must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test.
Those required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test must provide it to HR each Thursday by 5pm.
- This requirement will continue until employees either submit proof of full vaccination or until the lifting of the executive order.
- The test must have been conducted in the past week and cannot be an over-the-counter home-administered test.
All students (traditional undergraduates, BSMS, ESL, and graduate students) both full and part-time will be required to:
- Provide proof of being fully vaccinated for COVID-19 to the Lang Wellness Center. Submit via Jotform at: COVID-19 (jotform.com)
OR
- Those required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test must provide it to the Lang Wellness Center each Thursday by 5 pm.
- Commuter students who have not documented being fully vaccinated with the Lang Wellness Center, must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test.
-
- This requirement will continue until the student either submits proof of full vaccination or until the lifting of the executive order.
- The test must have been conducted in the past week and cannot be an over-the-counter home-administered test.
Free testing locations in Winnebago county.
All students (traditional undergraduates, BSMS, ESL, and graduate students) both full- and part-time will be required to:
- Provide proof of being fully vaccinated for COVID-19 to the Lang Wellness Center by September 5th. Submit via Jotform at: COVID-19 (jotform.com)
OR
- After September 5th, commuter students who have not documented being fully vaccinated with the Lang Wellness Center, must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test.
Those required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test must provide it to the Lang Wellness Center each Thursday by 5 pm.
- This requirement will continue until the student either submits proof of full vaccination or until the lifting of the executive order.
- The test must have been conducted in the past week and cannot be an over-the-counter home-administered test.
Free testing locations in Winnebago county.
Residential students who have not documented being fully vaccinated with the Lang Wellness Center will be required to participate weekly in the RU residential testing program.
- Residential students will receive directions and guidance about this program from the Lang Wellness Center.
Failure on the part of employees or students to comply with the requirements of the executive order will result in the individual not being allowed to work or participate in classes, programs, events, and activities of Rockford University (until such time as the individual comes into compliance).
Students, faculty, and staff who are due for a covid-19 booster and have not yet received one will be subject to quarantine protocols if identified as a close contact to someone who has tested positive for Covid-19. If you have received a booster, students should upload their proof of booster here:
COVID-19 (jotform.com). Faculty and staff can send their proof of booster to HR.
- Employees: please contact the HR office of Rockford University at 815-394-4376 or mdiventi@rockford.edu.
- Students: please contact the Lang Wellness Center at 815-226-4083 or healthcenter@rockford.edu.
Please note that the policies above are subject to change as additional guidance emerges.
Additional Resources
– Winnebago County Health Department (WCHD) – wchd.org
– Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) – http://www.dph.illinois.gov/
– If you have questions or concerns about COVID-19, call the Illinois Department of Public Health hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email SICK@Illinois.gov
– S. State Department – https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/ea/novel-coronavirus-hubei-province–china.html
– Center for Disease Control (CDC) – https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html; https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html
– Rockford University Lang Wellness Center – (815) 226-4083; healthcenter@rockford.edu
Previous Communications
Fall 2020 Academic Plan
The faculty and staff at Rockford University are excited to welcome students back in the fall, and today we are sharing our plans to offer our exceptional educational experience assuming Illinois Phase 4 guidelines will be in place.
Academic Planning Work Group
The Provost, Registrar, Academic Deans and Faculty Officers have been meeting to plan for Fall 2020 semester. We are finalizing plans which will be communicated to the RU community during the week of June 15-19. We are developing plans that follow IL Phase...
Student Life/Residence Life/Facilities Workgroup Update
This work group has been comprised of staff from Residence Life, the Lang Health Center, Operations, Dining Services, and Custodial. Their charge has been to examine the delivery of services across each of these areas in light of the Covid-19 situation.
Message from President Fulcomer – Fall 2020 update
While the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted virtually every aspect of our lives, I have no doubt that in ways we may not yet recognize or fully appreciate, it has made us stronger and more adaptable. The uncertainty of this time has raised questions about how Rockford University, along with our peers across the country, will resume operations in the fall. We are thinking about potential answers to these questions daily.
Stay At-Home order issued for Illinois
Governor Pritzker announced today, March 20, 2020, that a Stay At-Home order for the State of Illinois will go into effect beginning at 5 p.m. March 21, through April 7.
Message from President Fulcomer
The University’s Emergency Operations Policy Group is meeting daily as well as convening additional meetings via Zoom or conference call when needed to stay on top of the latest developments surrounding COVID-19.