Skip to content
Clark University
Healthy Clark COVID Plan

Vaccinations

Booster Shots Recommended

As COVID positivity rates creep upward, and with the presence of the Omicron variant now identified in the United States, the CDC is recommending that anyone over the age of 18 receive a booster shot. We encourage our community members to follow the CDC guidelines regarding the booster, which serves as an additional layer of protection from transmission and helps minimize the severity of symptoms. While both CVS and Walgreens are within walking distance of Clark, they likely will require an appointment to administer a booster. The CVS on Park Avenue can be accessed via the Clark Shuttle.

You can find out about vaccination locations in the area and learn how to make an appointment at the City of Worcester’s Vaccination Information site.

Vaccination Requirement

Clark students, faculty, and staff must be vaccinated to access campus. To do so, you must:

  1. Be fully vaccinated and have uploaded proof of your vaccination status to this secure portal, or …
  2. Have requested and received an exemption and uploaded your status to the portal. You can request an exemption through the portal for health or religious reasons, or for other well-documented reasons.

We reiterate: You are allowed to access Clark’s campus after ONLY if you have uploaded this essential information. Below, check out our FAQs about Clark’s vaccination practices and policies.

FAQs

Clark has determined that a vaccination requirement gives us the best opportunity to provide a complete residential campus experience in the fall, including in-person classes, formal and casual social activities, and athletic competitions. It is clear that the vaccines available to us are extremely effective at preventing COVID-19 and allow us to safely offer a robust and immersive learning environment.

Clark is requiring all students, faculty, and staff to be fully vaccinated. Anyone who plans to study or work on campus is expected to be vaccinated or to have received an exemption, and they must have uploaded their status to the secure portal.

Yes, an individual’s vaccination record is private and secure information that is not available to the public. Clark does not share health information, which would be considered a HIPAA violation.

Students are encouraged to work closely with Residential Life and Housing regarding room changes or adjustments that involve vaccination concerns. Resident assistants also are trained to counsel students on issues regarding their living situations and to facilitate dialogue. RAs will refer significant and persistent concerns to the RLH staff.

Yes. Clark anticipates holding on-campus clinics as soon as any additional vaccination (e.g. boosters) becomes available.

Clark has been following up with individuals who have not been vaccinated or submitted an exemption.  Students had until August 11 to comply or they would be removed from their courses. Employees who failed to comply were to have their access to campus buildings removed. The vaccination data is monitored and acted upon multiple times per week and will continue to be so over the next few weeks.

Staff do not have access to vaccination status because it is personal health information. For this reason it is not used in the housing assignment process. All residential students are encouraged to have open and honest dialogues with their roommates to establish appropriate health and safety standards for their space to protect one another.

Clark is following the CDC guidelines regarding unvaccinated travelers coming from outside of the U.S. These students will need to quarantine for at least 7 days and test negative on day 3-5. Clark is making arrangements for any students living on campus and is communicating directly with those students. The University also is offering a COVID-19 vaccination clinic on campus.

Yes. Clark has organized a vaccination clinic for students, faculty, and staff on Saturday, August 28, from 1 to 4 p.m. in Jonas Clark Hall, Room 120.

Please upload your information to this secure portal. The portal allows you to update our status after your initial submission, if needed.

Members of the Clark community may request an exemption from the vaccination requirement for medical or religious reasons by submitting a waiver request here. Supporting documentation for medical exemptions is required. Exemptions can also be sought for other well-documented reasons. Waiver requests will be reviewed and approved by a Clark panel representing Human Resources, Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, and Health Services, in consultation with the Clark Reopening Committee. Anyone granted a waiver may need to meet testing and other public health requirements that vaccinated community members do not.

No. Clark is planning to return to full campus activity and classes will be offered only in-person. Students are encouraged to speak to their professors about any outstanding accommodations.

Students who wish to enroll in Fall 2021 must either be vaccinated, or be granted a medical or religious waiver from vaccination. A well-documented waiver for other reasons can also be requested. Those refusing to be vaccinated and who have not received approval for an exemption will not be allowed to remain on campus.

Clark will accept international vaccines authorized for emergency use by the World Health Organization. Please submit proof of vaccination you have received abroad to this portal.

Yes. Clark has organized a vaccination clinic for students, faculty, and staff on Saturday, August 28, from 1 to 4 p.m. in Jonas Clark Hall, Room 120.

Despite the return to in-person operations this fall, we expect that some flexibility and customization of work routines will continue to be a part of the Clark fabric. Those determinations and accommodations will be made in collaboration with, and approval of, your department supervisor.

Please contact us at covid-19-info@clarku.edu.