Dear Students,

While you are enjoying your summer break, we are busy preparing the Evergreen campus for a wonderful Fall 2021 semester. We are looking forward to the upcoming opening of the Fernandez Center for Innovation and Collaborative Learning, which will add extraordinary space for learning and gathering. Thanks to the COVID-19 vaccines and the fact that almost everyone within our community will be vaccinated, we are looking forward to an exceptional in-person academic, extracurricular, and residential experience. I hope you are as excited as my colleagues at Loyola are about all that Fall 2021 will bring. 

I write today to share a few updates. 

Mask Requirements 
In accordance with city and state policies, the outdoor mask mandate has been lifted on Loyola's campuses. The indoor mask mandate will be lifted effective July 1, 2021, in accordance with the city policy. If you feel more comfortable wearing a mask, please continue to wear a mask while on Loyola’s campuses. Anyone who is unvaccinated should continue to follow CDC guidelines for unvaccinated individuals.

The University will continue to look to guidance from health experts and government officials when determining future COVID-19 policies.

Vaccinations and Health Services 
All undergraduate and graduate students attending classes in person must receive their final dose of one of the COVID-19 vaccines and send proof of the vaccination to healthservices@loyola.edu by Aug. 1, 2021. Exemptions, which can be requested through this waiver form, are being granted only for medical and religious reasons.

You can find more information about the COVID vaccines on our COVID vaccine FAQ page. 

Students who are granted exemptions from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine will need to provide Student Health Services with a negative PCR test administered within 72 hours prior to their arrival to campus. They will continue to be part of the University’s bi-weekly surveillance testing—while students and employees who are vaccinated will not be in the surveillance pool. 

All students will use a symptom tracker to report symptoms each day. Student Health Services will provide students with on-site symptomatic testing—or referrals for testing after-hours. All students visiting the health center will be required to wear masks in the office. 

The University will continue to conduct contact tracing and provide a plan for isolation for residential students who test positive and quarantine arrangements for unvaccinated students who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19. 

Course Accommodations 
Because the Evergreen campus will be returning to normal operations in the fall, we will not offer a remote-learning option to undergraduate students, as we did last year.

Students with disabilities who may require an accommodation to return to in-person courses should submit their requests to the Disability Support Services office by July 23, 2021. Academic accommodations unrelated to a safe return to the physical classroom do not need to be requested by this deadline. 

In addition, classrooms will be at full capacity, and social distancing will not be required. 

Conclusion 
I hope you are enjoying your summer vacation, taking time for rest and rejuvenation, and looking forward to being back on campus this fall. You and your families are in my prayers.

Sincerely, 

Rev. Brian F. Linnane, S.J. 
President