Message from the President / GRC vaccination update
By Suzanne M. Johnson, July 15, 2021
Dear Green River College Community -
During the last year and half, we’ve faced many unique challenges as a College, community and nation. Green River responded swiftly and effectively, shifting much of our instruction and work to a virtual environment, allowing us to continue serving our community through the worst of the pandemic. Now, we face new challenges and opportunities as we begin the process of reopening our College.
In June, we announced GRC was planning a phased return to campus for Fall Quarter. This was followed by a new proclamation by Gov. Jay Inslee in early July that provided higher education institutions two paths moving forward: become a vaccinated college or remain a non-vaccinated college.
After reviewing the requirements extensively, and at the recommendation of the GRC Reopening Committee, Green River College will become a vaccinated college. As a vaccinated college, all students, staff, and faculty must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, unless they are claiming a medical, religious, or philosophical exemption. This decision was made because vaccination is the best way to protect the health and safety of our campus community.
Being a vaccinated college means:
- All are welcome to Green River College, regardless of their vaccination status.
- Employees and students will need to verify that they have been fully vaccinated unless they are claiming a medical, religious, or philosophical exemption. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the second Moderna or Pfizer dose, or two weeks after receiving the single-dose J&J vaccine.
- Students and employees who have verified that they are fully vaccinated are not required to wear a face covering at GRC locations. Anyone who is visiting a GRC location who is not fully vaccinated, or has not verified their vaccination status must wear a face covering at all times while at any GRC location. Individuals who are vaccinated but would still like to wear a face covering are encouraged to do so.
- We are currently developing a system to verify COVID-19 vaccination or exemptions and will provide more details in the coming weeks. This work will be completed by a cross-campus committee, including. THIS BULLET DOESN”T LOOK COMPLETE HERE
- GRC will continue to offer instruction and student support services in a variety of methods, including face-to-face, hybrid and online as we continue to meet the needs of our diverse learning communities.
Our objective has always been, and continues to be, to protect the health and safety of every member of our community while providing the highest quality education for our students. This decision allows for our community to come back to in-person learning and activities in a way that protects our health and safety, while also providing more face-to-face instruction and student support services, which are vital to students’ long-term success. For individuals currently working or taking courses in-person, we will be sharing additional guidance within the next week.
I want to extend my thanks to the GRC Reopening Committee for their due diligence and thorough deliberation in making this recommendation. More information is available on the college’s COVID-19 webpage, and more details will be shared in the coming weeks.
Stay well,
Suzanne
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