Vaccination Requirements

GRC Requires COVID-19 Vaccinations

GRC requires proof of vaccination, or approved exemption, for all on campus classes, activities, work or services. That means all students, employees, contractors, and visitors are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or properly exempted

Students taking face-to-face or in-person hybrid classes or utilizing on-campus support services such as the library, tutoring center, health education center RAC, Student Union, etc., must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, or can seek an exemption for legitimate medical reasons or sincerely held religious reasons. View Student Vaccination Requirements.

Students who are not vaccinated, or do not have an exemption on file are strongly recommended to enroll in fully online courses, but may not participate in on-campus events, services, or activities. Students who are not coming to campus for support services, campus appointments, or any other campus activity (or who are out-of-state or outside the US) must submit an online-only declaration each quarter declaring or attesting you will not come to campus.  View our class schedules to see what classes we’re offering face-to-face, in-person hybrid, virtual hybrid, and fully online formats. 

Per Proclamation 20-14.1, all GRC employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have obtained a medical or religious exemption. View Employee Vaccination Requirements.

Why is Green River requiring vaccinations?

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. Additional factors include:

• The Governor’s vaccination mandate applies to all staff and faculty at Green River College, regardless of whether an employee is working remotely or working on campus.
• College students are largely in the age demographic with the highest rate of COVID-19 cases and the lowest rate of vaccination for those over the age of 18. In Washington state, especially in the areas we serve, rates are at approximately 50% vaccinated for 18-34 year olds.
• New variants (such as the Delta variant) are more dangerous, with higher transmission rates, including among young people. This means the virus can rapidly spread through campuses with high numbers of unvaccinated individuals.
• Local, state and national public health agencies support vaccinations as the primary tool for preventing COVID-19 and ending the pandemic.
• Vaccinations are widely available and free.  
• Green River is committed to providing high-quality educational experiences for students, which includes providing access to on-campus resources and learning opportunities.
• We recognize that many individuals in our community experience uncertainty and distrust of a historically inequitable health care system. We also recognize that BIPOC individuals who contract COVID-19 have a higher incidence of severe disease and death, and we believe that vaccinations are the best way to counter that risk.

Get Vaccinated

COVID continues to be a serious public health threat and all three vaccines currently in use in the United States have proven to be highly safe and effective, are free, and are readily available. A list of vaccination sites and available appointments are found here: https://vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov.