COVID-19 Vaccination Policy

(Política de Vacunación COVID-19 En español)

Updated May 23, 2022 (to remove testing requirements)

For Staff and Faculty

In order to support the health and well-being of our community, Harvey Mudd College (“HMC”) has implemented a COVID-19 vaccination policy. This policy is based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the California Department Fair Employment and Housing and local public health officials and is designed to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws.

Vaccination Requirement

All faculty and staff (including contract workers) who are employed at HMC and for whom the COVID-19 vaccine is approved/authorized by the FDA, must be fully vaccinated and have a booster shot against COVID-19 and show proof of vaccination and booster shot, unless an exemption from this policy has been granted as an accommodation or otherwise.

Fully vaccinated for COVID-19 is defined as greater than two weeks after receiving the second dose in a two-dose series [Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna] or greater than two weeks after a single-dose vaccine [Johnson and Johnson].

Ongoing testing is not an alternative or substitute to receiving the booster shot. 

COVID-19 Booster shots

The rationale for requiring boosters is as follows:

  • The HMC community includes many people who are either themselves vulnerable or who live with people who are vulnerable, people who are immunocompromised, older or too young to receive a vaccine.
  • Immune responses naturally wane over time, and COVID-19 booster shots have been shown to increase immune response significantly, both reducing the likelihood of infection and of serious illness.
  • Booster shots therefore protect the individual and the people around them making it less likely that classes will be disrupted, reducing the strain on our limited isolation space, and lowering the burden on local hospitals.

More information about booster shots can be found in the CDC’s booster information page.

Vaccine Administration

Employees are responsible for scheduling and obtaining all recommended doses of an FDA-approved/authorized COVID-19 vaccine and booster shot.

Visit MyTurn for more information on where to obtain the COVID-19 vaccination and booster.

Employees who are unable to schedule a vaccination or booster shot outside of regular work hours will be granted up to four hours off with pay, per dose, to obtain a vaccination. Requests for time off must be approved by the employee’s supervisor and, to the fullest extent possible, vaccination appointments should be scheduled at times that will least impact HMC operations (preferably at the beginning or end of the work shift).

Accommodation or Exemption Requests

Requests for an accommodation or an exemption (e.g. medical or religious based on an individual’s sincerely held religious belief, practice or observance) should be submitted in writing, using the Accommodation/Exemption Request Form. HMC reserves the right to request additional information/documentation supporting the need for an accommodation or request for exemption.

HMC will engage in an interactive process to determine whether an accommodation or exemption is appropriate and can be granted without posing an undue hardship on HMC, or a direct threat to the health or safety of the person making the request or others, that cannot be eliminated or reduced by reasonable accommodations.

Employees who received an exemption for medical or religious exemptions also will automatically be exempt from the booster shot.  No additional action needs to be taken. HMC will keep confidential any information obtained in connection with a request for reasonable accommodation or exemption and only share such information with those who have a business need to know.  However, HMC asks that you not provide any genetic information when making a request, responding to a request for additional information, or providing proof of vaccination in compliance with this policy.

Record of Vaccination

All persons covered under this policy must provide proof of full vaccination and the booster shot or submit a request for an accommodation or exemption to the Office of Human Resources, in a manner acceptable to HMC upon date of hire. All new hires must provide proof of vaccination and the booster shot or receive an approved exemption or accommodation before they will be permitted access to campus. Fully vaccinated for COVID-19 is defined as greater than two weeks after receiving the second dose in a two-dose series [Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna] or greater than two weeks after a single-dose vaccine [Johnson and Johnson].

A provider certification or CDC-issued vaccination card, which include the vaccination date(s) and vaccine name, are acceptable forms of proof of vaccination. Employees should use the COVID-19 Vaccination Confirmation form to submit proof of vaccination to the Office of Human Resources. HMC will keep any vaccination information provided confidential and only share such information with those who have a business need to know.

To request a digital copy of your COVID-19 vaccination record (CA only), please visit the CA.gov Digital COVID-19 Vaccine Record request form page.

Policy Enforcement

Any person subject to this policy who fails to comply with the terms of this policy may be subject to discipline, including and up to termination.

Policy Questions

If you have questions about this policy, please contact your area VP or human resources at hr@hmc.edu.

Notice

This is an evolving situation under further consideration and HMC retains the right to make additional modifications to the College COVID-19 Vaccination Policy for Faculty and Staff.