Thank You Sharks for Keeping Our Community Safe This Fall

NSU has been busy all summer readying our campus locations for the “Return of the Sharks.” To prepare you for a healthier fall, I wanted to share the latest information on NSU policies related to the ever-evolving landscape of COVID-19.
Medical and health policy experts agree that the safest path forward is to be vaccinated against COVID-19, so I continue to encourage all students to get vaccinated and I have mandated that all employees be fully vaccinated by Sept. 20. Students on the Fort Lauderdale/Davie Campus can receive a vaccine on our campus, and everyone can find a location by visiting: www.vaccines.gov. For mandatory staff vaccinations, Sept. 6 is the deadline to get your final Pfizer/Moderna shot or the one shot of Johnson & Johnson vaccine to be fully vaccinated by the Sept. 20 deadline.

  • Because of the emergence of new highly contagious variants and the fact that we have not yet reached the desired threshold of vaccination rates at our various locations, everybody at NSU will be required to wear masks in classrooms, at approved events, and while indoors at any NSU facility, whether you are vaccinated for COVID-19 or not. (On the positive note, Orlando and Jacksonville have both exceeded 70% in Vax Max reporting.)
  • All classes that are scheduled to be face-to-face this fall will be held face-to-face in the assigned NSU classroom, with everyone required to wear a mask. According to medical sources and our own records, high vaccination rates combined with safety protocols like mandatory face coverings and air quality measures result in classroom transmission rates being extremely low.
  • To help us return to a more normal campus experience, please register your vaccination status at nova.edu.
  • Any individual who is exposed to or tests positive for COVID-19 must self-isolate or quarantine off campus, and as such, we highly encourage everyone to have a plan in place ahead of time. Those individuals must report and coordinate with the COVID-19 office (covidcase@nova.edu) and should also consult with the Student Medical Center or their own health care provider.
  • In the case that a student must quarantine, they should contact their College COVID Coordinatorto receive guidance on ways to remain current with their coursework.

Remember, according to the CDC and NSU’s medical experts, vaccination is the best way for a safer and interruption-free university experience for all of us. As always, NSU closely monitors the public health conditions in our communities, and we are hopeful that with rising levels of vaccination reporting on the Vax Max portal we will be able to revisit our safety policies and protocols as appropriate.

 

Thank you for doing your part to keep the Shark community healthy this fall.

 

FINS UP!

George L. Hanbury II, Ph.D.
President/CEO
Nova Southeastern University