Dear Kent State University Student,
We hope you are enjoying your time at Kent State!
As you were informed in an email from the university on Dec. 23, 2021, Kent State has a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for all students, faculty and staff. Everyone is required to either get vaccinated and report their status to the university or receive an exemption from vaccination, and begin a testing protocol.
Until such time as you are compliant with the university’s vaccine requirement, you are required to get tested weekly for COVID-19.
There are two ways you can comply with this testing requirement.
- Get tested at one of the Visit Healthcare locations on the Kent Campus. For the week of Jan. 31, only the Eastway Lounge site is open, offering testing between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Expanded morning hours are available on Thursdays beginning at 7:30 a.m. When you get your test results, you will need to submit them at My COVID-19 Dashboard - Kent State University.
- You may perform an at-home test and submit your results at My COVID-19 Dashboard - Kent State University. This test does not have to be proctored. You may order free, at-home tests from the federal government here, or you may purchase test kits at a pharmacy, the cost of which may be reimbursed through your medical insurance carrier. Please note that the at-home COVID-19 testing kits distributed across the Kent Campus are not permitted to be used for this testing.
If you have tested positive for COVID-19 within the last 90 days, you do not need to take this weekly test. You will be exempted from the weekly testing during that 90-day period, but you must submit proof of your positive COVID-19 diagnosis here. After the 90 days are over, you must test weekly.
Failure to comply with this required testing may result in a referral to the Office of Student Conduct.
All new Kent Campus students have 30 days from Jan. 18, the start of the spring semester, in which to begin the vaccination/exemption process. By Feb. 17, you must either have received your first vaccination shot or requested your exemption. By March 19, an additional 30 days later, you must have finished your vaccination process and reported your vaccine or received your exemption.
- If you already are vaccinated, simply upload your vaccine information here.
- If you desire an exemption, here you will find the necessary forms to fill out to make that request. Exemptions are considered for three reasons: medical, religious or personal conscience. Keep in mind that if you receive an exemption, you will be required to submit to COVID-19 virus testing once a week. You also must test weekly until your exemption is approved.
- If you aren’t yet vaccinated, getting a vaccine is easy. You can schedule a vaccine at the DeWeese Health Center on our Kent Campus or find a shot at many other locations near all our eight campuses.
Anyone not in compliance by March 19 may face disciplinary action and will have a registration hold placed on their record.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation as we strive to keep everyone on our campus healthy as this pandemic continues.
Sincerely,
Lisa Dannemiller, M.D.
Chief University Physician
Interim Director, University Health Services
Melissa Zullo, Ph.D., MPH
Director, Pandemic Institutionalization Effort
Interim Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs
Program Coordinator – Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Professor of Epidemiology, College of Public Health