Monday, Jun 14, 2021
Dear Students,
We are following up on our earlier announcement regarding the student COVID-19 vaccination requirement for the upcoming academic year.
Proof of COVID-19 vaccination (completion of the two-dose vaccine or one dose for single-dose vaccine) must be submitted via the Healthy Broncs portal no later than August 1, 2021 or for early fall arrivals, 2 weeks before arrival to campus. Rider will accept COVID-19 vaccinations authorized by either the FDA or World Health Organization (WHO).
Students who do not submit proof of vaccination by the August 1 deadline will not be allowed to attend in-person classes, live in the residence halls or otherwise access campus unless granted an exemption (discussed below).
Please note for new students: You are also required to submit proof of several other vaccinations by August 1, 2021 via the Healthy Broncs portal. Please click here for more information.
Information is available on the Student Health Center website regarding medical and religious exemptions. Exemption requests must be submitted no later than July 23, 2021 (extended from June 15) via the Healthy Broncs portal. Requests for exemptions will be carefully considered but are not automatically granted. If you were granted a medical or religious exemption in the past, you must resubmit specific to the COVID-19 vaccine requirement. Exemption decisions are communicated to students via the Healthy Broncs portal.
For those granted exemptions, certain on-campus participation is not guaranteed and may be limited in response to the course of the pandemic, vaccination rates and efficacy, and State and CDC guidance. Limitations may involve housing, testing, masking and distancing among other precautions. Information will be provided by mid-July as guidance and circumstances become more clear.
We understand you may have some questions or concerns and that some of you will have important decisions to make. Rider’s decision to require COVID-19 vaccinations of students supports our ability to return to more normal operations this fall with in-person classes, events and activities and a greater residential student presence. It is consistent with existing student vaccination requirements as well as with the decisions of hundreds of other institutions of higher education across the country and region. Additionally, the American College Health Association (ACHA) recommends COVID-19 vaccination requirements for all on-campus college and university students.
Please reach out to [email protected]
Sincerely,
The COVID-19 Implementation Team