Q: I recently had COVID-19, do I have to get the Booster?

A: Yes. Marist College is following CDC guidelines for COVID-19 vaccine series and booster.

According to the CDC “Getting sick with COVID-19 offers some protection from future illness with COVID-19, sometimes called ‘natural immunity.’ The level of protection people get from having COVID-19 may vary depending on how mild or severe their illness was, the time since their infection, and their age. No currently available test can reliably determine if a person is protected from infection.”

With regard to timeframe, the CDC guidelines state that individuals with recent cases of COVID-19 can receive the vaccine “once they have recovered from their illness and have met the criteria for discontinuing isolation”. The only exception to this is if an individual has received monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma.

Q: Am I required to have completed a vaccine series before arriving on campus for the 2021-2022 academic year? 

A: Yes, effective August 1, 2021, all faculty and staff must be fully vaccinated with submitted documentation at marist.medicatconnect.com.

Q: I received or will receive a COVID-19 vaccine outside of the United States. Will this be accepted as proof of vaccination? 
A: Yes. While Marist strongly encourages all students to obtain a vaccine with FDA emergency use authorization, the College will accept vaccines on the World Health Organization- Emergency Use List (available HERE) for any international faculty and staff.

Q: What does "fully vaccinated" mean?
A: The term "fully vaccinated' means that two weeks have passed since the final dose of your COVID-19 vaccination series.

Q: Can I access campus without being vaccinated?
A: Employees must either be fully vaccinated or have a valid medical or religious exemption on file with Human Resources. Please click here for instructions on filing an exemption. If needed, unvaccinated employees should work with the Office of Human Resources to make arrangements to access campus. 

Q: Can I appeal the College’s exemption decision? 
A: There will be no appeal of decisions made by the College regarding exemptions.

Q: If my medical or religious exemption is approved, do I have to complete arrival testing and quarantine procedures?
A: Yes. All employees with approved medical or religious vaccination exemptions must comply with the following requirements:

• Complete arrival testing within 24 hours of arrival to campus
• Mask while indoors in public locations (e.g. classrooms, lounges, common spaces, etc.)
• Social distance, wherever possible
• Complete mandatory attestations as directed by College policy and procedures (e.g. daily/weekly).
• Complete surveillance testing as directed by College policy and procedures. General employees who miss College-sponsored surveillance testing will be required to test at their own cost and submit an attestation of negative result.
• Comply with additional restrictions on high-risk activities (e.g., athletics, music, band), if applicable.

Isolation and/or Quarantine

• The College quarantine and isolation policy requires that employees safely return home or to other off campus locations for the time duration required. Marist is not providing general isolation or quarantine facilities except on a very limited basis.
• Employees who are exempt or not fully vaccinated must quarantine if exposed to COVID-19 and determined to be a close contact
• Any member of the Marist community who tests positive for COVID-19 will need to isolate per College policy regardless of vaccination status

Q: What do I do if I have been vaccinated but I misplaced my vaccine card?
A: Contact the healthcare provider or county health department where your vaccine was administered.  

Q: Why is the College requiring a COVID-19 vaccination for all on-campus faculty and staff? 
A: Vaccination against COVID has been shown to be highly effective at preventing moderate to severe illness, hospitalization, and death. Vaccination also significantly decreases infection rates and transmission.  It is the most effective intervention that will push COVID-19 infection to the background, and keep case rates among the campus community very low.  A high vaccination rate among the entire Marist community will allow the campus to return to normal operations, with minimal to no restrictions on activities for vaccinated individuals. Accordingly, Marist’s Board of Trustees voted to require COVID-19 vaccinations for all faculty and staff and students who will be on campus in person this coming academic year. 

Q: Where can I get an off-campus vaccination? 
A: Use the following resources to register for an off-campus vaccine appointment: 

• New York: Visit New York State’s vaccination site: am-i-eligible.covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov to schedule an appointment.   
• All Locations: Utilize Vaccine Finder, a centralized, searchable database, to track vaccine availability in pharmacies, health care providers, and municipalities across the United States. 

Q: Can I email my vaccine exemption request? 
A: No. All vaccine exemption request forms must be uploaded to Marist’s secure health services portal, Medicat. Students and employees should not email health information.  

 

Q: I recently had COVID-19, do I have to get the Booster?

A: Yes. Marist College is following CDC guidelines for COVID-19 vaccine series and booster.

According to the CDC “Getting sick with COVID-19 offers some protection from future illness with COVID-19, sometimes called ‘natural immunity.’ The level of protection people get from having COVID-19 may vary depending on how mild or severe their illness was, the time since their infection, and their age. No currently available test can reliably determine if a person is protected from infection.”

With regard to timeframe, the CDC guidelines state that individuals with recent cases of COVID-19 can receive the vaccine “once they have recovered from their illness and have met the criteria for discontinuing isolation”. The only exception to this is if an individual has received monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma.

Q: Am I required to have completed a vaccine series before arriving on campus for the start of classes?
A: Yes, effective August 1, 2021, all students must be fully vaccinated with submitted documentation at marist.medicatconnect.com.

Q: I received or will receive a COVID-19 vaccine outside of the United States. Will this be accepted as proof of vaccination? 
A: Yes. While Marist strongly encourages all students to obtain a vaccine with FDA emergency use authorization, the College will accept vaccines on the World Health Organization- Emergency Use List (available HERE) for any international students.

Q: I have already uploaded supporting documentation for my medical/religious waiver to the patient portal. Do I have to complete the process referenced in the email of July 1, 2021? 
A: Yes. All COVID-19 vaccine exemption requests for the Fall 2021 semester must be completed using the process outlined.  

If an exemption is granted, students may be restricted from certain activities and required to comply with additional safety protocols in order to protect the health and safety of the student and the Marist community in accordance with public health guidelines. 

Q: What is the timeline for vaccine exemption review? 
A: Exemption review will begin on December 15.  Students and employees will be notified within 15 business days of submission after this date. 

Q: Are students enrolled in fully online programs required to submit documentation of vaccination? 
A: No. While Marist encourages all students, faculty, and staff to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine, only those who will be in-person during Fall 2021 semester are required to submit documentation.  

Q: I am in an online program, can I be on campus? 
A:  Yes. Fully online students may visit campus as a guest. Individuals who are unvaccinated will be subject to all College and New York State public health policies and will not have access to student clubs/intramurals, or certain campus facilities including the fitness centers, and dining hall. 

Q: Why is the College requiring a COVID-19 vaccination for all students accessing campus? 
A: As per the CDC, a “Fully Vaccinated Campus” means fewer public health restriction for everyone. Vaccination against COVID has been shown to be highly effective at preventing moderate to severe illness, hospitalization, and death.  Vaccination also significantly decreases infection rates and transmission.  It is the most effective intervention that will push COVID-19 infection to the background, and keep case rates among the campus community very low.  A high vaccination rate among the entire Marist community will allow the campus to return to normal operations, with minimal to no restrictions on activities for vaccinated individuals. Accordingly, Marist’s Board of Trustees voted to require COVID-19 vaccinations for all faculty and staff and students who will be on campus in person this coming academic year.

Q: What does "fully vaccinated" mean? 
A: The term "fully vaccinated' means that two weeks have passed since the final dose of your COVID-19 vaccination series. 

Q: Where can I get an off-campus vaccination? 
A: Use the following resources to register for an off-campus vaccine appointment: 

• New York: Visit New York State’s vaccination site: am-i-eligible.covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov to schedule an appointment. You may also register for COVID-19 vaccination updates from Dutchess County Government to be notified when there is an appointment available at specific locations: www.dutchessny.gov/vaccineinfoform.
• All Locations: Utilize Vaccine Finder, a centralized, searchable database, to track vaccine availability in pharmacies, health care providers, and municipalities across the United States. 

Click here to view the CDC’s Frequently Asked Questions about the COVID-19 Vaccination. 

Q: Will Marist administer COVID-19 vaccines? 
A: During the Spring semester, the College offered COVID-19 vaccines to students, faculty, and staff. However, at this time, Marist College is not providing vaccinations.

Q: Is the vaccine required for individuals who have documentation of prior COVID-19 illness? 
A: Yes. According to the CDC, individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 should be vaccinated. “Experts do not yet know how long you are protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. Even if you have already recovered from COVID-19, it is possible—although rare—that you could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 again.”

Q: What do I do if I have been vaccinated but I misplaced my vaccine card? 
A: Contact the healthcare provider or county health department where your vaccine was administered.  

Q: Am I required to get the COVID-19 vaccine if I am concerned that it has only received Emergency Use Authorization status with the FDA?
A: Yes. While the COVID-19 vaccine has not yet received full approval, it has been approved for Emergency Use Authorization which required that it meet the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality. Additional information on the safety of the vaccine can be found on the CDC website, where it is noted that as of June 14, 2021 over 310 million doses of the COVID vaccine have been administered in the United States under the most intense safety monitoring in U.S. history.

Q: Will online classes be offered for students who choose not to be vaccinated? 
A: Students who choose not to be vaccinated can enroll in existing fully online programs. We do not anticipate a remote option for courses that are offered fully on-ground. 

Q: If I’ve already uploaded my vaccine documentation do I need to do it again?
A: No. vaccine documentation uploaded in Spring 2021 will fulfill this requirement. 

Q: Is there a way for me to confirm that the College has my vaccine documentation?   
A: Yes. If you have already uploaded your information, you can verify its status through the following instructions. Please do not contact health services to verify this information.

Q: If I was vaccinated at 51 Fulton Street in the Spring, do I need to upload documentation of my vaccination? 
A: No. If you were vaccinated at 51 Fulton or at WMC AND you swiped your Marist ID before departing the building, your vaccine information was automatically updated in Medicat. If you did not swipe your ID, then you must upload your vaccination documentation in Medicat.

Q: If the vaccine receives full FDA approval and I choose to get vaccinated during the semester will I be permitted to transition to in-person classes during the Fall term?
A: We do not anticipate a remote option for courses that are offered fully on-ground during the Fall semester. This means that students who elect to enroll in online programs must wait until the Spring semester to resume taking in-person classes should they receive the vaccine once the semester begins. 

Q: Can I submit documentation of my NYS Excelsior Pass as proof of COVID-19 vaccine?
A: No. Excelsior Pass provides secure, digital proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative test results; but it does not provide details of vaccination date(s) and type, which is required information to be submitted.

Q: Are students required to wear masks for the Spring 2022 semester?

A: Effective, February 18, Marist has modified its masking policy to be mask optional. We encourage a “mask friendly” approach, whereby those who wish to wear a mask respect those who do not, and those who do not wish to wear a mask respect those who do. As a campus community, we ask that everyone demonstrate empathy and understanding toward each other as we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic together. Those who would like to obtain a supply of either surgical or KN-95 masks may do so by emailing PPE.requests@marist.edu.

Q: Will there be exemptions to immunization against COVID-19? 
A: Students may request an exemption from the vaccination requirement for medical or religious reasons. Please click here for instructions on filing an exemption.

Q: Can I email my vaccine exemption request? 
A: No. All vaccine exemption request forms must be uploaded to Marist’s secure health services portal, Medicat. Students and employees should not email health information.