December 1, 2021
Dear students, faculty and staff:
As we continue to navigate a global pandemic, I wanted to provide you an early communication as to our planning for the spring semester as well as details about an on-campus opportunity next week to get the COVID-19 vaccine (be it your first, second or booster) and a flu shot.
We will begin the spring semester conducting weekly random mitigation testing on ALL students, faculty and staff — regardless of whether you are registered in our voluntary COVID-19 vaccine registry. Our random testing will begin the week of Jan. 16, which is the first week of the spring semester. Voluntary testing will continue to be available on campus for anyone seeking a test.
If you are selected for random testing in a given week, it is required that you complete it by the end of that week. You will be notified via email the week prior. There will also be a notification in your Safer Community app.
The Safer Community app will continue to be a tool for scheduling COVID-19 testing and for obtaining your results. However, in the spring, it will not be used for access to campus buildings.
I’m sure all of you have seen the news this week of a new COVID-19 variant. While it has been determined to be a variant of concern, little is known at this point of its transmissibility or its ability to evade immunity. The rise of this variant is an example of our need to be able to determine any spread of COVID-19 among all individuals on our campus, quickly isolate positive cases, and determine if additional testing is necessary to limit concentrated spread.
Vaccination remains the very best protection against COVID-19, particularly in preventing severe illness or death. The vast majority of our students, faculty and staff have provided their vaccine information into our voluntary registry.
Boosters remain an important tool in maintaining strong immunity against COVID-19. Also, it is important that you protect yourself from influenza. To those ends, next week we will be offering one-stop, on-campus clinics for anyone wishing to get the COVID-19 vaccine (first shot, second shot or booster) and — for UNL students only and through the University Health Center — flu vaccines. Those clinics are:
- Wednesday, Dec 8 — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Nebraska Union’s Regency Suite;
- Wednesday, Dec 8 — 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Nebraska East Union’s Prairie Suite.
Registration for second dose (Pfizer only) or booster recipients is available through the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department. Huskers seeking a first dose should begin the registration process here.
If receiving a second dose or booster, you will need to bring your vaccine card. Drop-ins are welcome at both clinics.
As always, we will maintain our close partnership with the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department. And should conditions warrant, we will adjust as needed to help keep our UNL community safe.
I have been exceedingly proud of how our campus has adjusted and managed through an incredibly difficult pandemic. We have been agile, compassionate and stayed focused on our mission of providing an outstanding university experience.
Thank you for your continued dedication to the safety of our community and good luck with your upcoming final exams and end-of-the-semester projects. Always remember that we are all in this together. Please continue to treat each other with grace and goodwill.
Ronnie D. Green, Ph.D.
Chancellor