Administrative Mandate On Required COVID-19 Vaccination, Effective August 5, 2021

Purpose:

To protect and preserve the health, safety and welfare of the UNM community, the University of New Mexico will require that all faculty, staff and students accessing University facilities and programs be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 as soon as possible, but no later than September 30, 2021. This mandate requires all UNM faculty, staff and students who access campus facilities, housing, programs, services and activities in person to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, subject to limited exceptions and exemptions.

Application:

This mandate applies to all UNM personnel and students who access UNM facilities, housing, programs, services and activities located on the Main Campus in Albuquerque, the Academic Health Sciences Campus in Albuquerque, Gallup Campus, Los Alamos Campus, Taos Campus and the Valencia Campus. Campus facilities include, but are not limited to, office buildings, libraries, classrooms, dormitories, research laboratories, dining facilities, student centers, athletics facilities, entertainment venues, gymnasiums and university buses and shuttles. This mandate does not apply to employees of UNM Hospitals, UNM Medical Group and the Sandoval Regional Medical Center; these UNM entities have specific policies pertaining to their employees and facilities.

COVID-safe practices (CSPs) are currently in force at all locations listed above in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance and the New Mexico Department of Health (DOH) mandates. Individuals who are not vaccinated and do not have an approved reasonable accommodation may not be cleared to access University facilities, housing, programs, services or activities in person. A reasonable accommodation means any reasonable adjustment to a work, academic, or educational environment which provides equal opportunities to individuals with qualifying disabilities or serious medical conditions, or for the religious observances, beliefs, and practices of its students and employees.  Individuals who are not vaccinated may be required to participate in or implement additional CSPs to mitigate risk to others whenever they access University facilities, housing, services, programs or activities in person, including but not limited to more frequent and regular asymptomatic surveillance testing and symptomatic testing.

ADA Accommodation:

Disability/Serious Medical Condition: If a covered individual cannot receive the COVID-19 vaccine due to a qualifying disability/serious medical condition or medical contraindications or precautions recognized by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or CDC, a request for a reasonable accommodation must be submitted to the Compliance, Ethics, and Equal Opportunity Office for employees including faculty and student employees. A person who is granted a reasonable accommodation may be required to adhere to additional safety measures to ensure the health and safety of the individual and the University community, including but not limited to asymptomatic surveillance testing and symptomatic testing.

Students requiring medical accommodations in their academic environment must submit a request to the Accessibility Resource Center.

Religious: A reasonable accommodation to the COVID-19 mandatory vaccine policy may be granted based on a person’s sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance. A request for reasonable accommodation must be submitted to the Compliance, Ethics, and Equal Opportunity Office. A person who is granted a reasonable accommodation may be required to adhere to additional safety measures to ensure the health and safety of the individual and the University community, including but not limited to asymptomatic surveillance and symptomatic testing. UNM employees and students who are granted a reasonable accommodation are required to upload documentation of the accommodation at the vaccine verification site.

Existing Policies Concerning COVID-safe Practices:

This action supplements, and does not replace, existing policies and guidelines requiring all faculty, staff and students to observe CSPs including appropriate use of either personal protective equipment and/or face coverings, social and physical distancing, frequent handwashing and cleaning, and regular surveillance testing.

Procedures:

All employees and students must provide documentation of full vaccination using a vaccine authorized by FDA License or under an FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).  All documentation to verify vaccination or exceptions must be uploaded at https://goto.unm.edu/vaccineverification.  International students vaccinated with a vaccine from the World Health Organization Emergency Use List (EUL) may submit documentation of that vaccination; these students are recommended to be vaccinated again upon arrival in New Mexico using an FDA approved vaccine and subsequently submit documentation of that vaccination.

While available vaccines are under EUA,UNM employees and students may request a temporary exemption to this vaccination policy.  Such employees and students will be subject to regular covid testing, requiring that upon demand they produce documentation of a negative COVID-19 test within 7-days of such request, with the sample having been collected within 7-days of submission of said documentation. Once any vaccine for COVID-19 is available under regular FDA License, this exception by test will no longer be available.  COVID-19 testing required under this exemption will be at the expense of the employee or student seeking the exemption; the state of New Mexico has contracted with a test provider that currently will provide tests free of charge and this service may be used. UNM employees and students requesting this exemption are required to do so via the aforementioned vaccine verification website.

To protect the health of our community, all employees and students who are not vaccinated may be subject to restrictions on access to UNM facilities, including but not limited to Johnson Center Gym, Student Union Building (SUB), University Libraries, and various events.  Other limitations on their access to university programs may be imposed for the safety of the UNM community.

Employees working entirely remotely can request an exemption on that basis.  This request must attest that the employee will not access any university site or facility at any of our campus locations for any purpose, and must be endorsed by the employee’s supervisor. An exemption form will be provided to make this request, which must be signed by the employee and supervisor, and then uploaded by the employee at the vaccination verification site.

Students who are completing a remote online program while residing outside New Mexico during the Fall 2021 or Spring 2022 semesters may request an exception to the vaccination requirement.  An exemption form will be provided to make this request, which must be signed by student and the dean of the student’s academic unit, and then uploaded by the student at the vaccination verification site.

Existing university programs to incentivize vaccination will continue until August 31, 2021, such that any faculty, staff, or student covered under this policy who completes their vaccination series by that date will be eligible for an incentive. 

This action will be effective August 5, 2021.