Full-time, part-time, and student workers are subject to these requirements

An emergency temporary standard (ETS) issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) last week requires all employers with 100 or more employees to ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or require unvaccinated workers to produce a negative test result on a weekly basis.

Drake continues to review the ETS and is monitoring pending legal challenges. However, in the meantime, the University must prepare to meet the upcoming ETS deadlines, to ensure compliance with its requirements.

As a result of our community’s efforts to encourage vaccinations, the vast majority of our employees are already vaccinated and have uploaded documentation of their vaccination card through Drake’s secure online form. For these individuals, there is no further action needed. Thank you for doing your part.

Drake employees who have not yet notified the University of their full vaccination status are asked to do so by Nov. 23, through Drake’s secure online form. The federal vaccine requirement applies to all Drake University full-time, part-time, and student employees.

Moreover, employees who have attested to being vaccinated, but have not yet uploaded a photo of their vaccination card through Drake’s secure online form, are expected to complete this step by Nov. 23. Failure to submit proof of vaccination, will result in these employees being considered unvaccinated.

The COVID-19 vaccine is free and readily available in our community, often without an appointment. Find a convenient location.

Let’s continue doing our part. If you haven’t been vaccinated, act now to protect yourself and others and to continue the important work of our University.  

The University will hold COVID-19 Moderna booster vaccination clinics at the Harkin Center on Friday, Nov. 5, from 12:30–3:30 p.m. and Monday, Nov. 8, from 8:30 a.m.–noon. The clinics will administer Moderna booster vaccines only. Sign up in advance for an appointment on Nov. 5 or Nov. 8. 

Faculty, staff, and students are invited to come together virtually at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28, as the University shares bold, ambitious, and inspiring plans for its future. Faculty, staff, and students are the heart of this University, which is why we hope you will join us at drake.edu/nextgreatera to be a part of history with your fellow bulldogs.

There has never been a more important moment in Drake’s history to meet the challenges faced by our campus, our community, our country, and our world. 

The only way we can transform lives, strengthen communities, unite this nation, ignite the youth, and push society forward—is to do it together. We are the ones built for change.

We are the bulldogs. The devoted alumni, the dedicated friends, the driven faculty and staff, the diverse student body—the dynamic, connected, committed, and capable—redefining what a university does by reimagining what a university should be. We are a collective determining our own destiny.

Note: If you are unable to join on Oct. 28, the content will remain accessible at drake.edu/nextgreatera to view at a later date.

Starting Wednesday, Oct. 20, there will be a new process for obtaining a COVID-19 test on campus.

Test Iowa self-administered saliva PCR test kits will be available at the Student Services Center in the Olmsted Center. Students, faculty, and staff can pick up a test kit at no cost, and no reason is needed to receive a test kit.

Students with COVID-19 like symptoms are asked to notify the Student Health Center before administering a test so they can help determine if a provider visit is needed.

To take the test, follow the instructions included in the test kit. Please remember to record the test’s bar code number, which is needed to look up test results. Upon completion, return the test kit to the Student Services Center. Important: Student Services will only accept returned test kits between 8 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Monday–Friday.

Public Safety will collect returned test kits every weekday at 2:30 p.m. and deliver the samples to Polk County Health Department for testing. Results will be available through Test Iowa within 24 hours after the test kit is received. 

If you have a positive test result, please email the Contact Tracing Team immediately at contacttracing@drake.edu.

Faculty, staff, and students are invited to come together virtually at 6:30 p.m. next Thursday. Join us at drake.edu/nextgreatera.

There has never been a more important moment in Drake’s history to meet the challenges faced by our campus, our community, our country, and our world. 

The only way we can transform lives, strengthen communities, unite this nation, ignite the youth, and push society forward—is to do it together. We are the ones built for change.

We are the bulldogs. The devoted alumni, the dedicated friends, the driven faculty and staff, the diverse student body—the dynamic, connected, committed, and capable—redefining what a university does by reimagining what a university should be. We are a collective determining our own destiny.