Deputy Chancellor Preble provides updates on the vaccine booster requirement and required re-entry testing
Dear UMassD Commuter Students,
I hope your winter break is going well and you are finding time to rest and recharge for the upcoming spring semester. I am writing to affirm that UMass Dartmouth continues to plan to be fully open for on-campus, in-person instruction for the Spring 2022 semester. I also want to provide more details following the December 21 email about two key COVID-related requirements for the spring semester.
First, UMass Dartmouth requires all students, faculty, and staff who wish to live, learn, and work on campus in 2022 to supplement their COVID-19 vaccination with a booster shot when they are eligible to do so. If you have already received your booster shot, please upload it to the Health Services Patient Portal. View our Uploading COVID Booster Guide for help. If you are eligible but have not received your booster shot yet, please make an appointment as soon as possible to obtain your booster before the start of the semester. You’re eligible for a booster shot 6 months after your second Moderna shot, 5 months after your second Pfizer shot, and 2 months after your J&J shot. For more information on booster shots and eligibility, please review our Vaccination Frequently Asked Questions.
Second, the university requires all students, faculty, and staff returning to campus in January 2022 to be tested for COVID-19 on arrival. All students need to be tested as close to their first day back on campus in January as possible. If you do not feel well or have symptoms of COVID-19, please test at home, and do not come to campus until you receive a negative result.
You can satisfy the re-entry testing requirement in one of three ways:
1. Test on campus in the Woodland Commons. Please schedule an appointment on your first day back on campus. The testing center is open on the following dates:
- Monday, January 17, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Tuesday, January 18, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Wednesday, January 19, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Thursday, January 20, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
2. Take an observed COVID-19 test through your local pharmacy or doctor’s office no more than 48 hours before your first day back on campus. Please upload your re-entry test result here. View our Uploading COVID-19 Test Results Guide for help.
3. If you have tested positive for COVID-19 on or after October 10, 2021, you are exempt from this requirement for re-entry testing. Please upload your observed positive test result here by Friday, January 14. View our Uploading COVID-19 Test Results Guide for help.
In addition, if you have an approved COVID-19 vaccination exemption, this arrival test will satisfy both your first required weekly test and the required re-entry test. To learn more, please review our Frequently Asked Questions. If you have any questions, please email corona.virus@umassd.edu. Thank you in advance for your efforts to keep the UMass Dartmouth community safe and healthy this spring.
We look forward to seeing you on campus soon.
Best,
Mark Preble
Deputy Chancellor / Acting Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs