July 2021
Dear Students:
Following months of careful consideration and discussion, I am writing to announce that Trocaire College will require all members of the Trocaire community—students, faculty, staff, and non-Trocaire service providers—to be vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to the start of the Fall 2021 semester on Aug. 30, 2021.
Our status as a major educator of healthcare professionals in the Buffalo-Niagara region means it is our duty to prioritize the health, safety and well-being of our students, employees, and the community at large. Requiring a COVID-19 vaccine—which has been proven safe and highly effective—is the best way to ensure that we have a safe educational environment for all. Accommodations will be made for medical or religious reasons consistent with applicable federal and state law.
The ability to have everyone vaccinated at the College will allow the College to revise the safety precautions we have been following throughout the pandemic such as:
- Ending requirements to wear masks and to socially distance on college property, except for those who are unvaccinated.
- Removing capacity restrictions and social gathering limits, including one-way directional signage and limits on dining in the Commons and lounges
- Ending daily health screenings and contact tracing logs
- Allowing delivery of take-out food and beginning the process of reinstating the Tim Horton’s in the Commons
This decision was made with the best interest of our Trocaire College community in mind, and was not made lightly. We are following guidance from the American College Health Association, New York State, the Center for Disease Control, and the World Health Organization. As a Catholic institution, in the Mercy tradition, we are guided by our legacy of caring and responsiveness to the needs of all members of our community, especially those that are most vulnerable.
In order to ensure un-interrupted access to the College by the start of the Fall Semester, which is scheduled for Aug. 30, 2021, students, faculty and staff are required to submit proof of vaccination or a request for a medical or religious accommodation. For compliance with this policy, community members will not be considered fully vaccinated until they have received both doses of a two-dose vaccine or a single dose of a one-dose vaccine.
Follow up communication on this policy and all COVID-19 protocols will be provided over the next several weeks as we prepare for our full return to campus in the Fall of 2021. More information on this decision will be sent via your Trocaire email. Please make every effort to read your Trocaire email on a regular basis. Your understanding and support is greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Bassam M. Deeb, Ph.D.
President
A hard copy version of this message was mailed via USPS on July 12, 2021.
