To: Non-Compliant Students
From: Winston B. Crisp, Vice President for Student Affairs
Date: July 27, 2021
Subject: Your COVID-19 Vaccine Compliance Status
As of today, July 27, 2021, the University of Southern California has not received documentation of your COVID-19 vaccination. All students are required to submit proof of vaccination or request medical or religious exemption by August 1, 2021.
Please log on to studenthealth.usc.edu/myshr to upload your proof of COVID-19 vaccination as soon as possible. You must comply with USC’s coronavirus vaccination policy before classes begin for the fall semester. If you cannot receive a COVID-19 vaccine because of a medical condition (medical exemption) or a sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance (religious exemption), you must submit a fully completed and signed exemption request form as soon as possible for review and approval by the university. Students with approved exemptions will be subject to modified health and safety requirements, including mandatory testing (twice per week for undergraduate and once per for graduate students) as required by the university.
Although we recognize that some students may not wish to receive a COVID-19 vaccine for personal reasons other than religious or medical reasons, the university has determined that the vaccination requirement is in the best interests of the health and wellbeing of our campus community. Students without an approved exemption who object to vaccination should work with their school/program to discuss whether a voluntary leave of absence is possible. Students for whom a leave of absence is not possible and whose student health record does not reflect proof of vaccination, or an approved exemption, may face restrictive measures in accordance with the USC Student Handbook, up to and including suspension of enrollment in August 2021.
The university’s vaccination policy applies to “all faculty, staff, and students who work, live, visit or study on-campus” and requires documentation of either proof of vaccination or an approved request for an exemption for religious or medical reasons. This requirement applies to all students other than those enrolled in fully online programs who do not intend to visit any USC campus or other university premises this Fall. If you are enrolled only in online classes and do not intend to visit USC property, you are not held to the vaccine requirement.
If you are only enrolled in online classes and do not plan to access any USC property or services, your health record (only visible to you) will show “non-compliant,” and your Trojan Check will not be valid. If, however, you enroll in classes that are hybrid or meet in person or decide at a later date to access any USC property or services, you are required to meet the vaccine policy requirements before visiting campus.
If you are exclusively enrolled in an online degree program and encountering a registration hold, you may complete an attestation form and submit it to the COVID-19 Response Team at email@example.com; please provide your USC ID number along with the completed attestation form.
International students who have already contacted the university about a delay in accessing a World Health Organization approved vaccine should not experience any registration holds or restrictions and should plan on vaccination upon arrival in Los Angeles. Please contact firstname.lastname@example.org if you have disruption of services.