Employee Vaccine Requirement

To TCNJ Faculty and Staff,

From the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, TCNJ has taken community health and safety as its highest priority. Already the college is requiring all students enrolled for the fall 2021semester to be vaccinated against the virus, with certain exemptions for medical or religious reasons. I write now to inform you of comparable policies for faculty and staff.

To provide the safest possible and most fully engaged on-campus living, learning, and working environment, we are expanding our vaccination requirement to apply to all employees who are not members of a bargaining unit, as well as all employees in the bargaining unit represented by The College of New Jersey Federation of Teachers (AFT), Local 2364. We again express our gratitude to local leaders and members of TCNJ AFT for their commitment to this vaccination requirement for intra-community equity and safety.

Pursuant to this message, all non-unit and AFT-member employees who have not already done so must provide proof of full vaccination (the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine) by September 7, 2021. Directions for uploading proof of vaccination to the Oracle Cloud portal can be found at this link.

Employees with valid medical reasons precluding vaccination, as well as those with established and sincerely held religious beliefs that preclude receipt of a vaccination, may request an exemption from the vaccine requirement. Directions for submitting a request for medical or religious exemptions can be found on the Human Resources website. The deadline for submitting an application for exemption from the vaccination requirement is August 16, 2021.

The college will continue to advocate for vaccine requirement agreements with other TCNJ unions, including CWA and IFPTE, which are currently in negotiations at the state level. We will also conduct special outreach to our adjunct faculty members to inform them of the vaccination requirement and assist with their compliance. Our goal is a fully vaccinated campus community for the fall 2021 semester, again allowing for those who qualify for a medical or religious exemption.

Helpful information about the vaccines, including where you can get them, can be found at the New Jersey COVID-19 Information Hub or in resources listed on our Student Health Services site (scroll to bottom). You may also be interested in watching an archived recording of the July 28, 2021 webinar sponsored by TCNJ Student Affairs, which featured epidemiologist Meg Fisher. TCNJ plans to continue hosting vaccination opportunities on campus as long as there is sufficient demand.

We are grateful to the many members of our community who have already uploaded their vaccination certification through the Oracle Cloud portal. The numbers are impressive:

  • 88% of our combined police unions
  • 85% of AFT staff
  • 83% of non-unit employees
  • 76% of CWA employees
  • 74% of AFT full-time faculty
  • 69% of IFPTE employees

All faculty and staff members who upload proof of vaccination to the Oracle Cloud portal by September 7, 2021 will receive a $25 gift card to be used in Campus Town businesses. Details on where and when to obtain the cards will be forthcoming.

Thank you again for your ongoing and anticipated cooperation in our efforts to ensure a safe and healthy campus this fall. We look forward to a return to the in-person engagement so central to the TCNJ educational experience.

With resolve and appreciation,

Digital copy of Kathryn A. Foster's signature.
Kathryn A. Foster
President