Butler University will require COVID-19 vaccinations for all students, faculty, and staff, Butler President James M. Danko announced today. The University has asked for proof of vaccination by August 1, 2021.
“It is quite clear to me that requiring the vaccine best supports an environment that allows us to provide an educational experience that is most effective, with the highest degree of safety, and the least number of restrictions,” Danko wrote in a letter to the Butler community. “Regarding the environment outside of the classroom, I am confident that we will be able to fully restore a vibrant on-campus experience, allowing our students to return to pre-pandemic activities.”
Butler expects that, by requiring vaccinations, it will establish herd immunity within its campus community—allowing the University to restore the campus experience for students, faculty, and staff this year. Butler is relaxing pandemic-era policies including face mask and social distancing requirements for vaccinated individuals and returning to full-capacity, face-to-face classroom instruction, normal social activities, and a standard academic calendar, including full Winter and Spring Breaks.
Butler’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement allows individuals with medical, religious, and strongly held personal convictions to request an exemption. University officials stated that each request for exemption will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Students, faculty, and staff who are granted an exemption will be required to follow certain health and safety protocols, including regular COVID-19 surveillance testing.
In April and May, Butler held a voluntary COVID-19 vaccination clinic on campus for students, faculty, and staff. Nearly 2,400 students received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine at the campus clinic before leaving for Summer Break. Hundreds of other students were fully vaccinated through internships and jobs, and others have indicated that they are getting vaccinated at home over the summer.
“We are encouraged by the number of people in our community who have voluntarily received the vaccine,” Brent Rockwood, Vice President and Chief of Staff, said. “We are well on our way to establishing herd immunity on our campus, which will allow us to successfully restore the campus experience for our students, faculty, and staff, with health and safety as the top priority.”
Media Contact:
Mark Apple
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About Butler University
Butler University is a nationally recognized comprehensive university encompassing six colleges: Arts, Business, Communication, Education, Liberal Arts & Sciences, and Pharmacy & Health Sciences. Approximately 4,500 undergraduate and 1,000 graduate students are enrolled at Butler, representing 46 states and 22 countries. More than 75 percent of Butler students will participate in some form of internship, and Butler students have had significant success after graduation, as demonstrated by the University’s 97 percent placement rate within one year of graduation. The University was recently listed as the No. 1 regional university in the Midwest, according to the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings, in addition to being included in The Princeton Review’s annual “best colleges” guidebook.