Welcome!

The following was sent to all incoming January 2022 students on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021.

We’ve been waiting for you, New Terrier,

Welcome! I hope your journey to this point has been filled with stories you will tell your friends and family for years to come. Despite seemingly ever-present global difficulties, we still get a chance to start anew. Just think, in a few weeks you will be able to refresh your experiences within the world with new people, discussions, associations, and, hopefully, plenty of serendipitous encounters along Commonwealth Avenue.

We are ready for you to arrive, find your people, and share your stories. You will join a group of Terriers who spent the last semester learning how to be together again. Even though they wore their masks indoors, reported their health status each day, and swabbed their noses each week, they lived. They navigated the world together and cared for each other.

You’ve made it this far, but we have another stretch to go. I need you to join the BU community spirit to help us keep this campus alive and well. It’s now time to get vaccinated and upload your documents.

Get Vaccinated and Upload Your Documentation 

It’s time to get vaccinated and upload your documents. As a reminder, all students are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, which includes a booster dose. Before joining our campus this spring semester, you must upload information about your status by January 1, 2022. This means if you have already received your first and second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, upload supporting documents to the portal, immediately.

You should get a booster dose as soon as you are eligible and upload documentation by February 4, 2022.  By this date over 95% of our community will have already been eligible for a booster. However, if you are not eligible by this date, apply for an extension and we will grant you temporary compliance until you become eligible. If you were vaccinated outside of the United States and have received a WHO-authorized COVID-19 vaccine that was not also approved or authorized by the FDA you will be required to receive a booster dose at least 6 months after your last COVID-19 vaccination.

Once you have received a booster, please upload this documentation, too. Only students who are compliant with the University’s vaccine requirements (or have received a medical or religious exemption or an extension) be eligible to move into BU’s student residences and may participate in activities prior to the start of classes (for example, Winter Weeks of Welcome (WWOW), Residence Life Programs, team practices, Resident Assistant training, organization and department retreats, and on-campus work). Additionally, if you have not uploaded your information into Patient Connect, you will be withdrawn from classes. (Below you will find instructions for how to upload your vaccine documentation.)

We understand that there may be extenuating circumstances that prevent you from being vaccinated before January 1, 2022. You may request to be vaccinated upon your arrival in Boston, by selecting an extension through Patient Connect. If your request is approved, you will receive an email and upon your return to campus, you will be required to schedule a vaccine appointment in the community or via Student Health Services.

We all put forward a lot of work to get this far. Thank you for vaxing and uploading. Now, let’s dream of our future on campus. Bring the spirit of BU alive and we will all see the possibilities of not just finding our place but how we belong at BU.

Excited to see you along Commonwealth Ave – fully vaccinated.

 

Fondly,

 

Kenneth Elmore
Associate Provost and Dean of Students

 

Frequently Asked Questions 

How do I upload my vaccine information?

  1. Log in to Patient Connect.
  2. Select the “Medical Clearances” menu option
  3. Select the “Update” button next to “COVID-19 Vaccines”
  4. Review the instructions and requirements for documentation
  5. Scroll down and select “Upload” to add your COVID-19 vaccine documentation
  6. Scroll down to the “Doses of Covid-19 Vaccine” section, enter the manufacturer and dates of administration.
  7. Click “Done” once completed

How do I request an extension due to extenuating circumstances?

  1. Log into Patient Connect.
  2. Select the “Messages” menu option, then select “New Message.”
  3. Select the “COVID-19 Message” option, then the “I request an extension to be able to receive my COVID vaccine once I arrive in Boston” as the reason, and continue.
  4. Complete the attestation, indicating that you attest that you are not able to receive the COVID vaccine prior to returning to Boston and agree that upon arrival in Boston you will promptly schedule a vaccine appointment at a BU vaccine clinic or in the community by February 4, 2022.

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