Updating pandemic protocols

This message is sent on behalf of President Susan R. Wente, Provost Rogan Kersh and Executive Vice President Hof Milam.

Dear Wake Forest community,

With great joy, Wake Forest honored more than 2,100 graduates during Commencement weekend last month. The University returned to its traditional spring celebrations for the first time since 2019, allowing our community to share these moments in memorable ways.

Reaching that milestone did not happen without great sacrifice – more than is typically required for graduates to reach the finish line – from every one of you. Since the beginning of the pandemic, each of us has been stretched and asked to show courage, flexibility and resilience in all aspects of our lives. 

For everything that you’ve done, both individually and as part of our Wake Forest community, we want to convey our deepest thanks. Your work has been inspirational and transformative.

In an April blog post, President Wente wrote about embracing change: “It’s how we approach change, not how we avoid it, that will distinguish Wake Forest.” We are positioned well to embrace change in the future in part because of how we have collectively handled so much transformation in the past. In that spirit, we’d like to outline the University’s approaches to the pandemic going forward:

For the WFU Community

• The Our Way Forward website will transition to a page that directs community members to relevant COVID-19 information on the websites of appropriate campus departments.
• Wake Forest’s COVID-19 Notice and remaining relevant policies will be available on policy.wfu.edu.
• Wake Forest will carefully monitor emerging public health guidance to determine any additional boosters and influenza vaccine requirements for the 2022-23 academic year. 
• Masks remain an effective option to mitigate risks to personal health. At times, the University may temporarily require masks in certain areas to mitigate the risk from clusters of positive cases.

For Students

• All students will continue to be required to provide proof of vaccination and a single booster. Student Health Service will coordinate future communication and administrative tracking of vaccine compliance.
• New students should submit COVID-19 vaccination and booster documentation by July 1 through the Health and Immunization Form as with all other required vaccinations.
• We will continue to maintain appropriate space for isolation and quarantine.
• Questions about COVID-19 should be directed to Student Health Service. If you test positive for COVID-19, you should first notify Wake Forest BestHealth at wfuwellness@wakehealth.edu or call 743-223-4217.

For Faculty and Staff

• The COVID-19 Sick and Care Leave Policy expired on June 1, 2022. Individuals who requested this leave while the policy was still in effect are eligible to complete their leave.
• Current and new employees will continue to be required to provide proof of vaccination and a single booster.
• The Faculty & Staff Clinic will continue to be available for COVID-related questions and testing. Employees should continue to inform the clinic of any positive COVID-19 test results if tested elsewhere. 
• Additional questions about COVID-19 may be directed to askhr@wfu.edu.

Part of the move from pandemic to endemic is recognizing COVID, like flu or other seasonal viruses, as part of our lives. We believe that these changes address this reality, while still leaving us in a strong position to pivot if public health guidance indicates a different approach is necessary. 

We appreciate the work of the Wake Forest community in pushing through challenging times, and we hope you enjoy a restorative summer.

Sincerely,

Susan R. Wente
President

Rogan Kersh
Provost

Hof Milam
Executive Vice President