Chancellor Declares Campus “COVID Free!”

Chancellor Philip DiStefano declared in a campus-wide announcement today that CU Boulder is “100% COVID free, effective EOD September 15th!” September 15th marks the long-awaited deadline for students to complete their COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement. 

In a press conference immediately following the Chancellor’s statement, CU Boulder Spokesperson, Melanie Marquez Parra, explained that “even students who receive their final shot today will have their vaccination go into full effect starting at 5:00 pm on the 15th because that’s the deadline. They won’t have to wait two weeks for it to take effect!”

Marquez Parra alleviated reporters’ concerns that many students who are meeting the requirement are doing so by submitting an exemption request: “First, let me clarify,” Marquez Parra said, “it’s not a request. Nobody’s going to review the exemption and then approve or deny it. Students simply indicate that they are exempt.”

“Second,” Marquez Parra went on, “the process of getting an exemption is so arduous that no student would actually do it.” Marquez Parra went on to explain that any medical exemption must be “signed by a licensed physician and must include a date and a reason for exemption,” according to the COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement. Students submitting a non-medical exemption must simply say that they don’t want to get vaccinated. 

When asked what the implications are for students who do not complete the COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement by the deadline, Marquez Parra said, “Our students never miss deadlines, so this really shouldn’t be an issue. However, in the handful of cases where a student does miss the deadline, we will place a hold on their record to prevent spring enrollment and we will fine them $25.”

Thanks to this fool-proof plan, advisors and coaches can return safely and comfortably to in-person appointments.