Yes, all full-time and part-time undergraduate, graduate, and certificate-earning students who come to campus are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
According to the CCD, in general, people are considered fully vaccinated:
Call/email your healthcare provider or use Vaccines.gov to find a vaccine location near you. Los Angeles County residents can also visit the Public Health Department for more information.
Currently, the following vaccines are available in the United States: Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson. Pfizer and Moderna require two doses, while Johnson & Johnson requires only one dose. Students under 18 may only get the Pfizer vaccine. This vaccine requires you to wait 3 weeks between doses.
Log into your student MyWhittier account. Under “Quick Links” click on the Student Health Portal link.
Log into your student MyWhittier account. Go to the New Student Checklist. Under section 2, click on the Student Health Portal link.
Any student who is unable to receive a COVID-19 vaccine currently authorized under FDA Emergency Use Authorization (for students in the U.S.) or the WHO Emergency Use Listing (for students outside the U.S.) due to a disability or sincerely-held religious practice, belief, or observance, may request an exemption to this policy by contacting the Health and Wellness Center. Students who opt out of the COVID-19 vaccine may not be allowed to live in the residence halls.
Undergraduates and returning graduate students who have not submitted their proof of vaccination or have not been approved for a medical or religious exemption will be dropped from all classes on August 10. You will not be allowed to attend classes for the Fall 2021 semester.
Fall instruction will be primarily in-person (on-campus) for the 2021-22 academic year. While limited online class options may be available, it will not be possible to complete all your classes online or be excused from in-person attendance beginning the week of August 24.
According to the Red Cross: In most cases, there is no deferral time for individuals who received a COVID-19 vaccine as long as they are symptom free and feeling well at the time of donation. The following eligibility guidelines apply to each COVID-19 vaccine received, including boosters:
If you have further eligibility questions, please call 1-800-RED CROSS (1.800.733.2767).
In March, the American Council of Life Insurers responded to a social media post that said payouts were denied to beneficiaries when the insured received a vaccine. “The fact is that life insurers do not consider whether or not a policyholder has received a COVID vaccine when deciding whether to pay a claim,” said Paul Graham, the organization’s senior vice president, in a statement March 12.
“Life insurance policy contracts are very clear on how policies work, and what cause, if any, might lead to the denial of a benefit. A vaccine for COVID-19 is not one of them."
According to the CDC: Yes. If you are trying to become pregnant now or want to get pregnant in the future, you may get a COVID-19 vaccine when one is available to you. There is currently no evidence that COVID-19 vaccination causes any problems with pregnancy, including the development of the placenta. In addition, there is no evidence that fertility problems are a side effect of any vaccine, including COVID-19 vaccines. Like all vaccines, scientists are studying COVID-19 vaccines carefully for side effects now and will continue to study them for many years.
No. According to the CDC, the COVID-19 vaccines do not change or interact with your DNA in any way.
There are currently two types of COVID-19 vaccines that have been authorized and recommended for use in the United States: messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines and a viral vector vaccine. Both mRNA and viral vector COVID-19 vaccines deliver instructions (genetic material) to our cells to start building protection against the virus that causes COVID-19. However, the material never enters the nucleus of the cell, which is where our DNA is kept. This means the genetic material in the vaccines cannot affect or interact with our DNA in any way. All COVID-19 vaccines work with the body’s natural defenses to safely develop immunity to disease.
Learn more about how mRNA COVID-19 vaccines work.
Learn more about how viral vector vaccines work.
Yes, all full-time and part-time faculty, staff, and contracted employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by July 1.
Employers/supervisors have a legitimate business reason to keep track of employees who have been vaccinated for safety reasons. As such may ask employees if they’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19 and may also ask employees to provide proof of vaccination.
You may ask, but coworkers are under no obligation to answer your questions regarding their vaccination status. Coworkers should refrain from asking follow-up questions about why an employee did or did not receive a vaccination.
According to the CDC, in general, people are considered fully vaccinated:
Employees may submit proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 via email to Human Resources at whittierhr@whittier.edu or directly to Stephanie Hernandez at shernan4@whittier.edu. All medical information submitted in the course of the COVID-19 Vaccination Program will be kept in a separate confidential file in Human Resources.
Acceptable proof of full COVID-19 vaccination includes a copy of your vaccination card—front and back—(which includes the name of the person vaccinated, type of COVID-19 vaccination provided, lot number, clinic site, and date the last dose was administered) or documentation of full vaccination against COVID-19 from a healthcare provider (which includes the name of the person vaccinated and confirms that the person is fully vaccinated against COVID-19).
While the vaccines are being distributed under Emergency Use Authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), employees and contracted workers will have the option to decline vaccination for personal reasons by submitting the Personal Declination Form. The declination form can also be submitted via email to HR.
Once the FDA approves at least one COVID-19 vaccine, however, Whittier will require immunization against COVID-19, with fewer exemptions. Employees unable to receive an FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine due to a disability or sincerely-held religious practice, belief, or observance, may request an exemption to this policy once enacted. Updated participation requirement details will be announced following FDA approval. How can I schedule an appointment to get the vaccine? Call/email your healthcare provider or use Vaccines.gov to find a vaccine location near you. Los Angeles County residents can also visit the Public Health Department for more information.
If you have further eligibility questions, please call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
In March, the American Council of Life Insurers responded to a social media post that said payouts were denied to beneficiaries when the insured received a vaccine. “The fact is that life insurers do not consider whether or not a policyholder has received a COVID vaccine when deciding whether to pay a claim,” said Paul Graham, the organization’s senior vice president, in a statement March 12. “Life insurance policy contracts are very clear on how policies work, and what cause, if any, might lead to the denial of a benefit. A vaccine for COVID-19 is not one of them. https://www.acli.com/Posting/NR21-012
According to the CDC: No. COVID-19 vaccines do not change or interact with your DNA in any way.
The Whittier College Office of Housing and Residential Life is excited to welcome students back to the residence halls for fall 2021. Our ultimate goal is to accommodate every student who requests housing. While we have begun to plan for the fall, we are still awaiting final regulations from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. We anticipate that those regulations will be released in early summer. We will provide more information after the release.
The following is the information we can provide right now:
Please contact Housing & Residential Life via email (residentiallife@whittier.edu) if you have any questions, comments or concerns. We will do our best to return voicemails but highly encourage students to email.
Whittier College does not endorse any off-campus housing search engines, landlords, or apartment complexes. However, the following websites and contacts may prove useful during an apartment search.
Students are encouraged to email Marysol Mendoza (mmendoz2@whittier.edu) should they need assistance with developing non-Whittier College housing plans.
The majority of campus employees have not returned to campus. Please email ResidentialLife@whittier.edu with any questions. Questions not related to Housing can be answered by the following offices.
Employees must be cleared for return to work or campus by Human Resources. Human Resources will confirm that you have completed the isolation or quarantine period, are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication, and that symptoms, if any, have improved. Neither medical certification nor a negative COVID-19 test is required.
Employees must be cleared for return to work or campus by Human Resources. If your symptoms are not COVID-related, you will first need to submit certification from your healthcare provider.
Nearly all community counseling and support services are still being offered through tele-health, on-line or by phone.
Check out Engage to see weekly Wellness Calendars and a plethora of De-Stress activities
The California Warm Line, 24/7, non-urgent mental health support: 855.845.7415
Project Return Peer Support Network (PRPSN):
English: 1.888.448.9777
Spanish: 1.888.448.4055
HealthiestYou offers free services covered under the UHCSR insurance plan. Services are available to students not enrolled in the College's insurance plan for a fee of approximately $40 to $85.
We recommend these apps which can be found on Google Play and the Apple App store:
For a more free and paid mental health apps, click here
The Bookstore is open with limited hours for the upcoming modules 1 and 2. The store will be open for in person and online operations.
Bookstore Hours of Operation
Monday-Thursday: 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday: 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
You are able to return rental check-ins both in store and through mail.
If you originally rented your textbook in the store, there is no option to buy or extend the rental on the website at this time. If you rented your textbook online, you have an option to buy or extend the rental on the website on the Rentals page.
The Whittier College Bookstore is open. Please contact the campus store to track your order.
Your item may be shipping from a location that has closed due to COVID-19 concerns. Your order will be filled when we are able to access that location again. Items that are in this situation are marked as “backordered” on the website. However, when you placed your order, the ship-from location may not yet have been closed or was in the process of closing so this backorder status may not have been displaying, check the item again now for confirmation.
The Whittier College Bookstore is open and you may purchase textbooks and supplies in person. You may also order from the bookstore website.
Yes, the Whittier College Bookstore is open and you may sell your books back. You may also sell back your books online (ship your books) through the “Sell Your Textbooks” link in the Bookstore site footer. On the Sell Your Textbooks page, refer to the Online section and click “Sell Your Textbooks” button.
No. If you are well enough to work while in isolation or quarantine, it is not necessary for staff to report sick leave on your timesheet provided you have been cleared in advance by Human Resources. If you are unwell and unable to work, please report sick leave as C-19 Leave on your timesheet.
Employees who become ill while on campus or who demonstrate symptoms consistent with COVID-19 should call the Health Center immediately, avoid contact with others, and depart campus as soon and safely as possible. If you are unable to depart campus because you are waiting to be picked up, rely on public transportation, or are unable to drive, the Health Center will coordinate moving you to a designated isolation room until transportation arrangements can be made.
