Employee Frequently Asked Questions
Our COVID-19 vaccine requirement means that all employees (faculty and staff) must receive the vaccine & booster, unless they have an approved medical or religious exemption. Those seeking such exemptions should contact Jana Grimes in Human Resources.
Who is required to get the COVID-19 vaccine?
The College has a one-time grant of up to 80 hours of sick time available to all staff who need to be away from work to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, quarantine or isolate due to a COVID-19 exposure or diagnosis. This time is available to ensure staff follow recommendations to quarantine and self-isolate as necessary. If more than 80 hours is needed, staff should contact Human Resources. The code to use is ‘SIOF’.
A faculty member who must be absent because of illness, shall report the absence to the Dean of the College immediately and shall make arrangements with other members of the department, and if necessary, with the Dean of the College, in order for the faculty member’s duties to be carried on without interruption. The salary of the faculty member will not be affected if illnesses are infrequent and of short duration.
Please report your necessary absence to your dean or your supervisor. We encourage you to self-report if you test positive for COVID-19 so the College can better monitor cases on campus.
If you have lost your vaccination card or do not have a copy, contact your vaccination provider directly to access your vaccination record.
If you cannot contact your vaccination provider directly, contact your state health department’s immunization information system (IIS). You can find state IIS information on the CDC website. Vaccination providers are required to report COVID-19 vaccinations to their IIS and related systems. Iowa’s Immunization Registry Information is accessible here.
If you enrolled in v-safe after your first vaccine dose, you can access your vaccination information using that tool.
If you have made every effort to locate your vaccination information, are unable to get a copy or replacement of your vaccination card, and still need a second shot, talk to a vaccination provider.
Grinnell College uses a collaborative decision-making model. This fall, that includes input from Terry Mason, Dean of Health and Wellness; Kasey Herbers, PA-C from Student Health and Wellness; and Heather Cox, Director of Emergency Management, in addition to:
- Dean Beronda Montgomery, VP of Academic Affairs
- Myrna Hernandez, Chief of Staff
- Sarah Moschenross, VP of Student Affairs
- Ben Newhouse, Associate VP of Student Affairs & Dean of Students
- Ben Cooprider, Staff Council Co-Chair
- Loyal Terry, SGA President
- Clark Lindgren, Executive Council Chair
The CDC’s research and endorsement of high-quality N95 and KN95 masks affirm their high effectiveness in protecting the wearer. This is reflected in the current CDC guidance that individuals at high risk should wear a high-quality N95 or KN95 mask or respirator when indoors. This is true at all levels of community transmission. The College makes KN95 masks available for this purpose and asks the community to be respectful of individual choices that students, faculty, and staff may make to mask based on their individual risk factors.
Please remember that anyone is welcome to wear a mask at any time. Please respect each other’s choices. High-risk individuals should mask as appropriate and can use the accommodation process if needed. High-quality masks will continue to be made available to students and employees.
