All Stories

Carthage is planning a fully residential, in-person student experience for the 2021-22 academic year, with a full return to in-person classes and activities including residential life, athletics, fine arts, student research, and other extracurricular and co-curricular opportunities.

To accomplish these goals, Carthage has announced that it will require COVID-19 vaccines for all students, faculty, and staff, and provide three categories of exceptions to this requirement: medical, religious, and personal conviction.

“This decision reflects our understanding that, based on the scientific evidence we have, it is in the health interest of the public and our own community to have as many people vaccinated as possible,” Carthage President John Swallow stated in an email to students, faculty, and staff. “It also reflects our understanding that by maximizing the proportion of our community that is vaccinated, we can return to in-person, residential education in the safest way and with the fewest protocols.”

Students, faculty, and staff will have until Sept. 15 to submit proof of COVID-19 vaccination or express a reason for an exception. Carthage will hold two vaccination clinics on campus to encourage as many people as possible to complete the vaccination process.

“Picture campus at its most vibrant again: student organization activities filling the calendar, laboratories buzzing with original research, larger crowds at fine arts and athletic events, and spontaneous residence hall gatherings … all without masks!” President Swallow shared. “We look forward to this and more in the year ahead.”

Vaccinated individuals will not need to wear masks on campus, practice social distancing, or quarantine new CDC guidelines. Unvaccinated individuals will be required to wear masks, practice social distancing, and be quarantined if they contract COVID-19 or were in close contact with someone who has contracted COVID-19.

Additional details on new COVID-19 policies and instructions on how to submit the College’s vaccination status/exemption form can be found on Carthage’s COVID-19 website.