COVID Update – Revised September 22, 2021
Dear Valued WSU Extension Volunteers,
We appreciate the hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours you have given to Washington State on behalf of WSU, and want to make sure you are aware that WSU is required to comply with Governor Inslee’s recent vaccination proclamation requirement. This health and safety proclamation that has been ordered by the Governor includes employees, contractors and volunteers. WSU Extension is aware of the challenges and frustrations this imposes. Clearly defining the processes volunteers will need to follow to verify vaccination or seek exemption in order to maintain volunteer status is high priority.
Below are a series of references, deadlines and explanations that provide further details.
- The Proclamation (21-14.1) (pdf)
- Deadline: All current WSU Volunteers are required to be fully vaccinated or exempted by October 18th. Volunteers who are not fully vaccinated or who do not have an approved exemption on file before they engage in active volunteer work after October 18 will be put on inactive status. They will not be able to engage in any volunteer activities with WSU Extension until proof of full vaccination can be observed or until an exemption request has been reviewed.
- Proof of vaccination: WSU Extension will announce a county-level process for observing & recording documentation of vaccination status for volunteers. See page two for examples of appropriate documentation.
- Exemption process: WSU Extension state-level exemption process (for religious or medical reasons) details for volunteers.
- All other ongoing protocols for health and safety remain in effect and should be followed.
Thank you in advance for your understanding, cooperation, and patience in helping us navigate this situation. We intend to develop a smooth process enabling us to comply with the proclamation efficiently and then, as WSU Extension volunteers and staff, continue the work about which we are all so passionate!
Read the Governor’s Proclamation (pdf).
Vicki A. McCracken
Associate Dean and Director
Michael J. Gaffney
Assistant Director
For questions, please email us at: extension.vaccinepolicy@wsu.edu.
For questions about exemptions, please email us at: extension.vaccine.exemption@wsu.edu.