Students, faculty and staff of Clemson University will not be required to receive a COVID-19 vaccine before being permitted to return to campus this fall, according to an email sent by Provost Robert Jones on Friday, April 9.
The provost explained the decision as being a result of the vaccines’ emergency use authorization (EUA) by the FDA. All three vaccines being administered in the United States – Pfizer, Moderna and Janssen – are approved only under an EUA, which allows for medical products to be made available in a shorter period of time during a public health emergency. 
A number of universities across the country have announced that they will require proof of vaccination for students and faculty on-campus, including Notre Dame, Rutgers, Syracuse and others.
The university said that it is strongly encouraging every student, faculty and staff member to get vaccinated in order to achieve widespread immunity.
“[A]s we hopefully enter the final phase of the global pandemic, our ability to return to a further sense of normalcy is within sight,” wrote Provost Jones. “But, our success is dependent on the participation of our community.”
A tool will be introduced in the coming days for students and faculty to upload proof of vaccinations, which will be used in a de-identified form to assist the administration in planning for the fall semester.
Students and faculty who are vaccinated must continue to get tested every seven days to have access to on-campus facilities for the spring semester, according to an email sent in March by Chris Miller, interim vice president and dean of students.
It is unclear at this time whether the university will require the vaccine when it is fully approved by the FDA. The Tiger is reaching out to the university for more information.