É«É«À²

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Great strides have been made to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan and across the country, but it will take a collective effort to defeat the virus. It's what drives É«É«À² Michigan University's commitment to the —urging all community members who are able to get vaccinated.

"Through our COVID-19 Response Coordination Team and our Sindecuse Health Center, É«É«À² has been a leader among universities across the state in responding to the needs of our students, faculty and staff," says É«É«À² President Edward Montgomery. "We’ve demonstrated that, as a community, we know what to do and we are willing to do it. Let’s continue to work together as we progress toward a strong fall start."

É«É«À² joins more than 800 institutions nationwide in the challenge, including all 15 public universities in Michigan, focusing on three action steps to increase vaccination rates across campus:

• Engage every student, faculty and staff member.
• Organize your college community.
• Deliver vaccine access for all.

The University has elevated its efforts to protect the campus and surrounding communities throughout the pandemic, from COVID-19-conscious safety procedures and innovative remote-learning options to no-cost COVID-19 testing and on-campus vaccination availability. Because of this, É«É«À² is looking forward to a near-normal fall, with some 75% of classes returning to in-person instruction.

Vaccination is the most powerful tool to combat the spread of the virus and get closer to pre-pandemic life. Some of the ways Broncos are leading the charge to encourage vaccination and protect the community include:

• Sindecuse Health Center and the COVID-19 Response Coordination Team partnering with Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services on COVID-19 response, including to offer vaccination clinics for students, faculty, staff and their dependents.

• Continued access to vaccinations by appointment through Sindecuse.

• The student-led COVID-19 Student Coalition working with University administration to inform peers about safety measures, encourage healthy behaviors and act as vaccine ambassadors.

• Vaccination incentives for the entire campus community; students are eligible to win one of 60 scholarships worth up to $10,000, and any campus community member (student, faculty or staff member) who registers their vaccination with Sindecuse Health Center receives a Starbucks gift card.

• Continued communication with the campus community about the importance of vaccination and resources to schedule an appointment.

Stay up to date on É«É«À²'s vaccination efforts on the COVID-19 Vaccination webpage.

For more É«É«À² news, arts and events, visit É«É«À² News online.