COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement for OU Employees

As of Dec. 7, 2021, a federal judge has blocked enforcement of the COVID-19 vaccine requirement that applies to federal contractors. The university’s efforts to comply with this federal vaccine requirement are suspended until further notice.


You can read the university's communication here.

Purpose

On Sept. 9, 2021, President Biden issued an executive order mandating COVID-19 vaccination for federal employees, federal contractors, and other identified individuals. After a careful legal assessment, it has been determined the order applies to Oklahoma research universities – including the University of Oklahoma – and their employees. We are obligated to adhere to the order. If we do not comply, OU runs the risk of losing hundreds of millions of dollars each year in federal funding for the life-changing research, education, and services we provide. Because of this federal mandate, and after thorough examination and consultation with government, medical, and public health officials, OU will require COVID-19 vaccination for all employees.

Who Must Comply?

To follow the federal requirement, all OU employees – including people appointed in HR PeopleSoft as faculty; staff; undergraduate and graduate student employees; part-time, temporary, and PEAK employees; scholars, research scholars, and associate research scholars; and graduate research and teaching assistants – must be fully vaccinated by Jan. 4, 2022, with a WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccine.

This requirement does not impact students who are not OU employees, and it does not include COVID-19 boosters. If an employee believes that health or religious reasons prevent them from receiving a vaccine, they will be allowed to submit a request for an accommodation. To meet the Jan. 4 deadline, employees are encouraged to begin the vaccination process quickly, as some vaccine protocols take several weeks for full vaccination. 

Proof of Vaccination & Accommodations

As recently announced, the University of Oklahoma must comply with the federal executive order mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for federal employees, federal contractors, and other identified individuals. The deadline for employees to be fully vaccinated is Jan. 4, 2022. You may find details about this federal requirement here.

To comply with this federal requirement, all OU employees* must provide proof of vaccination or receive an approved accommodation request for an exemption to the federal COVID-19 vaccination requirement. Employees must submit this information through Employee Self-Service. Employees must complete the vaccination verification process in OU Employee Self-Service even if they have previously provided vaccination information to OU.

Instructions for Completing the Form- Employees

New Employees & Job Candidates

Once you’ve received a conditional offer of employment, you must become compliant with the federal COVID-19 vaccine requirements described on this page either by Jan. 4, 2022, or your hire date, whichever is later. You can become compliant in one of the following ways:

  1. Provide proof of vaccination in Employee Self-Service, which becomes available on your hire date.
  2. Request an exemption to the vaccine requirement through the HR Accommodations process. If needed, you may start this process before your hire date by completing this request form. Or you may complete the form in Employee Self-Service, which becomes available on your hire date.

If you need a computer or assistance in completing the online form, the Human Resources offices have computers on-site; click here for location information. If you cannot bring your form to HR or do not have login access information, you may complete this paper form. Please do not bring your vaccination card to the university’s medical clinics. 

About Providing Proof of Vaccination

 As a reminder, supervisors should refrain from requesting vaccine status from their employees. All proof of vaccination will be collected centrally via Employee Self-Service.

If you need a computer or assistance in completing the online form, the Human Resources offices have computers on-site; click here for location information. Please do not bring your vaccination card to Human Resources or the university’s medical clinics. 

Supervisors: Please be sure all employees are aware of this deadline to help them avoid disciplinary action.

Vaccination Availability

OU administers Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines free of charge, and vaccines are also readily available at area pharmacies and health clinics. Campus-specific information is available below for individuals seeking vaccines.

Norman Campus

Health Sciences Center

OU-Tulsa

Questions?

To learn more about OU's COVID-19 response, visit the OU Together site: ou.edu/together.

For more information, please review our COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement FAQs . You may also submit inquiries to OU Human Resources at vaccine@ou.edu.

To read President Harroz's 10/29/2021 email, click here.

Paid Administrative Leave for COVID-19 Vaccinations

Click here to read about the university's COVID-19 paid administrative leave.

OU COVID-19 Screening & Reporting Tool

Norman Campus:

To learn about when you need to complete the online screening and reporting tool for the Norman campus, visit this site.

Norman Screening & Reporting Tool

 

Health Sciences Center (HSC) Campus:

To learn about the HSC Campus Return Plan and when to complete the online screening and reporting tool, click here.

OKC HSC Employees should complete the OUH COVID-19 Screening Tool Form located here: https://covid19screening.oumedicine.com

OKC HSC students should complete this Screening Tool Form:  https://covidreporting.ouhsc.edu

 

OU-Tulsa Campus:

To learn more about the OU-Tulsa Response Plan, visit this site.

 

Resources for OU Employees

Resources for OU Employees
The university recognizes COVID-19 has changed all our lives and some employees may need assistance. 

General Family Resources:
Oklahoma Food Resources
211 Community Resources

Here are some resources to help families with children:

Helping Kids Manage During the Pandemic flyer
Child Care and High-Quality Educational Resources for OU Families
Visiting and Interviewing Potential Providers
Rainbow Fleet Child Care Services

Resources for families with elders who need care:
Additional Family Support: Elder Care
Bright Horizons Elder Care

Emails from Human Resources:
Day Care Email to OU Employees
Follow-Up Day Care Email to OU Employees

Remote Work Policy & Plan

The university has a Remote Work Policy and Plan. The university has implemented an updated version of its pre-pandemic telecommuting plan, now known as the Remote Work Plan. Permission to work remotely will be granted on a limited basis at the discretion of supervisors, and only with the approval of deans and vice presidents.

Click here to read the updated Remote Work Policy and Plan. 

Mental Wellness & Well-Being Resources

Taking care of yourself during this trying time is very important. View the OU Human Resources Employee Assistance Program webpage to learn about resources for a myriad of employee services. 

OU Magellan Employee Assistance Program 

Fraudulent Claims with OESC

The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC) has reported an elevated level of fraudulent unemployment claims. This problem continues nationwide and is not due to any OU IT or HR security issues. Oklahoma University employees have also experienced these fraudulent claims.

If an employee has received any information from the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (email, letter, debit card, or other communication) that they did not initiate, they should complete the form on the OESC website: https://My.OK.Gov/Forms/Report%20Unemployment%20Fraud

In addition to contacting OESC, you will need to contact OU Human Resources to report the fraudulent claim. Here are the contacts for each campus:

Norman: Cathy Bowers cbowers@ou.edu 

HSC: Patrick McClain at pmcclain@ou.edu

OU-Tulsa: Tandy Gourd III at Tandy-GourdIII@ouhsc.edu

OU Information Technology also suggests you report any fraudulent emails sent to an OU email address to OU IT Spam for OU IT Security review.

If You Suspect Fraud
Some employees may have concerns that their information has been used in a fraudulent claim, even if they have not received any information or indication a claim has been filed in their name.  

To check if an employee’s information has been stolen:

  • Go to the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission website: https://unemployment.state.ok.us/w2.aspx

  • The site will ask for a social security number

  • To file an unemployment claim, you are required to establish a 4 digit personal identification number (PIN) and answer 3 security questions. Your PIN and security questions are used to verify your identity and used each time you access your claim for unemployment. Do not answer these questions if you do not want to initiate an unemployment claim. If the site asks the user to enter their PIN that they did not create, it is possible a fraudulent unemployment claim has been filed on their behalf and they will need to report the claim with the OESC and contact HR Human Resources:

  • Norman: Cathy Bowers cbowers@ou.edu or Tammy Porter tporter@ou.edu

    HSC: Kyle McKnight Kyle-McKnight@ouhsc.edu or Jessica Rodriguez at Jessica-A-Rodriguez@ouhsc.edu

    OU-Tulsa: Kim Little at kim-little@ouhsc.edu



    •  

Questions?

Please keep in mind circumstances remain fluid and the university will continue to monitor the public health situation, adapting as appropriate.

Employees who may qualify for accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act or have a medical reason to work remotely may contact the Norman Human Resources Leave Administrator:

Vanessa Llach: VanessaLlach@ou.edu

Also, please note that any faculty and staff who had existing Telecommuting Agreements on file PRIOR to the onset of the pandemic will need to complete a new Remote Work Plan and receive requisite approvals on the date their existing Telecommuting Agreement expires.

For other questions, contact Human Resources at ohr@ou.edu. 

Contact Us

COVID-19 Documents for Hiring Managers
CORONAVIRUS CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE
Campus: Norman, OUHSC, Tulsa
Download PDF   (PDF)  
CORONAVIRUS EMAIL FOR HIRING MANAGERS_03122020
Campus: Norman, OUHSC, Tulsa
Download PDF   (PDF)