Frequently Asked Questions
CAMPUS LIFE
Current plans are for In-person student activities to resume. Dining, library, computer, religious, and recreational services will resume. Transportation (shuttle buses or vehicles) will be operational to support movement of students. There may be virtual options for some events.
Yes, all students are required to be vaccinated.
Students who fail to submit their vaccination information will be prohibited from having access to campus and moving into their housing assignments.
Students who are granted exemptions for medical or religious reasons will be required to participate in our weekly testing protocol.
No. Since we are requiring all students to be vaccinated we will return back to double occupancy assignments. There will be single room accommodations for students assigned at the Morgan View Complex.
COVID-19 precautions (masking, physical distancing, gathering limitations) may apply for indoor events to protect the health and safety of all attendees. We will continue to monitor the federal, state, and local guidelines to determine if we need to modify our campus safety guidelines. Students who are not cleared through the Vaccine Verification process will be prohibited from attending major in-person events on the campus.
Yes, visitors will be allowed on campus. All visitors will be required to wear masks indoors.
VACCINATIONS
COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. COVID-19 vaccines were evaluated in tens of thousands of participants in clinical trials. The vaccines met the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality needed to support emergency use authorization (EUA).
As part of an ongoing State of Maryland effort to expand access to vaccines, MSU has been selected to serve as a community vaccination site. Those interested in scheduling their vaccination at Morgan should visit the State’s GoVax site massvax.maryland.gov and select Morgan State University as their preferred site location for the vaccine when it becomes available as an option. Individuals without internet or computer access may make appointments by calling 855-MD-GoVAX (855-634-6829) or by walk-in registration.
MSU’s vaccine mandate applies to all MSU properties.
The vaccination card provided by the vaccination site or a note signed by a physician should be sufficient for documentation. Details on vaccine verification can be found here.
The University will review requests for medical exemptions to the vaccination mandate, as provided for under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Details on requesting such an exemption can be found here.
The University will review requests for medical and religious exemptions to the vaccination mandate, as provided for under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Details on requesting such an exemption can be found here.
For any student or employee returning to campus, you must be fully vaccinated two weeks prior to your return to campus.
Yes, you must be vaccinated regardless of whether you’ve already had COVID-19. Experts don’t know how long you’re protected from getting sick again after recovery, and it’s possible that you could be infected again with the virus that causes COVID-19.
If you were treated for COVID-19 with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma, you should wait 90 days before getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Talk to your doctor if you’re unsure what treatments you received or if you have more questions about getting a COVID vaccine.
If all of your classes are virtual and you are NOT accessing campus, you are not required to be vaccinated. If you plan on accessing campus, you must be vaccinated or seek an exemption.
Students who are vaccinated as well as students who have received a medical or religious exemption will be allowed to attend classes.
MSU will accept vaccines that are authorized by the FDA or the World Health Organization (WHO). As of 3 June 2021, WHO has evaluated that the following vaccines against COVID-19 have met the necessary criteria for safety and efficacy: AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, Johnson and Johnson, Moderna, Pfizer/BionTech, Sinopharm, and Sinovac.
International students who were vaccinated with an unauthorized vaccine may be required to test and quarantine upon arrival to campus. These students may also be re-vaccinated with an FDA-authorized vaccine.
If international students are coming from areas where vaccines are not widely available, vaccination will be offered upon arrival on campus.
Students who are not in compliance with the vaccine mandate may have their class registration canceled and will not be allowed to live in University-owned residence halls. Further, students not in compliance will be denied access to all University-owned buildings and campus services, including, but not limited to, academic buildings, dining, libraries, etc.
HEALTH & SAFETY
Effective August 9, all students, employees, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, are required to properly wear a mask or appropriate face covering while indoors in accordance with Baltimore City public health guidelines. This is subject to change.
Effective August 1, fully vaccinated students and employees will not be required to participate in routine COVID-19 testing. Un-vaccinated students and employees, who are accessing campus, must participate in COVID-19 testing two times per week. This is subject to change with greater frequency of testing.
Students exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms should seek testing guidance from the University Health Center.
Yes. COVID-19 screening questions will be used as a means to monitor the presence of COVID-19 within the MSU community. Effective July 12, 2021, MSU will be using the GatherSmart mobile-based app to answer the COVID-19 screening questions.
Given the vaccine mandate and low positivity rate, physical distancing restrictions will be lifted in the fall semester.
Housekeeping staff will continue to clean high touch surfaces in common areas. In areas occupied by a person who is positive for COVID-19 has been, additional measures for cleaning may be implemented, in accordance with CDC cleaning guidelines.
Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 (regardless of vaccination status) are required to isolate in accordance with CDC.
Fully vaccinated individuals who have been in close contact (within 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more) are not required to quarantine. Un-vaccinated individuals will be required to quarantine for 14 days.
Students who test positive or were in close contact with confirmed case of COVID-19 should contact the University Health Center for additional instructions. Employees who test positive or were in close contact with confirmed case of COVID-19 should contact Human Resources for additional instructions.
MORGAN FLEX
Morgan-Flex courses are face to face courses with real-time virtual course content streaming capabilities. The instructor will be in the classroom. Students may attend either face-to-face in the classroom or virtually through Zoom. Please be advised that if you are living on-campus or in university-managed housing, you are expected to select the in-person option.
Course sections designated as Morgan-Flex will have an “M” in the course section number in Websis/Student Self Service (example: HIST 101.M01). Please check the course schedule regularly in the weeks leading up to the start of classes, as additional adjustments may be made from time to time.
If the section that you want to add has seats available, simply drop the section you do not want to be in, and add the new section by the add/drop deadline (for spring 2022, the add/drop deadline is February 4, 2022, 5 p.m.). Please be advised that many students (including all freshmen) have advising holds or need alternate pins that will require you to contact your advisor prior to making changes to your schedule. Accounts receivable holds for past-due bills will also keep you from making adjustments to your schedule.
The University has done its best to accommodate the needs of students who wish to attend class in a non-face-to-face manner. In addition to Morgan-Flex classes, a number of classes are being offered as Web classes (asynchronous online classes). Web courses are designated with a “W” in the course section number in Websis/Student Self Service (example: MATH 113.W01). If you need to take a class in a non-face-to-face manner and it is not offered as either a Morgan-Flex or Web course, please contact the academic department to see if they may be able to accommodate your need or check with your academic advisor about other possible courses you can take this semester.
Students in Morgan-Flex sections will inform their faculty of whether they will attend class virtually or in-person by taking a brief Canvas quiz that will be available on the home page of the course's Canvas page. If you do not see the Canvas quiz by the first day of class, please contact the instructor. Also, please be advised that if you are living on-campus or in university-managed housing, you are expected to select the in-person option.
For proper planning and optimal effectiveness of the Morgan-Flex model, students need to decide at the beginning of the semester whether they will attend the course in-person or virtually. The ability to switch modalities after that initial decision will be at the discretion of the instructor. Please consult the course instructor if you wish to change your decision about which way you originally stated that you would attend the course.
- In-person/face-to-face classes are classes that meet on scheduled days at a scheduled time and in a scheduled classroom. The instructor and all students will be in-person.
- With Morgan-Flex classes, the instructor will be in-person, and students have the option to attend class in-person or Either way the student will attend on the scheduled days at the scheduled times; but face-to-face students will attend in the scheduled classroom while virtual students will attend via zoom or other live-streaming platform. Please be advised that if you are living on-campus or in university-managed housing, you are expected to select the in-person option. The course section number for these courses will start with a M.
- Online/web classes are asynchronous, meaning the class does not meet at a set time. Materials are posted online and students access and complete the materials in a more flexible time frame. These courses are reflected in the schedule as Online - Web-Based. The course section number will start with a W for web courses.
Students who do not submit vaccine verification or who are not approved for an exemption are limited to Morgan-Flex or Online/web classes. Students who are eligible to take face-to-face classes (have submitted your vaccine verification and/or been approved for an exemption), may select your courses for the semester from any of the modalities being offered. Please be advised that if you are living on-campus or in university-managed housing, you are expected to attend class in-person, even if you select Morgan-Flex classes.
Contact Information
General Questions:
covid19@morgan.edu
COVID-19 Testing:
covidtesting@morgan.edu
GatherSmart Screening Questions:
gathersmart@morgan.edu
Contact Information
General Questions:
covid19@morgan.edu
COVID-19 Testing:
covidtesting@morgan.edu
GatherSmart Screening Questions:
gathersmart@morgan.edu