COVID-19 classroom monitoring update

January 30, 2022

Reading Time: 2 minutes On Jan. 20 Utah Valley University released an announcement via email regarding the process of COVID-19 classroom monitoring. The announcement noted that at-home testing and public/private testing has affected the accuracy of the number of cases across campus. Wayne Vaught, provost senior vice president of academic affairs, Robin Ebmeyer, director of emergency management and safety […]

COVID test shortage at UVU

January 25, 2022

Reading Time: 2 minutes COVID-19 cases have been increasing since school has been back in session and Utah Valley University is experiencing a shortage of tests. “We are being asked to conserve testing supplies at UVU and as a community,” wrote Robin Ebmeyer, director of emergency management and safety, in the announcement on Thursday. “Tests should be reserved for […]

Controversial mask mandate in response to Omicron surge

January 18, 2022

Reading Time: 2 minutes The Utah Department of Health reported a record-breaking count of 12,990 COVID-19 cases in a single day on Thursday. In response to the highly infectious Omicron variant, Salt Lake County has issued an indoor mask order Jan. 8 through Feb. 7.   The order applies to all Salt Lake County residents and visitors, regardless of vaccination […]

COVID-19 updates and information

January 17, 2022

Reading Time: 2 minutes As we embark on a new semester and the Omicron variant surges, students are wondering what the semester is going to look like. Are students required to wear masks? Will classes be going back online? What are safety precautions? Robin Ebmeyer, director of UVU’s emergency and safety management, was interviewed and addressed some of these […]

A quick guide to CDC’s new isolation guidelines

January 8, 2022

Reading Time: 2 minutes With a surge in cases of the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has shortened the isolation period from 10 days to five days with use of a mask.  The first case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 was reported in the United States Dec. 1, 2021, according to […]

Mental Health during a Pandemic

November 27, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes The United Nations Children’s Fund released their annual report on The State of the World’s Children, warning that “children and young people could feel the impact of COVID-19 on their mental health and well-being for many years to come.”  In the beginning, the pandemic took everyone by surprise. Quarantine, lockdown, social distancing, and the impacts […]

FDA-approved Pfizer vaccine available on campus

October 25, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes The fully FDA-approved Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine became available at Utah Valley University last week, which UVU announced on Wednesday, Oct. 13. This vaccine is now available to students and their immediate family members for free at the UVU on-campus clinic, in addition to the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccines.  The Pfizer vaccine was […]

Students protest vaccine requirement

September 10, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes Editor’s Note: This article was updated on Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021. A previous version of the article incorrectly labeled a source’s statement as false. Utah Valley University’s website lists healthy diets, sleep and exercise as “protective measures” to “decrease … chances of contracting coronavirus.” “You do not need the vaccine to attend UVU” was written […]

Native American communities have highest vaccination rates in US

September 10, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutes On Sept. 2, The L.A. Times posted an interview about how Native Americans have the highest vaccination rates. They talked about how these communities achieved such a feat and their motivations. “Native Americans now have the highest vaccination rates of any major racial or ethnic group in the United States,” said Gustavo Arellano, host of […]

Tuminez explains campus updates in presidential forum

September 7, 2021

Reading Time: 4 minutes Utah Valley University’s recent vaccine mandate stems from the school’s responsibility to protect students, and is an important safety measure to allow campus life to continue in person, said President Astrid Tuminez in the first “Talk with Tuminez” forum of the semester.  “The first thing I want to say is this pandemic has created … […]