Members of the NSHE Community Petition for a Safe Fall Semester Open petition sponsored by the Nevada Faculty Alliance (www.NevadaFacultyAlliance.org), with signatures submitted by 1237 NSHE faculty, staff, students, and family members listed below. The updated signature list is available at https://forms.gle/MV761ZDk5EpnWpXP8. To the members of the Nevada State Board of Health, the NSHE Board of Regents, Chancellor Melody Rose, and institutional Presidents: • Full in-person instruction resumes at the colleges and universities of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) in August 2021 for the Fall semester. • The shared goals of faculty, students, and the NSHE administration are to teach in-person in a safe manner and to avoid another transition to remote instruction due to the pandemic. • The coronavirus delta variant has surged in Nevada leading to renewed indoor mask requirements for businesses and on NSHE campuses. • Widespread vaccination is the most effective way to prevent serious illness and reduce transmission from all current variants of the coronavirus. The available vaccines are remarkably safe and effective. • Over 650 [741 as of 8/18/2021] as of universities and colleges nationally (https://bit.ly/3Ck5kFH), including large public education systems in many states experiencing lower transmission rates, are implementing mandatory vaccinations for students and/or faculty and staff, many under the Emergency Use Authorization without waiting for full FDA approval. • Governor Sisolak has ordered state employees including NSHE faculty and staff to show proof of vaccination or else undergo weekly COVID testing (https://bit.ly/2VspFIr). • As part of their employment duties, faculty and staff work with the much larger number of students in close quarters where social distancing is difficult and often impossible. • Although faculty and staff will all be vaccinated (or tested weekly), the vaccine is not 100% effective, nor are masks, so the presence of unvaccinated students on campus, even if masked, will result in an entirely preventable transmission of this deadly disease from students to other students, faculty, and staff. • The current spread of the delta variant has been described by the CDC as a pandemic of the unvaccinated (https://bit.ly/37kKfwG). • Students tend to be in age groups with lower vaccinations rates (https://bit.ly/2VAfRvP). • NSHE students are already required to show proof of immunizations for other diseases as a preventive public health measure (with exemptions for bona fide medical or religious reasons). • Chancellor Rose issued a statement on May 6, 2021, indicating that NSHE was planning for mandatory vaccinations and that "NSHE is asking all students and their families to be Page 1 of 30 prepared for this possibility.” (https://bit.ly/3rTYd2a) • Full FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine is reportedly expected imminently, within weeks. • On August 2, 2021, NSHE legal counsel advised that only the State Board of Health is authorized to require vaccinations for NSHE university students. (https://bit.ly/2VmaAbw) We, the undersigned members of the NSHE community, respectfully request the Nevada State Board of Health to consider mandatory vaccinations for college and university students based on sound medical evidence and to issue emergency regulations giving guidance and authorization to NSHE. We further request that NSHE and its institutions implement strong proven measures against the further spread of COVID-19 including mandatory student vaccinations until the community public health risk has subsided. 1) Kent Ervin, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 2) Jennifer Guerra, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Faculty 3) Shaun Franklin-Sewell, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Staff 4) Jenna N. Hanchey, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 5) Paul Sumby, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 6) Megan Swallia, College of Southern Nevada, Faculty 7) Erin Stiles, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 8) Paul Verburg, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 9) Jeremy Bowling, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Faculty 10) Jo Meuris, Nevada State College, Faculty 11) Jane P Davidson, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 12) Leila Pazargadi, Nevada State College, Faculty 13) Nikki Murphy, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 14) Boo Shan Tseng, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Faculty 15) Pamela Payne, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 16) Lori Cobo, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Faculty 17) Laurie Walsh, Great Basin College, Faculty 18) Jessica Gallo, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 19) Daniel Cook, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 20) Amy Shannon, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 21) John C. Cushman, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 22) Brenda Buck, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Faculty 23) Bill Evans, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 24) Casey Bell, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 25) Teresa Schultz, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 26) David B Kelsey, Nevada State College, Faculty 27) Emily Hobson, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 28) Todd Ruecker, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 29) Jenna, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 30) Jenna Dewar, College of Southern Nevada, Faculty 31) Tin-Yau Tam, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty Page 2 of 30 32) Shahab Zargari (UNLV CFA), University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Staff 33) Rachelle Bassen, Western Nevada College, Faculty 34) Todd Moffett, College of Southern Nevada, Faculty 35) Corina Weidinger, Truckee Meadows Community College, Faculty 36) Sarah Keyes, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 37) Kate (Catherine) Berry, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 38) Julia Hammett, Truckee Meadows Community College, Faculty 39) Kjerstin Gruys, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 40) Douglas Unger, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Faculty 41) Tamara Scronce, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 42) Markus Kemmelmeier, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 43) Ian M. Hartshorn, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 44) Tina D. Eliopulos, College of Southern Nevada, Faculty 45) Allison Evans, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 46) Abigail Sikora, University of Nevada, Reno, Student 47) Elisabeth L Miller, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 48) Colin Grudzien, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 49) Christopher Williams, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 50) Marta Elliott, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 51) Laura Sicoe, University of Nevada, Reno, Student 52) Christopher Church, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 53) Laura Sicoe, University of Nevada, Reno, Student 54) Chris Earle, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 55) Riley Brown, University of Nevada, Reno, Student 56) Chris Herald, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 57) Monica K Miller, University of Nevada, Reno, Staff 58) Michael Arreygue, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 59) Anna Nachtsheim, University of Nevada, Reno, Student 60) Anna, University of Nevada, Reno, Student 61) Melissa Burnham, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 62) Sasha sushenko, University of Nevada, Reno, Student 63) Mike Zierten, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 64) Robert Lively, Truckee Meadows Community College, Faculty 65) Yulong Li, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 66) Christian Bombara, University of Nevada, Reno, Student 67) Kristen Clements-Nolle, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 68) Cari Cunningham, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 69) Alan Deutschman, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 70) Zelalem Bogale, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 71) Kathie Stanfield, University of Nevada, Reno, Staff 72) Greta de Jong, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 73) Kelly Silva-Picazo, University of Nevada, Reno, Student 74) Barbara kohlenberg, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty Page 3 of 30 75) Amani Jridi, University of Nevada, Reno, Student 76) Kayleigh Dohm, University of Nevada, Reno, Student 77) Tati Mesfin, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 78) Paul Buck, Ph.D., Nevada State College, Faculty 79) Alex Kumjian, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 80) Prisca Gayles, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 81) Ted Lambert, Truckee Meadows Community College, Faculty 82) Carolyn Warner, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 83) Christoph Kemmelmeier, University of Nevada, Reno, Student 84) Deena Schmidt, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 85) Patricia Milham, University of Nevada, Reno, Student 86) Asher S. Dunn, University of Nevada, Reno, Student 87) Cynthia Alcantar, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 88) Pavel Solin, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 89) Colleen Corkery, University of Nevada, Reno, Student 90) David Rondel, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 91) Flora Rudacille, College of Southern Nevada, Faculty 92) Ashok Singh, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Faculty 93) Amy Cavanaugh, Truckee Meadows Community College, Faculty 94) Amit Saini, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 95) Michael Kerr, University of Nevada, Reno, Student 96) Shila Morris, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 97) Kara Koshy, University of Nevada, Reno, Student 98) Robert Fisch, University of Nevada, Reno, Student 99) Aaron Baker, University of Nevada, Reno, Student 100) Charlie Nazemian, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 101) Mikaela Rogozen-Soltar, University of Nevada, Reno, Faculty 102) Ibraheem Khan, University of Nevada, Reno, Student 103) Christine McDermott, University of Nevada, Reno, Student 104) Zachary Miller, University of Nevada, Reno, Student 105) Catie Polley, University of Nevada, Reno, Student 106) Katie Cunius, University of Nevada, Reno, Student 107) Judith Sugar, University of Nevada, Reno,