Grand Canyon University, a private Christian institution in Phoenix, won’t follow the lead of Arizona’s three public universities and other public colleges in requiring masks. Unlike its public counterparts, there’s no state law restricting GCU from doing this.
GCU is planning on starting its fall semester next month with no requirements for face coverings or COVID-19 testing for most students, faculty or staff. It also has no plans to require COVID-19 vaccines despite the Pfizer vaccine recently receiving full approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
University officials meet at least once a week to review all health and safety protocols, but at this time there are no plans to change, a GCU spokesman said.
During the end of the spring semester, GCU tracked five or fewer active COVID-19 for each of the six final weeks of the semester. This summer, as the delta variant became more prevalent, GCU averaged one active COVID-19 case per week on campus.
"GCU’s return to normal campus operations for the 2021-22 academic year is consistent with State of Arizona health policies, and we will continue to partner with local health authorities to monitor the data and information carefully," the university said in a statement. "Given our experience and expertise in online learning modalities, we are confident we can quickly adjust our operations if needed. But our plan is to reopen the campus without restrictions in the fall semester."
The only exceptions to the university's vaccine, testing and face covering policies are:
- Students who are involved in field work or clinical placements are subject to whatever health and safety regulations exist at those sites.
- Some students in programs with higher contact rates, such as NCAA athletics, may be required to undergo random COVID-19 testing.
- Students who are symptomatic or in quarantine will be asked to take a COVID-19 test.
- During one-on-one meetings in enclosed spaces, such as faculty office hours, it will be up to the discretion of the faculty member whether to ask students to wear face coverings (Zoom meetings will also be available).
- Face coverings are required in clinical settings on campus, such as the Health and Wellness Clinic, and in nursing laboratory environments where face coverings and shields are used in order to replicate real-world health settings in which those are utilized.
