The GPSG COVID-19 Task Force seeks graduate and professional student feedback about COVID-19, IU’s COVID- 19 policies, and their implementation. If you have any concerns, issues, experiences, comments, or suggestions please fill out this COVID Feedback Survey.

IU COVID-19 FAQ  |  IU COVID-19 Homepage

Graduate & Professional Student COVID-19 FAQ

COVID-19 Vaccine & Masking

1. Since the CDC recommends a booster shot (Pfizer, Moderna or J&J), are students who choose to stick to the initial dose subjected to restrictions the same as those who do not have the vaccination?
   • No, students who do not get the booster are not subject to restrictions. While IU does not require to have booster shot information, sharing such information is optional and incentivized at the individual level. More information on the COVID-19 Booster Incentive Program is available at: https://www.iu.edu/covid/prevention/incentive-program.html 
2. Will AIs be able to know which of their students are unvaccinated?
   • According to the VPFAA, instructors cannot inquire about the vaccination status of their students. https://vpfaa.indiana.edu/classroom_management.pdf 
3. What IU vaccination exemptions are available? 
   • https://www.iu.edu/covid/prevention/covid-19-vaccine.html#exemption gives no information on the criteria for an ethical exemption.
4. Since the mask mandate was lifted on March 4, 2022, are there still spaces where masks are required on campus?
   • Masks are still required on all IU transportation, including buses; in health settings; in childcare settings; and in certain laboratory settings. For more information on the lifting of the mask mandate across IU campuses, where to wear a mask still, and where to no longer wear one, see: https://www.iu.edu/covid/prevention/masks-and-ppe.html#:~:text=on%20IU%20campuses-,With%20COVID%2D19%20cases%20declining%20rapidly%20at%20IU%20and%20throughout,where%20mask%20use%20is%20optional.

Screening, Testing, and Isolation

1. Will day-of COVID testing be available to students and instructors? 
   • For symptomatic testing, you can start with IU’s symptom checker  (https://iuforms-fireform.eas.iu.edu/online/form/authen/covidsymp), which will guide you to a symptomatic testing location on the IU campus of your choice. For asymptomatic testing, visit the “Voluntary asymptomatic testing” section at https://www.iu.edu/covid/testing/index.html#voluntary. The time frame for availability of these tests will likely vary based on the number of people accessing them.
2. If someone begins showing symptoms of COVID-19, what is the best time frame for someone to be tested for COVID just in case? Should you isolate if you are experiencing these symptoms or just be cautious and wear a mask and social distance?
   • Any person who suspects they may have symptoms of COVID-19 should start with IU's symptom checker (https://iuforms-fireform.eas.iu.edu/online/form/authen/covidsymp). From there, you'll be guided to a symptomatic testing location on the IU campus of your choice. Please do not get a COVID Check test or a voluntary asymptomatic test if you're experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. If you're feeling severely ill, please seek emergency medical care. If you can't get yourself there safely, call 911.
3. Should vaccinated students or instructors isolate themselves if they contract COVID-19 and for how long?
   • If you contract COVID-19, you should isolate and wait to hear from IU’s contact tracers for specific next steps. They will call you within 24 to 48 hours of your positive test result. If you still haven’t heard from anyone 48 hours after your positive test result, please call 812-855-0042. The contact tracers will help you determine how long you should isolate for. https://www.iu.edu/covid/testing/symptomatic-testing.html 
4. If both vaccinated and unvaccinated people can contract and spread the virus, why is there mandatory testing for asymptomatic unvaccinated individuals?
   • The COVID-19 vaccine provides immunity by increasing the speed and efficacy at which the cells of human bodies recognize and kill the SARS-Cov-2 virus. Therefore, vaccinated individuals clear the virus from their bodies more quickly than unvaccinated individuals. Thus, vaccinated individuals are contagious for a shorter period of time and have less opportunity to spread the virus than unvaccinated individuals. Because unvaccinated individuals are more likely to transmit the virus to others than vaccinated individuals, asymptomatic testing of unvaccinated individuals has been implemented to help decrease this risk. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2102507 

In-Person Learning and Teaching Accommodations

1. Are there any accomodations made for graduate students who are required to teach in-person, but are still genuinely concerned about COVID for their own health and close family’s health?
   • Individuals who are at high risk for COVID-19, as defined by the CDC’s website (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html), may potentially be able to receive accommodations by filling out the Confidential Accommodation Request Form (https://iuoie-fireform.eas.iu.edu/online/form/index/Accomform). For more information about accommodations, employees should contact their local accommodation specialist (https://accessibility.iu.edu/ada/requesting-accommodations/for-employees/index.html). 
2. What policies will be in place to accommodate students who are unable to return to Bloomington due to extenuating circumstances from the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., finances, travel restrictions)?
   • Some academic programs may offer F-1 students the ability to attend classes through online enrollment. F-1 students at IU continue to fall under the Department of Homeland Security’s immigration guidance related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that if you arrived on campus for fall 2021 or earlier, you are permitted to enroll in only online courses for spring 2022 from a regulatory perspective. However, your academic program determines what course types are available for your enrollment, and you need to work with them to determine if you have an option for online study. For J-1 students, the U.S. Department of State has not yet provided updated guidance for spring 2022.More information is available at: https://ois.iu.edu/coronavirus/index.html and https://global.iu.edu/resources/coronavirus/mobility-updates.html. 
3. Will graduate and professional students who are unable to return to Bloomington have the option of teaching and/or attending classes remotely? If so, what specific accommodations will be in place for these students?
   • Yes, these are possible options, see the COVID-19 page on the IU Office of International Studies website for more information (same link as under item A above): https://ois.iu.edu/coronavirus/index.html.
4. Will there be students and/or instructors who are receiving accommodations that allow them to attend class remotely? How common will this be?
   • Faculty and instructors are encouraged to hold students to the mode of instruction assigned to their course (except for temporary accommodations for ill or quarantining students or those international students who are unable to return to the U.S. due to visa issues related to the pandemic). Instructors making special arrangements for other students must do so for each student who is similarly situated. Instructors can direct students to request an official accommodation through their campus’s process: https://www.iu.edu/covid/faq/index.html#teaching.
5. If COVID rates surge again, is there a benchmark for when in-person course instruction is deemed unsafe and classes are moved online?
   • No, IU is continuing to monitor the number of positive cases, CDC guidance, and other factors that could change policies. https://www.iu.edu/covid/faq/index.html#teaching  

Illness and Teaching Responsibilities

1. Will there be a university-wide policy to address how graduate or professional student instructors report that they have been infected with COVID-19?
   • To self-report COVID-19 infection, the COVID-19 Vaccine Reporting Form is available for use. Please note that it may take up to 30 minutes for your vaccine status to update after submission. This form is the same for requesting an exemption for the COVID-19 vaccine. If you have questions or need help reporting your COVID-19 vaccine status, please contact us atvaxreq@iu.edu, 812-855-4848, or 317-274-5555.
2. How do student instructors report to their departments that they cannot teach because they or their children are ill?
   • To care for someone who is ill with COVID-19, you may request time off. With supervisor approval, you will need to use your accrued time off or be absent without pay (ABS). If you require time off to care for a child due to COVID-19 related reasons such as quarantine/isolation or closed school/daycare, please see the Guide to COVID-19 Leaves webpage. Also, all staff and temporary employees are eligible for the IU COVID-19 School and Child Care Leave (SCCL) if (1) your child’s school is closed (or temporarily online) for COVID-19, (2) your child must quarantine for COVID-19, or (3) you cannot work at all (i.e., neither in-person nor online) because your child’s school or childcare provider is closed for COVID-19. See https://hr.iu.edu/relations/coronavirus/faq-i.html for more information, especially under “Leave Options” and “IU COVID-19 School and Child Care Leave (SCCL).”
3. How are instructors selected to substitute for such class sessions in which a graduate or professional student instructor cannot teach because of personal or family illness?
   • For unanticipated periods of absence from planned instructional activity, graduate or professional student instructors must inform their respective chairs/deans as soon as possible. More information is available at: https://vpfaa.indiana.edu/doc/faculty-start-of-semester-memo.pdf.
4. How will substitute instructors be compensated for their added instruction time?
   • No uniformly implemented university-wide policy compensates graduate and professional students for substituting for a fellow AI’s class. Contact your program, department, or school for their individual policies. Additionally, it may be possible to apply for compensation through IU’s Premium Pay policy, https://policies.iu.edu/policies/hr-03-50-premium-pay/index.html, which states “Indiana University recognizes that certain work related circumstances call for compensation in the form of premium pay in addition to an individual’s base salary.”

Immunocompromised Students

1. Do the current vaccination and transmission rates at IU create herd immunity to protect immunocompromised or unvaccinated students and instructors?
   • The IU Bloomington campus is now over 91% vaccinated. Although vaccinated individuals can still spread the virus, they are less likely to do so than unvaccinated individuals: https://www.iu.edu/covid/faq/index.html#covid-19-vaccine-10-label. Furthermore, with current masking policies, classroom transmission of the virus is highly unlikely, just as it was before the vaccine. With the added protection of the vaccine, risk of classroom transmission of COVID-19 is very minimal. Until research shows that herd immunity has been achieved with the level of vaccination present at IU, masking will continue to protect students in classrooms.
2. Is there an exemption to teach online for immunocompromised students? 
   • Individuals who are at high risk for COVID-19, as defined by the CDC’s website (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html), may potentially be able to receive accommodations by filling out the Confidential Accommodation Request Form (https://iuoie-fireform.eas.iu.edu/online/form/index/Accomform). For more information about accommodations, employees should contact their local accommodation specialist (https://accessibility.iu.edu/ada/requesting-accommodations/for-employees/index.html). 

Mental Health

1. Will there be a specific accommodation process in place for instructors and students experiencing anxiety from psychosocial stressors of being in close proximity to others?
   • Once completed, the Faculty and Academic Affairs Accommodation Request Form is sent to the appropriate source to assist you. The request is for anything that prevents you from performing your essential job function(s), including anxiety. If you would like to discuss an accommodation or need assistance with an accommodation request, please call 812-855-2809 or emailvpfaa@indiana.edu. The Faculty and Academic Affairs Accommodation Request Form is available at: https://iuoie-fireform.eas.iu.edu/online/form/index/Accomform?_ga=2.174363106.1572709480.1636666882-429998360.1626990457.
2. What policies will be in place to accommodate the specific mental health challenges that graduate and professional students, faculty, and staff will face in returning to in-person classrooms and other common and group spaces?
   • The same resources that are available at all other times will be available; both student and staff resources may apply: https://www.iu.edu/covid/mental-health/index.html.
3. Will graduate and professional students who are experiencing such mental health issues have the option of attending classes remotely or be allowed to miss a certain number of in-person classes?
   • Presently, there is no further information on students’ having the option to attend classes remotely or to miss a certain number of in-person classes because of mental health issues. However, IU is committed to the success of all students and students should contact their instructors, academic advisors, student affairs professionals, and can request an official accommodation through their campus’s process:  https://www.iu.edu/covid/faq/index.html#teaching. We're also keenly aware of the toll the pandemic is taking on our students’ mental health. Our campuses have a number of mental health resourcesincluding CAPS counseling. More information is available at: https://www.iu.edu/covid/faq/index.html. 
4. Will there be increases in mental health resources and support because of added anxiety and other mental health issues due to COVID? 
   • CAPS and the other mental health resources on campus are there to accommodate mental health issues during COVID as they are at other times.
   • The IU health fee covers two (2) free Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) visits per semester. If you are a first-time CAPS client, you also receive a free, 30-minute CAPS Now intake, to connect you to appropriate services. More information is available at: https://healthcenter.indiana.edu/fees-insurance/health-fee.html
   • Indiana University offers a variety of wellness resources, including those for mental well-being and COVID-19 and personal well-being. Mental well-being resources include, but are not limited to, the SupportLink U Employee Assistance Program, which provides six free therapy appointments for all staff, a free online stress-reduction course, an online yoga course from the IU Neonatology Wellness Team. More information on wellness resources at IU is available at: https://healthy.iu.edu/wellness-information/index.html. 

Time to Degree Extensions

1. Are time to degree and contract extensions being considered because of the pandemic delaying research and graduate and professional students’ ability to be productive for other reasons? 
   • Yes, time to degree extensions are being granted to doctoral students. IU is allowing departments and graduate programs to grant up to two additional semesters of G901 for doctoral candidates who have exhausted their allotted six semesters of G901 and who have had their research disrupted due to COVID-19. These extensions are program specific; contact your department or graduate program office for more information.
2. What is the application process for time to degree extensions, and what would allow a student to qualify for these extensions?
   • The process for applying for additional semesters of G901 seems to vary across different departments and programs. In most cases, doctoral students are required to submit paperwork requesting additional semesters of G901 through the department/program, and these forms are then reviewed by the department/program and the University Graduate School (see example form below from the School of Education): https://education.indiana.edu/students/graduates/doctoral/g901-permission.html