Frequently Asked Questions

Does the College require community members to be vaccinated?

Yes, William James College is requiring staff, faculty, and students to be fully vaccinated. For the few who might be unable to comply with this directive for religious or health restrictions there will be some room for reasonable accommodation. Please see vaccine requirements below.

What percentage of the William James College Community is fully vaccinated?

As of November 1, 2021, 99 percent of staff and faculty and 97.5 percent of students who have an on-campus presence are vaccinated.

Mask Requirement

• Masks are no longer required for vaccinated individuals when on the William James College campus grounds (indoors or outdoors).
• Masks are optional, except when situations arise, in accordance with CDC, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and College guidelines, that require their use. This includes the five-day period that follows isolation or quarantine.
• Some of our members will wish to continue to wear masks for a variety of reasons. Please be respectful, show courtesy, and try to comply if someone requests you wear a mask in their presence.
• Students working in field sites should understand the mask requirements of their field site and abide by them. Per the Governor’s order, businesses other than those directly identified (transportation systems, healthcare settings, congregate care settings) are permitted to set their own rules regarding mask and vaccination policies.
• See “vaccine requirements” below for additional information.

Vaccination Requirements

• All William James College community members must be vaccinated before returning to campus for work or study.
• Accommodations will be made for those who, for documented religious or health reasons, cannot comply with this mandate.
  • Faculty and staff members seeking accommodation should contact Human Resources to request the required documentation.
  • Students seeking accommodation, please see the "forms" tab in this FAQ page.
  • Students enrolled in fully remote programs, who will not physically report to campus at any point during the fall semester, and who will not be vaccinated, should complete the waiver process and indicate their online-only status.
• Submitting Proof of Vaccination or Waiver Documentation
  • Students:
    • Log into the Student Portal and navigate to the Document Center.
    • Under “COVID Vaccination Documentation,” upload proof of vaccination (a photo or scanned copy of a vaccination card showing student’s name and date of birth) or waiver documentation via the Document Center.
  • Faculty/Staff will receive a form from HR that should be returned to HR (by email or hard copy) or submitted via Teams.
• Per the Governor’s order, businesses other than those directly identified (transportation systems, healthcare settings, congregate care settings) are permitted to set their own rules regarding mask and vaccination policies. Students working in field sites should understand the vaccine requirements of the field site and abide by them.
  

For the most up-to-date information on COVID-19 health and testing please visit:

• CDC COVID-19 website
• mass.gov COVID19 website

Where can I find forms or links to the required documentation?
A list is provided below. If you have questions, please contact HR (faculty/staff) or your department coordinator (students).

• Health Form Waiver (students)
• Religious Exemption Form (students)

Students completed health or religious exexmption forms should be submitted using the instructions below, or sent to the registrar's office.

Faculty/staff, please contact HR.

How do I submit proof of vaccination or waiver documentation?

• Students:
  • Log into the Student Portal and navigate to the Document Center.
  • Under “COVID Vaccination Documentation,” upload proof of vaccination (a photo or scanned copy of a vaccination card showing student’s name and date of birth) or waiver documentation via the Document Center.
  • At this time, PDF is the only accepted file format for upload. You should be able to print an image to pdf from any device.
  • To check a previous submission, look on the ‘Previously Submitted Documents’ page to confirm that your Vaccination Proof was uploaded.
• Faculty/Staff will receive a form from HR that should be returned to HR (by email or hard copy) or submitted via Teams.

As of the date of this announcement, August 1, 2022, high vaccination rates in our college community and external conditions both support a continued teaching and learning style originally associated with each program. This means, the Fall 2022 semester, any classes or programs that were traditionally (prior to the pandemic) held in person, will continue with in-person delivery. This model is subject to change should world conditions necessitate revisions.

How will the College hold class during the Fall 2022 semester?
William James College will continue with the delivery method traditionally associated with each program. For example:

• Clinical PsyD program and School Psychology programs have always been in-person delivery and will continue to be an exclusively in-person delivery.
• Our Organizational Leadership Department programs have always been delivered blended or online and will continue in those modes.
• The on-campus MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program on will continue in-person for traditional and blended courses (the weekend residency portions).

Note, the BS in Psychology and Human Services program will have one Saturday residency on Zoom and one Saturday in person for the Fall semester.

Will there be any full semester exceptions?
We will allow a variance for the semester in very limited situations such as when a student submits a documented medical need for remote attendance by a physician. Requests for accommodation will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Vaccine and mask policies remain as communicated (please see the associated tab on this FAQ).

What about occasional absences?
Occasional absences may occur, as has always been the case. The college encourages students who are not feeling well to exercise good self-care and not attend classes when feeling ill. Students are expected to notify their instructors when they will need to miss class and make arrangements to make up any missed work. Some instructors may allow students to “zoom in” to the class as a courtesy, on occasion and with prior arrangements, if it does not disrupt the in-person experience. However, faculty are not expected to modify the delivery of in-person teaching toward those who occasionally attend remotely.

What are the building hours?
Regular building hours are posted. Weekend hours are announced each week on Wednesdays by email. Events scheduled outside of regular building hours must be arranged with Facilities.

Can I reserve a room for a meeting or group project?Yes, rooms are available for reservation. Please follow gathering guidelines, social distancing guidelines, and the WJC mask policy.

What cleaning protocol is in place?
In addition to the regular cleaning schedule, the WJC Facilities Team is cleaning all surfaces in the building with a disinfecting solution per CDC guidelines.

Work-from-home resources and guidelines remain available on the IT website. Please use resources such as Teams and Zoom to conduct remote meetings, and please be in frequent contact with your supervisor.

Are WJC Staff required to come to campus?

• Full-time staff are required to work from campus a minimum of three days per week, and with an option of two days per week remote.
• Schedules are to be determined with area supervisors and should ensure that the services of a particular team are generally/regularly covered across all five weekdays by a person working in the building.

Can I use vacation, sick time or personal days?
Existing employee policies for vacation, personal days, and sick time remain in effect. Please see the employee handbook.

What is WJC's Telecommuting Policy for Staff?
WJC's "remote work policy" is in effect for remote work days.

If I need help finding childcare, are there resources available?
Yes, please review this brochure to learn more about WJC's Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

Where can I find WJC information about remote work?
Work-from-home resources and guidelines are available on the IT website.

How can I check my office voicemail from home? Is there a way to forward calls?
Please see "How to forward your desk phone to an external number" on the IT website. Some of this configuration must be done on-campus, for assistance please email support@williamjames.edu.

Is the library open?
Yes. The Library is open during building hours. Please also see: Remote and Free Resources.

What online resources are available?
The library's electronic resources remain available to all students, faculty and staff. Anyone having trouble accessing electronic resources should reach out to support@williamjames.edu for help.

If I need help with Library Research and Reference Services, who can I contact?
Library staff are available via email, telephone, and Zoom to provide research and reference support during all normal business hours. Please email library@williamjames.edu or call 617-564-9405 for help.

How can I make sure I have up-to-date information regarding College announcements?

Updates will continue to be posted at www.williamjames.edu/covid19.

WJC Community members, please also make sure your contact information is up to date in the WJC Notification system: https://msppsupport.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/211585966-Signing-up-for-Campus-Alerts

If my friends, relatives, or my significant other have questions about this information, where should they go for information?

We ask students to remind their friends, relatives and significant others that FERPA regulations prohibit us from talking to them about students. Please direct them to our College website for updated information: www.williamjames.edu/resources/covid-19