The Texas A&M Office of the President strongly urged students and faculty to get vaccinated and wear masks indoors in a university wide press release, though neither will be required on campus.
The Aug. 5 press release from President Kathy Banks also announced requirements for everyone attending or working at the university in the fall. The requirements are as follows:

• “Students must confirm they’ve read and agree to adhere to the following guidelines by logging on through the Howdy Portal. Faculty and staff must complete the course assignment in TrainTraq.
• Students, faculty and staff must participate in the mandatory COVID-19 testing program at intervals designated by Texas A&M.
• Students, faculty and staff who test positive for COVID-19, have COVID-19 symptoms, or who have had close contact with someone who received a positive test result for COVID-19 are required to log on to this site and complete the COVID-19 Report Form, and are asked to cooperate with the Texas A&M COVID-19 Investigation Operations Center.
• Students, faculty and staff who test positive or have been identified as a close contact are required to quarantine/isolate consistent with CDC guidance.”

Similar to previous campus COVID-19 practices, all students and faculty are required to participate in the COVID-19 testing program and take an on-campus COVID-19 test between Aug. 23 and Sept. 10. Those who fail to do so, even if vaccinated, can be subjected to the Student Conduct Process.
The same guidelines for self-reporting, quarantine and contact tracing from previous semesters will still apply, and COVID-19 testing and vaccinations will be available throughout the semester.
To encourage COVID-19 vaccination among faculty and staff, the university is offering a $1,000 reward for the winner of a drawing. Any faculty under the age of 30 who has not been vaccinated is eligible for the drawing.
“The study involves responding to questionnaires, completing symptom screens, daily testing for COVID-19, attending clinical visits with the team, and getting vaccinated,” the press release reads. “This is an observational study; no vaccine, treatment or exposure is being tested. For questions regarding the study, please contact the team at [email protected].”
Students are also eligible for a similar drawing, and will be entered into a drawing with a prize “equivalent to one year of undergraduate resident tuition and fees,” if the student shows proof of vaccination.
“We will continue to monitor the situation in all of the communities surrounding our campuses, as well as the state as a whole,” the press release reads. “As conditions may warrant changes to these guidelines, please be on the lookout for future updates posted on the Protect Aggieland COVID-19 guidance page.”