University of Illinois (all campuses) just mandated the vaccine today for all students. Took them long enough, but as our state’s flagship university and extension campuses, that’s welcome news as an Illinois resident.
Illinois State University previously said they were not requiring it, so not sure if they will change their stance now that the U-Illinois campuses have mandated it.
Not exactly.
Vaccinations – COVID-19 says that “For the Fall 2021 semester, it will be required that all students who are able to do so will be fully vaccinated (defined as 14 days after the final dose) with a university-accepted vaccine before beginning the fall semester if they plan to be on campus with no additional health and safety obligations.” (emphasis added)
The additional health and safety obligations include frequent testing and wearing masks. Basically, students can choose between vaccination or continued frequent testing and mask wearing, rather than having to ask for an exemption from vaccination like at colleges where it is actually required. However, putting the word “required” up front and the conditional at the end of the statement may lead some people to believe that it is an actual requirement, rather than a choice between one or the other (it may be the intent to lead people into believing that vaccination is required when it actually is not).
Here are the exact articles and it was also just reported on the local news ( no differently than what the articles say) people can take from it what they want but vaccine requirement for on campus students, remote students exempt - University of Illinois campuses to require COVID-19 vaccine this fall – Chicago Tribune
Here’s another for those that get the paywall, details are still in the works. U. of I. to require vaccinations for all students returning to its 3 campuses this fall - Chicago Sun-Times
Currently at Amherst, 96% of on-campus students self-report as being fully vaccinated (defined as two weeks after final dose), and 90% of faculty and staff self-report as being fully vaccinated. All students, staff, and faculty returning for the Fall 2021 semester will be required to submit proof of vaccination by August 1.
Originally, they were going to only require students to be vaccinated, because they expected that nearly all faculty and staff would get vaccinated without a mandated requirement, but they ended up requiring faculty and staff also, because many professors (NOT staff members; professors) were opting not to get vaccinated, enough so that the faculty and staff vaccination rate was hovering around 80% (considered too low by the school). Of course, they are also free to apply for a religious or medical exemption.
Also, there are a significant number of students still on-campus because 1) they have a higher number of on-campus jobs, research positions, and internships than usual since they did not have any last year, and 2) they let the international students stay (and most international students opted to stay) for the following reasons:
a) Many international students are safer on-campus than at home, since most people on-campus are fully vaccinated and vaccination rates are very low in most other countries.
b) Since classes are only being offered in-person this fall, if another country has a massive spike in COVID cases (like India), students staying in said country could be unable to travel to campus due to travel restrictions, and thus may be forced to take a gap semester or gap year.
The reporting isn’t quite accurate and that is surprising. The actual wording from the UIUC website is the following:
1. For the Fall 2021 semester, it will be required that all students who are able to do so will be fully vaccinated (defined as 14 days after the final dose) with a university-accepted vaccine before beginning the fall semester if they plan to be on campus with no additional health and safety obligations.
2. Individuals who are not able to be vaccinated and/or who have not had their record submitted and verified will be required to participate in the COVID-19 testing program and to continue wearing a face covering.
3. The university is following Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) guidance and accepting vaccines currently authorized for emergency use by either the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or the World Health Organization. If you are not able to access one of the university-accepted vaccines, you will be able to receive an accepted vaccine upon your arrival to campus.
4. Students should submit their Vaccination Record Card in the MyMcKinley Portal and have it verified before the beginning of the fall semester. See more information on uploading your Vaccination Record Card below.
5. If you have not been vaccinated for COVID-19 and you are able to do so, you should be vaccinated as soon as possible. Visit vaccines.gov to find available appointments or walk-in hours in your local area.
6. We acknowledge that some individuals have health conditions or other reasons why they cannot be vaccinated. For those individuals, the COVID-19 testing program and face coverings will continue to be required.
There is clearly an exemption for anyone who disagrees with getting vaccinated for any reason, as they didn’t specify what those exemptions would need to be. Those individuals will need to take other Covid safety measures. Not sure what IL state law says but UIUC has been clear up to this point that they have to follow the IL Dept. of Health’s own decisions on university vaccinations. That wording has been removed and they now follow the CDC guidance on this issue. Just a guess but maybe there is a statute restricting them from a hard mandate w/o IDPH’s own requirement and/or FDA approval.
It’s pretty clear they expect everyone to be vaccinated with some exemptions, just like all other schools. Furthermore, it was also reported (via multiple sources) that more guidelines are to come. So, it could very well be that for those that are not vaccinated, there will be more restrictions (such as the mask requirements, more frequent testing, pay for their own testing, etc.) but it’s a wait and see approach. Regardless, it’s still good news for our state and protecting its students, especially as the Delta variant is no doubt going to knock off a good amount of non-vaccinated people as it continues to spread and hit the younger populations. Of course, some people may not get vaccinated no matter what for whatever reasons they have, but for each person that decides to go ahead and get vaccinated, the better off we all are.
Although the wording implies a requirement, the policy on the University of Illinois web site basically says “get vaccinated or be subject to additional COVID-19 obligations”, similar to what some other colleges that do not require vaccination do.
Note that the policy says that “We acknowledge that some individuals have health conditions or other reasons why they cannot be vaccinated. For those individuals, the COVID-19 testing program and face coverings will continue to be required.” It does not say that such people need to request an exemption (as opposed to being subject to additional COVID-19 obligations if they choose not to vaccinate).
Again, here is the reporting on it University of Illinois to Require COVID Vaccine for Students at All 3 Campuses This Fall – NBC Chicago
and note the specific language “The campuses in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield will each institute safety measures and separately unveil vaccination guidance later this summer.” So in other words, what you’re reading on their site is not the current guidance or information. Seems pretty straight forward from what the president’s email stated and that there will be more info to come. Not sure why you continue to debate the issue when I said from the beginning more info to come.
The rules are already clear about masks and additional testing. What sources are reporting more restrictions are to follow? It would be helpful to have those.
No doubt. However, at least so far, this notice is one of clear expectations. They want students to do the responsible thing; they are leaving it up to the student ultimately to choose what that is. The very good news is that these extra protections will apply to any vulnerable who aren’t able to vaccinate. THEY can enter campus knowing that they will be protected by wearing a mask and having additional testing above and beyond being in community with a large number of vaccinated. Not sure it’s fair to make them pay for their own testing . . . .
The data and CDC guidelines are clear: if you have been fully vaccinated, you are already better off. Breakthrough cases resulting in hospitalizations and/or deaths have been miniscule: .0026% of vaccinated, through June 14. Per the CDC, it is safe to return to Pre-Covid activities.
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/health-departments/breakthrough-cases.html#:~:text=Vaccine%20breakthrough%20cases%20occur%20in,reported%20vaccine%20breakthrough%20infections.
I already posted it numerous times, but at the bottom of this post is the exact email sent to UIUC students where it says more than once more detailed information is coming. It also clearly states those who cannot get vaccinated for health or other reasons…but doesn’t say those who refuse, so perhaps there will be guidelines on those people as well, in other words, don’t come to campus.
75% of UIUC students, faculty and staff have already received one dose of the vaccine through the end of the Spring semester, so we’re not talking about too many more that have to get it.
Bottom line at least at UIUC seems to imply normal exemptions and they have not addressed those who refuse to get it but that is probably what’s coming down the line later this summer. No mandate required for faculty and staff.
Here is the email sent to UIUC students, etc. about the mandate –
Actually, you posted secondary sources (news reports, some of which were behind paywalls) before.
But the mass mail says the same thing as Vaccinations – COVID-19 : “For the Fall 2021 semester, it will be required that all students who are able to do so will be fully vaccinated (defined as 14 days after the final dose) with a university-accepted vaccine before beginning the fall semester if they plan to be on campus with no additional health and safety obligations.” (emphasis added)
Now, if they add a requirement that those not getting vaccinated must request an exemption, then it becomes more of a requirement. But, as it is now, students have a choice between vaccination and continuing to follow COVID-19 restrictions like frequent testing and mask wearing, similar to some other colleges which do not require vaccination.
Davidson isn’t mandating the vaccine yet but choosing to use the carrot and stick approach:
If you are fully vaccinated AND you have documented this through the student health portal:
If you are not vaccinated:
We’re implementing these policies to limit any potential outbreak in our community. Evidence suggests that getting vaccinated protects you and everyone around you—in effect, a vaccinated person is a road block that helps keep the virus from moving on to infect others. When you get vaccinated, you’re serving our community by doing your part to keep everyone healthy.
Many of you have raised issues of equity as well as your very strong desire to strengthen our sense of community. Having multiple sets of guidelines can be very hard to enforce and could cause division. This is one reason why we strongly urge you to get vaccinated.
We have not yet mandated that students be vaccinated largely because the overwhelming majority of you are already vaccinated (thank you, again!) and because of your vigilance and care last year. We may require the vaccination if conditions warrant that.
Bottom line there, get Vaccinated. You can beat around the bush a million times, but yeah some schools are definitely going to make it much harder for students who are not vaccinated than those who are. These rules are similar to what’s going on where my son goes. Not mandate for all, but for those that aren’t, they are sure making things more difficult.
People who are not vaccinated may have underlying conditions that they don’t even know they have, and are even more susceptible to getting the virus. I’m thankful my kids and I live in communities that are high in vaccination rates, but really concerned for those people who are so resistant and much of it due to myths, not medical or religious beliefs.
I know Davidson isn’t the only school to adopt restrictions like these, but I wonder how any of them are going to police the wearing of masks (and SD, sit in designated seating, etc.) by the unvaccinated? Who is going to do that? Profs? Staff? Peers? They can limit access to fitness facilities and such via use of access cards, but basically, I am thinking there will be no policing of some of these requirements.
Purdue Trustees sent a letter saying they will be randomly checking vaccine cards and if anyone has lied or falsified, they can be expelled. Same with unvaccinated students who refuse to be covid tested.
They’ve stopped just short of mandating the vaccine but it sure won’t be fun for the students who are refusing.
My thoughts as well. Also, will it be considered a HIPAA violation if they visually identify those that are or are not vaxxed?
Exactly! So many potential issues and adding HIPAA makes it more complicated.
Seems like it would be reasonable for students to have to share vaccine status with potential roommates, as some might (understandably) not want to room with an unvaccinated student.
But I just don’t see profs or security challenging unvaccinated students who aren’t wearing masks, even if the prof’s student roll shows who is vaccinated and not (but that seems like a HIPAA violation). Maybe some peers will challenge those not following rules, who knows?
But as momofboiler says, if the risk of being expelled for lying and/or not following the protocols is there, maybe that will keep people honest?
Vax + Vax → very low risk
Vax + Not-Vax → low risk (but may be of concern to the more COVID-19-paranoid Vax students)
Not-Vax + Not-Vax → risk (but most Not-Vax people are voluntarily taking the risk)
MV* + Vax → low risk (the preferred situation for the MV* if they are willing to live on campus at all)
MV* + Not-Vax → risk (the MV* will obviously be concerned)
*MV = Medically Vulnerable to COVID-19, including unable to get vaccinated for medical reasons, or get little or no immunity from vaccination, or have pre-existing conditions that make COVID-19 extra risky
I expect there are some students (whether vaccinated or unvaccinated) who aren’t thinking about this in such a logical way!
Doesn’t HIPAA only apply to health providers?