This is the best place if she wants to find a roomate. UCLA Class of 2025 | Facebook
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This is incredibly helpful! Thanks for sharing. No he almost never goes to a doctor other than a wellness check. I will definitely get him a Southern Cal card.
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Question for the moderators as the SIR date rapidly approaches. Currently on UCLA’s Covid-19 site, there is conflicting information on whether the Covid-19 vaccine is going to be mandated by UCLA for all students. One FAQ says it will not be mandated, while another FAQ later says a decision has not been finalized - with regard to students and living on campus on the hill.
We have been trying to contact admissions and Ash Wellness Center - but everything is automated - as employees are working from home.
Our family has a religious/philosophical reason for not wanting the vaccine - and I’m not looking to debate the merits of the vaccine. Just trying to find a definitive answer on UCLA’s stance - as it will dictate whether my daughter attends in the fall.
Looking for a lead on whom to contact for a definitive answer on this topic.
I’ve attached the UCLA Covid site. Thank you.
https://www.studenthealth.ucla.edu/covid19-vaccine-info
They may or may not mandate if for fall but I am sure they will mandate it as soon as it is not under an emergency use authorization. The UCs mandate other vaccines and California does not allow personal belief/religious exemptions,
Yes, see here which links to the form for medical exemptions: Exception FAQs | UCLA Immunization Requirement
Thanks. But, the link you provided clearly says there was a religious exemption for the mandated seasonal flu vaccine last year.
So, will the Covid-19 vaccine fall under the non-exempt category like MMR, etc., or the exempt status like last year’s seasonal flu vaccine?
The flu shot is the only one where you can get a personal belief exemption. It was just added Aug 2020 because of the Covid crisis. I am not sure why they are allowing that exemption. Maybe because the mandate was by executive order? I am pretty sure that the Covid vaccine will be non-exempt.
https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/2020/08/new-flu-vaccine-requirement-for-uc-student-faculty-and-staff.html
There was a lawsuit filed over the imposition of the flu vaccine mandate, which resulted in a religious exemption being added for students (see University of California flu vaccine order – anti-vaxxers court challenge). Because the flu vaccine mandate was added at last minute and so the court challenge was ongoing, and I assume the administrators felt that the benefit of the vaccine was going to be pretty minimal in any case when all classes were remote, I think that exemption was allowed to stand for last year (though it may not for this coming year).
I agree that the situation will be very different for the COVID vaccine because a) the public health benefit of being vaccinated is arguably much more significant and b) everyone will be back on campus in the fall. The only question is how long it takes for a mandate to come into force, especially if there’s a lawsuit. Given the lawsuit ultimately failed to obtain a preliminary injunction last year, my guess is that the UCs will now be able to move pretty quickly once we move past the EUA stage and probably won’t offer similar concessions during the pendency of any case. Regardless, there’s basically zero chance the COVID vaccine won’t be mandated, with no religious exemption, at some point in the next four years.
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For now you can opt not to get the vaccine because it is only FDA emergency use authorized. However once it is FDA approved I am almost certain it will be mandated by the UC system. It will be treated like the measles vaccinations requirements rather than the flu shot. Of course things may change but that’s what it is looking like.
On a moderation note: lets make sure this discussion doesn’t stray into the merits into vaccination so i don’t have to delete any posts. I myself am vaccinated and believe in the importance of it but respect that others may not feel that way so lets keep it civil. thanks 
I agree there’s basically zero chance the COVID vaccine won’t be mandated. And I will add that a California public school is not the best choice if you don’t want to be vaccinated unless you have a medical exemption which is difficult to obtain.
With the polarization regarding this topic, it will undoubtedly end up in numerous lawsuits if it is indeed mandated. It’s also a very interesting legal situation - as it would seem more difficult/impossible for a state run university to mandate a vaccine if the vaccine is not mandated by the state throughout. Every private university I’ve researched thus far in California is allowing a religious/philosophical exemption - and it would seem the private institutions would have more grounds to mandate a vaccine than the public universities. The CSU system already announced they are not mandating the vaccine in the fall. In the meantime, it makes it extremely difficult to make a college admission acceptance decision when you don’t know the university’s definitive stance.
The CSUs will mandate it when the UCs do. Even before Covid, the privates were much more lenient about vaccine exemptions and requirements than the publics.
CSU system is not mandating it yet because it is not FDA approved yet. It inevitably will. If this is a big issue for your family a private university is your best bet. But even then they may change their stance. The exceptions are being granted by them right now mainly because of the Emergency Use Authorization stance right now by the FDA.
Given the amount of impact COVID had on society it wouldnt be out of the question for even private universities to mandate it. I would possibly reach out to the school’s external affairs offices to see if they have any insight.
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I think you should compare the stance of colleges you are considering on other vaccines (measles etc) that are mandatory at the UCs. That should provide the most appropriate precedent going forward.
I don’t understand your point about “ it would seem more difficult/impossible for a state run university to mandate a vaccine if the vaccine is not mandated by the state throughout”. Other vaccines are mandated for public schools and those mandates don’t necessarily apply at private schools. I imagine we will see mandates for vaccination in public high schools once approval is given for 12-15 year olds.
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And, you will see endless lawsuits if that happens.
Moderators Note:
I believe the vaccination question has now been sufficiently answered and request no more topics regarding litigation or merits of the vaccine be mentioned here. Another thread in the parents cafe may be an appropriate place to take the discussion.
@TrojanMPT if you have additional questions regarding deciding if UCLA is the right choice for your kid please feel free to ask but I think the vaccination matter is closed now.
Thank you everyone for understanding.
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Appreciate the information and input.
Just an FYI and I have no idea if this will affect fall. The LA county dept of public health has instructed college campuses not to host overnight residential programs this summer. My son was admitted to the California State Summer School for the Arts which is held at CalArts and we were just informed that it will be remote. From the email, “We hoped to as much as all of you to offer the session in-person this summer. However, restrictions across the State of California due to the Covid-19 pandemic vary from county to county. LA County, where our host site CalArts is located, is one of the most restrictive, particularly for in-person residential programming. Currently, college campuses have been instructed by the LA County Department of Public Health, to significantly limit on-campus day activities, and not to host overnight residential programs. CSSSA has also received specific directives from the department to run the program virtually this summer. Despite all of the progress made with the vaccines and the positive news of reduced cases of the virus throughout the State, it is simply too early to welcome CSSSA students back to a full time residential program as we had hoped. As high school day programs reopen across California, residential college campuses in LA County are unfortunately still restricted from doing so.”
Based on all of these restrictions and directives, CSSSA’s governing Board of Trustees voted to offer CSSSA online this summer."
LA County Guidance for Higher Ed
The state is due to abandon the tier system on June 15 so guidance is likely to change before school starts in September.
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This summer program does not start until the middle of July but I guess for planning purposes, that is too soon.