UVA disenrolls 200+ unvaccinated students

The University of Virginia disenrolled 238 students who failed to register as vaccinated just four days before the start of classes on Tuesday. 

All students who are planning to return to school this fall were required to upload proof of vaccination, or documentation for a religious or medical exemption if they did not receive the COVID-19 shot. 

Students who have been disenrolled have until tomorrow to either get vaccinated or file for an exemption, the Virginian-Pilot reported. These students can also come re-enroll during the spring semester after they are vaccinated or receive an exemption.

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Kalie Ward, a fourth-year at the university, told Campus Reform that she takes issue with the university as a public institution carrying out this policy. 

“I think that the university disenrolling students that didn’t get the vaccine is made more inherently problematic by the fact that it is a public, not private, university and therefore affiliated with the state and state government,” Ward said. “State governments demanding vaccines is an entirely different issue than private businesses demanding vaccines.”  

Another student, Hana Sexton told Campus Reform that she believes that university’s actions were justified.

“UVA reserves the right to disenroll students who refuse to get the Covid vaccine,” Sexton said. 

According to the news outlet, the 238 students were disenrolled from the university after “receiving multiple reminders via email, text, phone calls, calls to parents that they were out of compliance.”

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However, among those 238 students, only 49 were actively enrolled in courses at the university.

The university’s COVID-19 policy reads, “All students who live, learn, or work in person at the University of Virginia during the 2021-2022 academic year must be fully vaccinated. Students may seek a medical or religious exemption to the vaccination requirement. Students with approved medical or religious exemptions will be subject to pre-arrival and weekly prevalence testing requirements and other public health measures. Students who are not vaccinated and do not qualify for an exemption are not permitted to come to Grounds as of July 1, 2021.” 

Campus Reform reached out to the University of Virginia for comment, but did not receive a response.