The University of Pittsburgh has taken a hardline stance on vaccination: Get vaxxed, or be disenrolled.
On December 6, UPitt announced a vaccine mandate – all students, faculty, and staff were required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by January 1st. The announcement assumed most would already have their first two doses at least – it didn’t leave enough time for anyone to complete the entire process before the deadline. Students who did not meet the requirements will not be allowed to enroll in classes for spring 2022, which began on Monday, or live in any residence halls.
“While we continue to work with those who are trying to come into compliance, late last week noncompliant students were disenrolled from classes and lost access to Pitt buildings and certain IT functions,” assistant vice chancellor of communications David Seldin said Tuesday in a statement. “In addition, noncompliant employees lost access to Pitt buildings and certain IT resources… Employees who choose not to take steps to return to compliance may be subject to additional disciplinary action in accordance with the University’s disciplinary guidelines.”
While the University of Pittsburgh has declined to say how many students and staff members have been impacted by this changing going into effect, they announced in November that vaccination rates were over 96 percent.
Students who are in the process of completing their vaccinations have also been disenrolled, but will be allowed to return as soon as they have passed the waiting period after their second dose. Students who choose not to return due to the vaccine mandate are allowed to apply for a refund of their tuition fees for spring 2022.
The University of Pittsburgh is not the only university with such a a strict pro-vax policy. Carnegie Mellon University, also in Pittsburgh, announced their own vaccine mandate last August, and added booster shots to their requirements in December.
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