Faculty want UNC-CH to be able to require proof of vaccination from students, employees
UNC-Chapel Hill faculty leadership passed a resolution Wednesday asking that all campus employees be required to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or be subject to regular testing for the virus. That’s what students already must do.
The UNC Faculty Executive Committee approved the resolution during a special online meeting, and will send the request to UNC System President Peter Hans and the UNC System Board of Governors. The group also asked for the campus to be able to institute more expansive masking rules if conditions warrant it.
“We want a return to safe in-person operations on our campus this fall semester,” the resolution reads. “We are also committed to doing our part to protect the community from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We are concerned that the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, primarily among unvaccinated people, poses a threat to our health care system, our town, and ultimately our campus and academic programs.
“Accordingly, we request that the UNC System delegate to the Chancellor and the Provost of UNC-Chapel Hill the authority to require proof of vaccination from employees and students, and to adopt optimal masking guidance or requirements for gatherings based on community viral load and health care system capacity.”
The resolution is an effort to increase the vaccination rate on campus to prevent the spread of illness and to reduce the likelihood of severe illness among those who do contract the virus.
Percentages of those vaccinated
During the meeting, UNC-Chapel Hill Provost Robert Blouin reported that of the approximately 29,500 students enrolled at the university this fall, nearly 25,000 have attested to whether they have been vaccinated or responded that they would rather not say. Of those, Blouin said, 94% attested that they had been vaccinated, and about 88% of those have provided some form of documentation indicating when they were vaccinated and which vaccine they got.
“All of that I think is very encouraging,” Blouin told the meeting, which was attended by more than 100 faculty members.
As of Wednesday morning, about 82% of UNC-Chapel Hill faculty had been vaccinated, Blouin said, and about 55% of staff.
Those numbers, he said, are “not quite where we would like.”
On their registration, Blouin said, students are asked to attest whether they have been vaccinated. They can respond yes, no, or say they prefer not to answer.
If they say yes, they are given the option of providing documents to show they have been vaccinated. The university has been randomly checking the documents to see if they look authentic. It may even check them against the state’s database, Blouin said.
Students who falsely attest to having been vaccinated are subject to punishment under the honor code, he said.
Tests for those not vaccinated
Students who say they have not been vaccinated or who don’t want to answer are subject to regular testing for COVID-19 infection. Right now, that testing is conducted weekly, but the testing rate could change depending on the extent of the spread of disease.
COVID-19 cases have increased dramatically in North Carolina in recent weeks, driven largely by the spread of the delta variant.
During the meeting, in response to questions from faculty, Blouin said UNC-Chapel Hill does not have the authority to require vaccination of students or employees, but he said it does have the authority to require proof of vaccination.
Originally, the resolution asked for all campuses in the UNC System to be able to demand proof of vaccination, but the group amended the request to apply only to UNC-Chapel Hill.
When classes start at Chapel Hill on Aug. 18, masks will be required in most indoor instructional spaces. But during Wednesday’s meeting, Blouin said classrooms have been returned to their pre-pandemic configurations with no social-distancing requirements. Presently, North Carolina has no gathering restrictions, so parties are not prohibited. Masks are not currently required outdoors.
Blouin said he talks at least once a day with health experts who are advising campus leaders. At this point, he said — two weeks before the start of classes — it would be very difficult to change course and move to virtual instruction. Given the relatively high rate of vaccination among students,he said, such a change isn’t warranted.
While the university could adjust if conditions change suddenly, Blouin said, there is no “off ramp” ready to shut the campus down.
After Blouin left the faculty meeting to attend another meeting, Jennifer Larson, a member of the executive committee who teaches English at UNC, said, ‘I am absolutely having déjà vu right now from last year,” when UNC suspended in-person instruction shortly after the start of the fall semester and sent most students home because of clusters of illness on campus.
Later Wednesday afternoon, Norma Houston, chief of staff of the UNC System Office, sent a statement saying, “This fall, all campuses will operate under a ‘Get Vaccinated or Get Tested Weekly’ requirement for students. Universities are collecting information on students’ vaccination status, and any unvaccinated students will be subject to weekly, or more frequent, testing.
“This week, President Hans will issue guidance to chancellors on extending the ‘Get Vaccinated or Get Tested Weekly’ standard to faculty and staff. Chancellors have full authority to implement these measures as best meets the unique circumstances and conditions of their campuses. It is only fair that we ask our employees to abide by the same safety protocols we’ve already put in place for our students.”
This story was originally published August 4, 2021 at 5:42 PM.
