Colleges weigh U.S. inoculation mandate
Two major public university systems in Pennsylvania and West Virginia that collectively employ upward of 10,000 faculty and other workers say they are reviewing President Joe Biden’s employee vaccination mandate to see if they must implement a COVID-19 shot requirement to comply.
The State System of Higher Education, whose 14 state-owned universities include California, Clarion, Edinboro, Indiana and Slippery Rock universities in Western Pennsylvania — as well as West Virginia University — said Friday that the examination is ongoing.
“We are reviewing the mandates, and will continue to do so, to ascertain if, how and when they may apply to our institutions,” said Cody Jones, State System spokesman.
The State System has about 10,000 employees.
“We are just beginning to review the
requirements announced late yesterday to see if or how they may change the university’s current policies regarding vaccinations, so it’s premature to speculate at this time,” said April Kaull, WVU spokeswoman. “However, we just announced this morning an expansion of our indoor mask policy across the WVU System.”
Those universities with large workforces are prominent among area employers who also began examining how their policies stack up to the new federal rules.
In recent days, even before the Biden administration mandate, public universities in neighboring Ohio that draw substantial numbers of Pennsylvania students, including Ohio State and Kent State universities, announced vaccination rules that cover employees and students.
Mr. Biden’s move, announced late Thursday, is part of an increasingly aggressive push to reach some 80 million Americans who are not vaccinated, even though the shots have been available for months. The issue has become intertwined in a deep political and personal divide over dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
The president’s edict applies to employers with more than 100 employees and that do federal contract work. They must be vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing.
The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, a membership association for businesses in the state, said in a statement Friday that it is reviewing the federal mandate to evaluate its “impact on a private sector that has continued to battle numerous financial, workforce, health and safety challenges resulting from this pandemic.”
The group has questions about the mandate, the statement read, including whether employers will have access to funding to help pay for the required testing; how penalties for non-compliance will be enforced; and whether liability protections exist for businesses that are acting in compliance with the latest standards.
“We continue to believe that employers can and should be trusted to make public health decisions that are in the best interest of their communities,” the Chamber said in its statement. “We urge the Biden administration to offer business owners the clarity and flexibility they deserve as they strive to meet these new expectations while working to keep our struggling economy afloat.”
Some businesses are taking time to review the mandate before announcing their plans, while others have already implemented their own requirements for employees.
Even before the federal government’s mandate, Duolingo, a language learning startup based in East Liberty, had a policy in place to require U.S.-based employees to be fully vaccinated before returning to in-person work or attending company events, according to a spokesperson.
“As of Sept. 1, all Duolingo offices in the U.S. are vaccinated offices,” the spokesperson said. “This means that we will require all guests, including contractors, to provide proof of vaccination for entry.”
In July, Google, which has offices in Larimer’s Bakery Square, announced that any individuals coming to work on one of its campuses would need to be fully vaccinated, except for those who can’t be vaccinated for medical or other protected reasons. The implementation of the policy would vary based on local conditions and regulations, Google said.
U. S. Steel said it will “comply with government mandates and continue to follow [federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidelines.” A spokesperson for the company said it “strongly encourages employees to get vaccinated and has ongoing opportunities for employees to receive vaccines.”
Pitt and Penn State
The University of Pittsburgh and its chancellor, Patrick Gallagher, have previously said that while they would not impose a mandate to be vaccinated, they are strongly urging their employees to get the shot and have instituted incentives and regular testing rules for those who do not show proof of vaccination.
Pitt spokesman Kevin Zwick, in an email response Friday, appeared to liken that to a vaccine requirement in saying the university believes its current approach is consistent with the president’s new vaccine rules.
“The university’s current requirement to be vaccinated or complete COVID-19 testing weekly aligns with the new expectations,” Mr. Zwick said.
“Across all University of Pittsburgh campuses, 83% of the Pitt community has now uploaded proof of vaccination against COVID-19, and mandatory weekly COVID19 testing began last week.”
Penn State University officials had no immediate comment, nor did officials in Pittsburgh with the Community College of Allegheny County.
Nationwide, about 1,000 colleges and universities now mandate vaccination among students and/or employees, but also include exemption provisions based on religion and health, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.
In Pennsylvania, State System officials have said they lack authority to require the shot without consent from the Republican majority state Legislature. Pitt, Penn State, Temple and Lincoln universities — public but not state-owned — have stopped short of saying they need legislative approval, even as they have held off implementing a mandate.
However, Temple did enact a requirement for students and employees last month in response to a city of Philadelphia requirement that covers higher education institutions.
Elizabeth Remember, a spokeswoman for Gov. Tom Wolf, said Friday: “The governor supports the president’s latest efforts to protect public health and urges all employers with 100 or more employees to implement a plan that not only protects employees and students but the general public.
“Questions specific to these universities should be directed to the universities,’’ she added.
The leader of the 5,000member union representing State System faculty says her organization is on board with mandated shots for employees on campuses where her members teach and coach.
“We would certainly support and advocate for a vaccine mandate,” Jamie Martin, president of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties, told an interviewer with the Susquehanna Valley Center for Public Policy late last month.
In Pennsylvania, State System officials have said they lack authority to require the shot without consent from the Republican-majority state Legislature. Pitt, Penn State, Temple and Lincoln universities — public but not state-owned — have stopped short of saying they need legislative approval, even as they have held off implementing a mandate.
Ohio’s campus response
In recent days, a number of campuses in Ohio that draw Pennsylvania students have instituted vaccine requirements.
Ohio State University recently added a vaccination requirement, citing the federal Food and Drug Administration’s full approval of the Pfizer shot. Kent State University in northeastern Ohio did the same on Aug. 27, saying its new mandate for students and non-represented employees was “for the health and safety of our entire university community.”
Another public campus, the University of Akron, has announced its own mandate that says “students, faculty, contract professionals and staff” must be fully vaccinated by Dec. 13.
Pitt and Penn State, among others, have noted that most of their students and employees have indicated they have been vaccinated, even without a mandate.
At Penn State, groups including the Coalition for a Just University have been pushing the university to impose a mandate. They have protested outside Old Main, and one such demonstration led to a physical altercation in which an employee was arrested.
State System administrators have often deferred to individual campuses to decide about COVID-19 rules on their campuses. At Indiana University of Pennsylvania, the largest system campus in the western part of the state, spokeswoman Michelle Fryling on Friday referred an inquiry about the Biden policy and implications for her school back to State System headquarters.
In addition to those in Western Pennsylvania, the State System campuses include Bloomsburg, Cheyney, East Stroudsburg, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. Pitt’s system includes its main Oakland campus and locations in Bradford, Greensburg, Johnstown and Titusville.
Dozens of private universities in this state account for nearly all of the campuses that require students to get the shot.