Come fall, Vanderbilt University and Maryville College are requiring students to be vaccinated for COVID-19 – even if the vaccine isn’t fully approved by the FDA. Maryville College was the first to announce a mandate of that nature in this state, issuing their press release late last month. Vanderbilt University issued their announcement on Monday.
Maryville College is the more lenient of the two Tennessee colleges in their mandate: they will allow exceptions for personal preference in addition to medical or religious reasons. The news release didn’t mention an accommodation request deadline. Vanderbilt University made no mention of personal preference-based exceptions – only medical and religious exemptions will be accepted. Their deadline for an accommodation request is June 15.
The former college has picked up on the growing trend offering incentives for vaccinations. Maryville College will enter all students who receive the vaccine before June 30 in a drawing for $250 vouchers to the campus bookstore. As The Tennessee Star reported, major companies and cities have begun to offer incentives in exchange for vaccinations. Most recently, Nashville Mayor John Cooper launched a campaign to award vaccinated individuals a free beer or coffee from just under 40 Nashville businesses.
Vanderbilt University didn’t announce any incentives for the vaccine mandate.
The vaccine is currently allowed by the FDA under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) only. Accordingly, this status means that governmental entities can’t mandate the vaccine.
Currently, there are over 220 colleges and universities mandating the COVID-19 vaccine. Some campuses made it clear that they will only mandate the vaccine once it receives full FDA approval, such as: California State University, the University of California system, the Colorado State University system, University of Hawaii, City University of New York, and the State University of New York.
The Star inquired with both colleges about how their administration had arrived at its decision to mandate an EUA vaccine. None of the spokespersons with Vanderbilt University or Maryville College responded by press time.
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Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and the Star News Network. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to [email protected].
Just another example of out of control academia. I would search for a conservation nonprofit to sue on my behalf if I were a student at one of these liberal camps. But, as a Bible believing conservative, I would not be enrolled at either of these institutions (word choice intentional) in the first place.
Freedom of choice! Freedom to go to another University. Freedom to “boycott” Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt has long been a 2nd tier university. This latest scam is just another step towards a third tier rating.
This mandate is just another sign of political influence through out our school system. We can’t have “religion” in our schools so how about no “politics” in our schools.
Right, David! The first right in the 4th Amendment is the right to “be secure in their persons”.
And this quote from one our founders with prescient wisdom:
“Unless we put medical freedom into the Constitution, the time will come when medicine will organize into an undercover dictatorship to restrict the art of healing to one class of Men and deny equal privileges to
others; the Constitution of the Republic should make a Special privilege for medical freedoms as well as religiousfreedom.” –Dr. Benjamin Rush, Signer of the Declaration of Independence
i hope they plan to support/pay for any issues caused by the jabs to the students for life.
otherwise this is forced experimental gene therapy.
I would sue. Vanderbilt law should teach them how.
Disappointed in Vanderbilt but not surprised at this freedom of choice being taken away.
Both schools are so liberal they are sickening. I am so sorry Vanderbilt is in Nashville what an overpriced liberal dump. You cannot force people to get these shots. Its all about money for the investors. Covid was used by the Commiecrats to get Trump out of office and now it has become a money thing. China is the one that should be paying, but not now with China Joe and Heels Up Harris in the White House, China’s candidates!.
It’s been about money from day 1, with the government dumping billions into these Pharma companies. My son is at Belmont, if/when they mandate this crap, he’s out.
rick, actually they’re no longer–liberal, that is allowing Liberty for the individual person,. They are now leftist authoritarians. These are the same people who derided Trump as an authoritarian, but then they are followers of the counsel of their leftist political guru, Saul Alinsky, “always accuse others of what you do, while you’re doing it.”