Arizona’s public universities will follow an order handed down from the Biden administration and require all employees to receive the coronavirus vaccine.
The mandate, which will also affect student employees, will give staff until December 8th to upload proof of vaccination.
In an email to staff members, University of Arizona President Robert Robbins pointed to funding and federal contracts as the emphasis for following the mandate.
“Dear Colleagues, President Biden recently issued an Executive Order that requires institutions that contract with the federal government, such as the University of Arizona, to comply with guidance from the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force,” President Robbins said in an email. “The University has hundreds of millions of dollars in federal contracts, funding critical research, employment, and educational efforts, and already has received amended federal contracts that include this requirement.”
A spokesperson for the Arizona Board of Regents echoed the same message in a statement to The Arizona Republic.
“The universities have hundreds of millions of dollars in federal contracts, funding critical research, employment and educational efforts. We respect individual opinions regarding the vaccine and will include disability (including medical) and religious accommodations consistent with federal rules,” spokesperson Julie Newberg said.
Additionally, some of the schools have reportedly explored the option of mandating the vaccine for students after a judge blocked a vaccine mandate ban.
Previously, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Katherine Cooper ruled that the Arizona state legislature’s ban on mask mandates in the state is a violation of the Arizona constitution, due to lawmakers packing the ban on mask and vaccine mandates in the state budget.
Robbins said he will wait until the matter is settled with the Arizona Supreme Court in November before enacting a policy.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Arizona’s higher education” by Arizona Board of Regents.
