If Temple students aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19, or don’t have a valid exemption in their student health portal, that may mean trouble with staying on campus.
Temple officials have announced that any student without a vaccination or exemption submitted online by October 15th will lose access to all campus facilities, which includes housing and dining.
Though these consequences could mean a difficult school year for some students, others are thankful that Temple has set boundaries in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“I think it’s good that Temple is requiring it, and just the process of having you upload it so you can be accountable,” commented Woayorm Kumazah, a graduate student.
“I think it’s fair. The whole pandemic is a big deal, so it makes sense that they respond accordingly,” noted another student, Kyle Delaney, a junior at Temple.
Temple officials are cracking down on this new policy as well. Senior Director of Student Health Services, Mark Denys, says there will be no wiggle room.
“Students could potentially be dis-enrolled, employees could potentially be suspended without pay,” stated Denys.
Temple University stated they will know when someone is vaccinated when they submit a picture of the front and back of your vaccine care for review in their student health portal.
“It was pretty easy, I think it was pretty self explanatory,” said Ben Chen, a freshmen, when asked about uploading his vaccine status.
If students have a religious or medical exemption to not get the vaccine, they can print forms directly from the student health portal, get them signed, and submit them back to the portal under penalty of perjury.
For those who have submitted a vaccination card, but who may not have been verified by the school yet, officials say there is nothing to worry about. The reason so many students have not had their cards verified yet is due to the thousands of students who are submitting cards or exemptions every day.
Students may be waiting a while for that verification, but the question is, how long will it take?
“My staff is busy taking care of students, and don’t have as much time to do that,” noted Denys.
Denys also stated that it will take weeks, not months, to be verified. As long as students are submitting their vaccination cards by September 17th, just four weeks before the October 15th deadline, Denys and other officials urge students not to worry.
“It’s not always about protecting yourself, it’s about protecting other people who may be more susceptible,” noted Chen.
“Just upload it or get the vaccine, you know, I would hate to go back online,” added Kumazah.
If any students are having issues with getting their vaccination status verified, reach out to Temple Update for more information, and check the Temple Update website for breaking news related to COVID-19.
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