Hundreds of Cal Poly students request exemptions to COVID-19 vaccine requirement
Hundreds of Cal Poly students enrolled in fall classes at the university have requested exemptions its COVID-19 vaccine requirement.
Roughly 600 students — about 3% of the student body — have so far applied for the exemption, according to Cal Poly’s Media Relations Director Matt Lazier.
The COVID-19 vaccine requirement is a California State University system-wide mandate put in place by Chancellor Joseph Castro on July 27.
“The current surge in COVID cases due to the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant is an alarming new factor that we must consider as we look to maintain the health and well-being of students, employees and visitors to our campuses this fall,” Castro said in a news release about the mandate. “Receiving a COVID vaccine continues to be the best way to mitigate the spread of the virus. We urge all members of the CSU community to get vaccinated as soon as possible, and announcing this requirement now allows members of the CSU community to receive multiple doses of a vaccine as we head into the beginning of the fall term.”
Students living on campus in the fall must submit proof of vaccination by Sept. 14, according to the university. Those living off campus but still going to campus for whatever reason must be fully vaccinated by Sept. 20.
It’s unclear how many students CSU-wide have applied for the COVID-19 vaccine exemption because the data is not kept centrally, according to the CSU media relations office.
San Luis Obispo County Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein said the number of unvaccinated students potentially coming to the county is “not something that worries me.”
“People need to make their own decisions about the risk benefit analysis of ‘Well, if I can’t go on campus because I feel that passionately about forgoing a vaccine, that’s a decision I’ll have to make,’ ” she added.
Cal Poly students have until Aug. 23 to apply for the exemption.
Should they not comply with the university’s vaccine mandate and not have their exemption request accepted, students may be barred from campus facilities and Cal Poly programs, according to the university.
Students with a vaccine exemption who are not fully vaccinated and wish to access campus facilities must be tested for COVID-19 twice a week and wear a mask indoors. They must also submit proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken 72 hours before moving into an on-campus residential hall.
Systemwide, students are supposed to only ask for the exemption if they have a medical or religious reason for doing so.
Medical exemptions may include someone who is severely allergic to the vaccine ingredients.
Although most religions have no theological objection to vaccination, the following Christian denominations do: Dutch Reformed Congregations, Faith Tabernacle, Church of the First Born, Faith Assembly, End Time Ministrie and Church of Christ, Scientist, according to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Why one Cal Poly student asked for an exemption
One Cal Poly student, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said she applied for a religious exemption to the COVID-19 vaccine. She didn’t need to claim she was a member of a certain established religion or Christian denomination, however, to apply for the exemption, just that the vaccine went against her personal, ethical beliefs, she said.
“It was all just in one box,” she said. “So if it’ll come down to me choosing one, I would just do my beliefs, not an organized religion.”
The student said the university didn’t ask for any proof of why her beliefs allowed for the COVID-19 exemption for her request. If she had selected the other option — medical exemption — she said the application still would not have required her to submit any extra materials to prove any medical condition.
Cal Poly has informed students that they may ask for documentation “in the future,” according to an Aug. 2 campus-wide message from Keith Humphrey, the university’s vice president for student affairs.
The university has strongly encouraged students to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to “protect ourselves and those most vulnerable” from contracting the disease, according to a July 12 campuswide message from Tina Hadaway-Mellis, the university’s assistant vice president for student affairs, health and wellbeing.
Cal Poly requires several other vaccines as well — including those for measles, mumps and rubella, hepatitis B and chickenpox.
Although the student said she has all of those other required vaccines, she hesitates to get the COVID-19 vaccine because it is “so new,” she said.
“It’s only been around for a few months, I don’t know exactly what it is,” she said. “And I don’t believe in putting foreign substances in my body that I really don’t know what they are.”
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), common side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine include pain, redness and swelling in the arm where the shot was administered. An individual may also feel tired, get a headache or experience muscle pain, chills, fever or nausea after getting the vaccine, according to the CDC.
These side effects show “that your body is building protection,” the CDC says.
Rare side effects from the vaccine — such as anaphylaxis, thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, myocarditis, pericarditis and death — have occurred in a few thousand people from the more than 358 million doses administered in the United States, according to the CDC.
Cal Poly has hosted several COVID-19 vaccine clinics on campus over the summer in a partnership with Rite Aid.
Recently, a San Luis Obispo County resident in their 20s died of COVID-19 — the youngest death so far locally. In total, 273 residents have died of the disease since March 2020.
The deaths were preventable, said San Luis Obispo County Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein.
“These losses are devastating for everyone involved and especially so when we lose a member of our community at such a young age,” Borenstein said in a news release Tuesday. “I extend my heartfelt condolences to their family, friends, and loved ones. I implore our community members of all ages: protect yourself with the vaccine. We have the power to prevent these tragic losses.”
Where to get a COVID-19 test and schedule a vaccine appointment in SLO County
Free coronavirus testing is available at clinics in San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles. To make an appointment, visit emergencySLO.org/testing or call 888-634-1123 to register by phone.
The county Public Health Department is currently administering coronavirus vaccines to everyone age 12 and up.
Also, anyone receiving treatment in the Emergency Department at the French Hospital Medical Center or those admitted to the hospital for care will be offered the COVID-19 vaccine, according to Sara San Juan, a spokeswoman for Dignity Health.
Those eligible to receive their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine can register online or by phone for California’s My Turn appointment system. The county Public Health Department is also administering vaccines on a walk-in basis at clinics in San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles and Grover Beach.
To find appointments, visit MyTurn.ca.gov and complete the registration process. Those who need assistance registering for a vaccine can call 833-422-4255 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday through Sunday.
To learn more about vaccines offered at the three clinics, or to find out about mobile and pop-up clinics near you, visit RecoverSLO.org/en/when-and-where-can-you-get-vaccinated.aspx. To sign up for email alerts, visit EmergencySLO.org/en/newsletter.aspx.
Residents can also find appointments for coronavirus vaccines through private health partners and some chain pharmacies, including CVS and Vons. To find shots at pharmacies near you, visit Vaccines.gov.
This story was originally published August 19, 2021 at 9:00 AM.
