HAMDEN, CT – Quinnipiac University will take disciplinary action against unvaccinated students who haven’t uploaded any vaccination records and exemption requests, according to Quinnipiac’s Chief Experience Officer Tom Ellett.
“We wish we did not have to take these measures, but protecting the health of our QU community by ensuring compliance with our vaccination requirement is the only way we can ease most of our COVID-related restrictions and safely return to our in-person learning and living activities.” Ellet wrote in his email Monday to 600 students.
In lieu of mandating the COVID-19 vaccine, non-compliant students will be charged a weekly fee starting at $100 for the first two weeks, gradually increasing by $25 every two weeks for a maximum total of $200 per week.
The billing will stop once students submit proof of their first vaccination, and all charges will be dropped if fully vaccinated before Sept. 14. Fees will be assessed for students who receive their second shot after the set date.
In addition, any unvaccinated student who misses required on-campus weekly testing will be charged an additional $100 for each time they miss a week. Vaccinated students do not have to complete weekly testing.
However, the consequences run deeper than students just paying a bill.
If the vaccination fulfillment has not been completed after Sept. 14, students will also lose access to Quinnipiac network and Wi-Fi until compliant with university guidelines.
The disciplinary actions and fees will be waived if unvaccinated students get one shot by Aug. 25, but they must participate in weekly testing until two weeks after their second vaccination and submit a negative COVID-19 test prior to returning.
“Our hope is we don’t have to assess these charges on anyone, but rather the students provide their necessary documentation as required before the start of the semester,” Associate Vice President for Public Relations John Morgan said.
Students had until July 6, to submit exemption requests and will no longer accept religious exemptions. The university will address any student looking to submit a medical exemption on a case-by-case basis.
As of Tuesday morning, 30 of the 600 students to receive the warning have submitted proof of their vaccination and are exempt from any consequences. All unvaccinated students must also obtain their own PCR test within 5 days before returning to campus and upload their negative test result to the Student Health Services Patient Portal.
Although, the school is still recommending that every community member take the same precautions before arrival.
In an email to students on Tuesday morning, the university “strongly recommends” vaccinated students still obtain a negative PCR test within five days before returning.
Until then, unvaccinated students without exemptions gear up for a costly year at Quinnipiac pending their compliance with the university’s policies.
