State Univ. Demands Students Get Vaccine, Then GOP Gov Reminds Them Who's Really in Charge
An Arizona State University policy requiring students to be vaccinated before taking on-campus classes is now in shreds.
Arizona’s Republican Gov. Doug Ducey posted a series of tweets saying that the state university is not going to be allowed to issue stricter policies than he would approve of.
He followed that up with an executive order shutting down the policy.
The college, which has been offering classes in a hybrid fashion with most instruction online and some in-person classes, previously said that it was putting in place new rules for the fall semester.
“As we continue preparations for fall 2021, we are writing to remind you of the university’s expectation that all students enrolled in an on-campus academic program for 2021-22 will be vaccinated,” Joanne Vogel, the vice president of student services, wrote in a Monday update on the college’s website.
Vogel said those who are vaccinated could provide proof to the college through an online portal, enabling them to then go about college life as normal.
Students who opted not to submit their documentation, or those who chose not to be vaccinated, would be required to wear a mask while on campus, be screened daily and submit to a coronavirus test twice a week.
However, some who learned of the requirements gave those policies an F.
I’m as big an @ASU fan as anyone, but this policy makes zero sense and should be reversed. pic.twitter.com/CRLozpAG2I
— T.J. Shope (@TJShopeforAZ) June 15, 2021
ASU is trying to force low risk, young, healthy kids to get vaccinated. Governor @dougducey said he will issue an EO to stop it and has asked the legislature to codify the EO. I’m ready to vote on that bill today.
— Warren Petersen (@votewarren) June 15, 2021
“The new student policy announced by Dr. Vogel is blatantly discriminatory and I find it troubling that ASU would even think to institute it,” Republican state Rep. Travis Grantham said, according to the Arizona Republic.
Ducey explained his position in a series of tweets on Tuesday.
The vaccine works. But the vaccine is a choice. This policy is social engineering at its worst. Health policy should be based on science, not virtue signaling. In America, freedom wins. 2/
— Doug Ducey (@dougducey) June 15, 2021
I’ll be issuing an executive order that will ensure this excessive policy is never enforced, and asking the Legislature to codify the order into law. 4/4
— Doug Ducey (@dougducey) June 15, 2021
“This is bad policy, with no basis in public health. Even the Biden Administration has been more reasonable. The vaccine works. But the vaccine is a choice. This policy is social engineering at its worst. Health policy should be based on science, not virtue signaling. In America, freedom wins,” he wrote.
“Public education is a public right, and taxpayers are paying for it. We need to make our public universities available for students to return to learning. In Arizona, we are going to have students in classrooms learning,” the governor wrote, adding that he would be asking the state legislature to draft his order into law.
Ducey’s executive order said that no college can “place any conditions on attendance or participation in classes or academic activities, including but not limited to mandatory testing and mandatory mask usage, if a person chooses not to obtain a COVID-19 vaccine or disclose that they have been vaccinated against COVID-19, unless such requirement has been mandated by law in the State of Arizona.”
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