Wayne State University students sound off on the flu vaccine mandate

Wayne State University issued a mandate for students, faculty and staff members who will be living, working or attending classes on campus to get vaccinated against the flu by Oct. 20, 2021.

Wayne State University decided to mandate in place to keep the community safe during the pandemic

“As we continue to navigate the pandemic, vaccines for COVID-19 and the flu play a crucial role in keeping our community safe and allowing us to offer in-person classes and on-campus events,” said Wayne State University in an email sent to the campus community.

Wayne State University issued when? s a mandate for everyone on campus to get vaccinated against the flu by Oct. 20, 2021.

This mandate applies to all students, faculty and staff members who will be living, working or attending classes on campus for the fall and winter semesters. 

Wayne State University Flu Shot Mandate Stand Up:

Flu Vaccine 

With the annual seasonal flu vaccine being common, many students have already received their flu shot or were already planning to get it this year.

“I’ve been getting the flu shot before my time at Wayne State,” said Wayne State University’s senior Kaitlyn Kipp. “I’ve been getting it since I was a kid.”

With many individuals feeling it is important to get the flu shot, many are also opposed to getting the vaccine.

“I believe getting the flu shot is important, and I recieve the shot every year,” said Wayne State University sophomore Zaynah Hassan. “I do have some family members and friends who are against it though.”

Wayne State began their in-person learning, along with still having events on campus, with a mask mandate this semester.

“Since returning back to campus, Wayne State feels that every student getting the flu vaccine is important because they want everyone on campus to feel safe,” said Hassan. 

With students choosing not to live on college campuses because of the COVID vaccine mandate, adding the flu vaccine mandate was an extra step Wayne State was willing to take.  

“I personally don’t have a problem with the flu shot being mandatory because we already have one big virus to worry about,” said Kipp. “If the flu starts to become a concern on campus, that will be even more stressful to figure out if we have a COVID or flu outbreak.”

Requirements

Many requirements were put in place to make sure students and staff are following the procedures of the flu vaccine mandate, such as scheduling flu shot appointments and submitting waivers or proof of vaccinations.

“I think requiring the flu vaccine alleviates extra sickness on campus and allows us to focus on tackling the COVID pandemic,” said Kipp. 

Wayne State is offering flu vaccine appointments on campus by booking an appointment online or calling the Campus Health Center. The flu shots require no out-of-pocket cost.

“Wayne State has free flu shots available on campus,” said Kipp. “There’s some free flu shot events that happen in our student center as well.”

To ensure the campus community is following the mandate, every individual has to show their flu shot documentation to the university. 

“You can submit your proof of vaccination online,” said Wayne State’s Campus Health Center in an online document on the Wayne State University’s website.

Individuals who are against getting the vaccine due to religious or health purposes, are required to submit a waiver online to be reviewed by Wayne State’s Health Committee. 

“Getting the flu shot is really important, but people have different views on it,” said Wayne State University’s freshman Salsabil Abdul-Mustaqim. “I definitely feel students should have a choice if they want to get the vaccine or not no matter their reason.”

You can view flu vaccine frequently asked questions on Wayne State University’s Campus Health Center website here.

With winter right around the corner, Wayne State University put these requirements in place in order to reach their goal of maintaining a safe learning environment for their students and staff to keep some normality on campus in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Learn more about Wayne State University’s vaccine mandates here.