MC drops many COVID-related mandates in response to new state laws
Nov. 17, 2021
To comply with new COVID-19 legislation recently passed by the Tennessee General Assembly and signed by Gov. Bill Lee, Maryville College has dropped many of its mandates put in place earlier this academic year to mitigate virus spread and promote the health and safety of the campus community.
In a message sent to the campus late Monday, President Dr. Bryan F. Coker explained that, due to new state laws, COVID-19 vaccination will no longer be a condition of enrollment for the Spring 2022 semester and, while the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) vaccination requirement was under a federal appeals court stay, COVID-19 vaccination will not be a condition of employment at the school starting in January.
The College announced vaccination mandates in early September, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted full approval to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Religious and medical exemptions have been granted to those who provided the necessary information.
As a result of the mandates, the College now has vaccination percentages currently standing at 100 percent of full-time faculty, 94 percent of all employees, and 88 percent of students.
In the email to faculty, staff and students, Coker expressed his disappointment with a private institution being subject to these laws, while stating that the College would fully comply.
“To be clear, I firmly disagree with these new state laws, which take away measures that have proven extremely effective for the College, in COVID prevention and mitigation.”
Citing the College’s guiding principles established earlier this year regarding COVID-19 operations, Coker urged those who have yet to be vaccinated to receive the shot and voluntarily report it to the College.
“As our MC Guiding Principles state, the College believes ‘the available COVID vaccines are safe, effective, backed by decades of scientific research, and offer the best opportunity for a prompt return to traditional campus life,’” he wrote. “Consequently, we continue to strongly encourage all community members to become vaccinated, thereby demonstrating your care for others.
“We are deeply appreciative for the hundreds of students, faculty and staff who already have been vaccinated, enabling the College to function safely and responsibly amidst this pandemic,” he added.
In Monday’s email, Coker also shared that, in response to new state laws, mitigation measures that limited in-person dining to vaccinated students and required unvaccinated persons to report for random testing also were dropped. He added that the College’s athletics department will continue to follow COVID-related guidance and protocols from the NCAA and USA South Athletic Conference.
The College’s mask mandate for all persons inside campus buildings remains in place.
The president said the College would continue to review and evaluate new laws and make necessary updates to its guidance based on the laws and local conditions.
“As a community, we must be mindful and respectful of the diversity of opinions around COVID that exist on our campus,” he wrote to the campus community. “Undoubtedly, there are individuals in favor of these new state laws, as well as others who are fearful of the implications presented by these laws. Just as we have done for over 18 months now, we will continue to take things one step at a time, realizing there is no script for a global pandemic, and especially for one which has become so unnecessarily politicized.
“We will continue to do all we lawfully can to promote and embrace science and public health, and to provide for the safety of all members of our campus community.”