Hundreds of Sacramento State students blocked from campus after missing vaccine deadline
More than 4,300 California State University, Sacramento students were denied access to the campus on Tuesday after failing to meet the school’s deadline for submitting proof of their COVID-19 vaccination.
Ed Mills, vice president for Student Affairs at Sacramento State, indicated in a memo on Tuesday that 4,306 students failed to meet the vaccine self-certification deadline on Monday. The university had 31,451 enrolled students as of fall 2020.
Self-certification means students are declaring they have been vaccinated, qualify for an exemption or will not be going to campus this fall. Medical or religious exemptions might require additional steps for students.
Campus officials sent an email to each of those students informing them they are currently denied access to the campus. That includes “in-person classes, in-person campus programs or services, any placements (e.g. field, clinical or internship placements) are in jeopardy, and you may be subject to disciplinary action,” according to the email sent to students.
Mills wrote in the memo that students can fix their status with the university by going to the Student Center and “self-certify their status by entering their vaccination information, declaring an exemption, or checking the box that they will not be accessing campus.”
Students who declare an exemption will immediately receive information on COVID-19 testing. Mills wrote in the memo that students who fail to self-certify their status or participate in the on-campus testing program by Sept. 27 “will have their in-person courses administratively dropped.”
Students with courses that are “administratively dropped” can lose eligibility for financial aid and potentially owe prorated registration fees or financial aid overawards to the university, according to the email to students.
In late July, the California State University system announced it would require all students, faculty and staff to receive a COVID-19 vaccination ahead of the fall term. The CSU decision came a day after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that all government employees and health care workers in the state would be required to get the jab or face weekly test for the coronavirus.
Students who have questions about the vaccine certification can send an email to covidquestions@csus.edu.
