The University of Virginia and the University of Tennessee system announced on Thursday that they would require some or all employees to receive a Covid-19 vaccine, part of a groundswell of colleges that are preparing to observe President Biden’s September 9 order that all federal contractors be fully vaccinated by December 8.
The universities’ new requirements vary in scope but do not leave an option for employees to be tested regularly instead. (A testing option is allowed under Biden’s order for large employers but not for federal contractors.)
In an email to the campus, University of Virginia leaders said all employees, part time and full time, must be vaccinated “due to the scope of the president’s order.” UVA students are already required to be vaccinated; the flagship made headlines in August for disenrolling students who hadn’t complied with the mandate.
“Like many other institutions around the country, we have determined that compliance with President Biden’s executive order is vital to ensure that we do not risk losing millions in federal contract dollars that support important research and education work here at UVA,” the email, from the provost, Liz Magill, and the chief operating officer, J.J. Davis, said.
They warned that anyone not in compliance by December 8 would be subject to disciplinary action, such as unpaid leave or termination.
The University of Tennessee system announced slightly different requirements on Thursday.
In a email, the president of the UT system, Randy Boyd, said the university was required under Biden’s order to ensure that all federal-contractor employees are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by December 8.
“It will be up to each campus to make the determinations as to which employees and locations are subject to the vaccine mandate,” the email said. In addition to its main campus, in Knoxville, UT has locations in Chattanooga, Martin, and Pulaski, and a Health Science Center in Memphis.
In the message, Boyd said the system held 1,900 contracts that may be subject to the mandate, worth a total of more than $750 million in federal funding in the 2021 fiscal year.
Tennessee does not require vaccination for students.