Buffalo, NY (WBEN) UB is now requiring students to get vaccinated within the next seven days, and then get their second dose within five weeks. This after Pfizer's vaccine received full federal approval.
UB says students who do not fulfill the vaccination requirement will be resigned from their in-person courses.
"FDA approval of the vaccine is great news for the UB community," said Brian Hamluk, vice president for student life. "While our records show a high rate of vaccination on campus among students, we think this will encourage some of those students who have been waiting for FDA approval to finally get vaccinated."
While the Pfizer vaccine was the only one approved for licensing on Monday, UB says it accepts any of the vaccines authorized by the FDA for emergency use, which includes the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccines.
UB says students who fail to meet these deadlines will be automatically resigned from in-person classes and assigned an "R" grade. Those students are still financially liable for all of their courses, unless they have dropped or resigned from them before the deadlines.
"We cannot stress enough that UB's vaccination mandate is a strict policy with serious repercussions if not followed," Hamluk said.
A small percentage of UB students were granted exemptions for medical or religious reasons. Now that the FDA granted approval on Monday, UB says those students still seeking exemptions will not be allowed on campus while their requests are being reviewed.
The semester begins August 30th.
