Following last semester’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, Ohio University has approved a total of 2,078 exemptions among its students and faculty across all campuses.
In October 2021, OU reported over 400 students had applied for an exemption and expected to see an increase, according to a previous Post report.
OU’s exempted individuals make up 8.5% of the Athens student and staff population, according to OU’s website.
Gillian Ice, special assistant to the president for public health operations, said unvaccinated individuals are still asked to participate in weekly asymptomatic testing, even if they are not in a residence hall. Additionally, Ice said the isolation and quarantine protocols remain consistent among all students, including unvaccinated individuals who have received an exemption.
According to the same Post report, the exemption categories available on the application included religious, moral and medical concerns.
Ice added students and staff seeking a medical exemption were asked to provide medical documentation.
Sarah Hartman, a freshman studying pre-nursing, received a vaccine exemption last semester because she believes the university should not be able to make the decision for her.
“It's not that I don't believe in it,” Hartman said. “It's just the fact that I don't think it's necessary … If I don't want to get it, I shouldn't have to, and I'm glad that they let me exempt it.”
Hartman said she did research on COVID-19 to fully understand the virus, so she could provide strong enough reasoning in her exemption application. She said she was asked to write an essay outlining why it was important for her to not receive the vaccine, and, after her submission, she received her exemption in about two weeks.
“It took me two to three days to actually write down because I (didn’t) want to get denied,” Hartman said. “I really took the time to plan out what I was gonna say.”
Hartman appreciated the quick responses from OU COVID Operations, and she said she felt her concerns had been recognized during the exemption process.
“I was really happy that they actually go through your letters and actually take time to think about if they're a good choice to be exempt,” Hartman said.
Hartman confirmed she is required to get tested weekly and added that when she missed a week of testing, the university emailed her saying she would lose privileges to several campus facilities until she completed her test.
Seth Janssen, a freshman studying mechanical engineering, applied for the exemption last semester due to medical concerns and was denied.
In addition to a flu shot allergy, Janssen has a ventricular septal defect, a heart defect that might affect a person’s breathing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Janssen said his conditions made him nervous to get the vaccine.
Janssen said his doctor helped him write his exemption and advised him that the COVID-19 vaccine could have negative effects on him if he received it.
Despite his doctor’s warnings, Janssen said COVID Operations instructed him that it was safe for him to receive the Pfizer vaccine and that his application for exemption was not valid.
Janssen submitted his initial exemption application a month before the application due date. After quickly having the application rejected, he submitted another, which yielded the same result.
When it came time for him to receive the first dose of the vaccine, Janssen said he experienced multiple significant side effects.
“Right after I got the shot, I passed out for a good 15 minutes,” Janssen said. “I remember my heart hurting for like a week straight, but then that settled down, and I had to go get the other one. Same issues.”
Janssen said he was frustrated with the way OU handled the exemption process because he observed others receive exemptions for non-medical concerns while he continued to be denied.
“Some of the reasons weren’t half as good as mine, and they were getting exempt,” Janssen said. “I'd say they're giving out way too many exemptions.”
Finally, Ice said there are a small number of unvaccinated students who failed to receive an exemption. Though some of those individuals are fully online and the vaccine mandate does not apply to them, Ice said there still are some students on campus who have neglected getting the vaccination despite not having an exemption.
“We have a couple hundred other people who we’re working with to get them into either applying for an exemption or uploading their vaccine,” Ice said.
Janssen said he believes it is unfair that there are still unvaccinated individuals on campus who did not receive an exemption, and he called on the university to take action.
“There's a lot of people that didn't want to take it, and then it was kind of required,” Janssen said. “I feel like those people should be sent home.”
