Emory University Limits Internet Access for Unboosted Students
Last month, Emory University started limiting Internet access and speed for students who refused to get a Covid-19 booster shot in violation of the college’s vaccine policy requiring three doses.
The inconvenience successfully incentivized over half of the booster-reluctant students to send in their vaccination proof or request an exemption, Executive Director for COVID-19 Response and Recovery Amir St. Clair told the Emory Wheel. The Internet restrictions applied to non-academic websites such as gaming sites and social media platforms. Restricted students also had their Wi-Fi connections slowed, which may have interrupted their studies.
‘The Wi-Fi restrictions were a valuable compliance measure to help promote participation,” St. Clair said. “Our hope is that it will continue to have an impact.”
Students who submitted proof of a booster shot would likely have their Internet access unlocked in a few days, St. Clair said. However, it would likely take longer for Wi-Fi to be restored for students who received an exemption, due to a seven-to-ten day review and approval process, he suggested. He said students who don’t acquiesce could face further penalties but he did not specify whether suspension or expulsion would be among them.
In February, students who did not comply with the January booster deadline were notified that their Wi-Fi could be restricted.
The university saw a slight uptick in cases last month, with 53 cases reported among students, faculty and staff in late March vs. only 35 cases reported in the weeks of March 18 and March 3, according to the University’s COVID-19 dashboard.
St. Clair told the publication that the campus is experiencing “very low rates of transmission,” yet the booster has been mandated for all students.
“We are not seeing a surge, a spike there,” he added. “The Emory community and the metro Atlanta area counties continue to be classified as a low risk community, per CDC guidelines.”
“We will empower everybody to create an inclusive environment where people make good decisions for their own safety and health,” St. Clair said. “There’s nothing precluding having good conversations and dialogue about that.”
While many U.S. colleges require that students receive two Covid-19 shots, the original definition of full vaccination, as a condition of enrollment or attendance in-person, fewer colleges are also requiring the booster dose.
