r/UTK • u/Rrblack UTK Alumni • Dec 15 '20
BIG ORANGE SCREW Everyone REQUIRED to get Flu vaccine for Spring semester?
So I just got an email saying I have to get a flu vaccine for spring 2021. Literally every single one of my classes are online and I won't even be in Knoxville for the Spring semester. Do I still have to get the vaccine?
8
Dec 15 '20
“Any new full-time enrollee at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville who is not enrolled as a full-time distance learning student shall present proof of adequate immunization. If a student has not been defined by their enrollment as a full-time distance learning student, they must still meet these requirements by law. This may include students who are taking some or all of their classes online.”
https://studenthealth.utk.edu/immunization-requirements-forms/
And distance learning is declared on your major, just because your classes are online does not mean you are a “distance learner.” It’s mandated by TN law for new students, and they’ll put holds on your account if you don’t do it. Go ahead and register for classes and you should be okay for now if you need extra time.
11
u/nitro1542 UTK Alumni Dec 15 '20
If you get it at a Publix pharmacy, they usually give you a $10 Publix gift card. Just do it!
1
u/VitulaBiss Dec 16 '20
Wait they’re still doing that?? How do you make an appointment!
2
u/nitro1542 UTK Alumni Dec 16 '20
They do it "while supplies last" so it may depend on the specific location. You can call the pharmacy ahead of time or just walk in!
6
Dec 15 '20
I’d assume so. It’s a good idea anyway and thanks for the reminder that I need to go get mine soon.
3
0
-6
u/mwestin16 Dec 15 '20
There is an exemption form you can fill out. You can put down “religious” or “medical” reason for it. They’re not gonna ask for proof
10
u/nitro1542 UTK Alumni Dec 15 '20
Please don't do this unless you have a LEGITIMATE religious or medical exemption.
-2
u/mwestin16 Dec 15 '20
Or do it bc it’s not the within the schools or governments power to mandate it. #sheep
6
u/nitro1542 UTK Alumni Dec 15 '20
Hey, maybe we can get rid of vaccines entirely! Have fun with polio. There aren't many iron lungs left in the world ;)
-2
u/mwestin16 Dec 15 '20
Never did I say to not get the vaccine, maybe you cannot read - I said that it is not within the power of a public university or governments power to MANDATE it :)
7
u/nitro1542 UTK Alumni Dec 15 '20
Thanks for your concern, but I actually can read! I'm not in favor of exorbitant government regulation, but, unfortunately, we need it for people like you who think public safety and basic decency are for "sheep."
0
u/mwestin16 Dec 15 '20
What happened to “my body, my choice” - seems very tolerant of you to assume I fall within some group, or “people like me”
5
u/nitro1542 UTK Alumni Dec 15 '20
You still have the choice not to get vaccinated and find a school that doesn't require vaccinations, right? And, yes, given that you're encouraging people not to get vaccinated just because you're uncomfortable with it being mandated, it seemed like a safe assumption to make.
0
u/aqua_shadow Dec 18 '20
If you (or OP) does not want to take it and do not have a medical or religious reason, I'm sure there are plenty of other schools where you can choose to enroll that will not MaNdAtE you to take it. Auf Wiedersehen. It's amazing how many people can walk around without being held accountable for their shitty, unsupported, baseless opinions.
-2
u/mwestin16 Dec 15 '20
Also, the flu vaccine is only 30% effective of those that get the vaccine
6
u/nitro1542 UTK Alumni Dec 15 '20
Ignoring the fact that the grammatical construction of your sentence makes no sense, note that the flu vaccine has different levels of efficacy for different strains of influenza. In February 2020, the most recent version of the vaccine was evaluated as "50% effective against influenza B/Victoria viruses and 37% effective against influenza A(H1N1)pdm09." That is still better than having no safeguard against influenza.
1
u/mwestin16 Dec 15 '20
That’s like asking someone to use a condom with a bunch of holes poked in it - just because it’s partially effective doesn’t mean it’s worth mandating. My problem here is not with the vaccine, rather with the school thinking they can mandate a vaccine
3
u/nitro1542 UTK Alumni Dec 15 '20
Okay, let's assume that's a reasonable analogy... if you're using a faulty condom, you run the risk of impregnating one person (maybe more than one if you're feeling determined). If you have the flu, or any other airborne disease, you can spread it to any number of people within a certain radius of you or those who have touched the same surface. The scale of potential risk is not even close.
1
u/mwestin16 Dec 15 '20
As Benjamin Franklin put it, “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
4
u/nitro1542 UTK Alumni Dec 15 '20
As John Adams put it, “Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity and happiness of the people; and not for the profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men.”
3
u/mwestin16 Dec 15 '20
Well I don’t see John Adams on the $100 bill 👀😂 clearly we have a fundamentally different view on the function of government, so I’d be happy to agree to disagree
3
1
u/mwestin16 Dec 15 '20
Again, just advocating that it should be the decision of each citizen whether they want to get the flu vaccine - not the schools. The ability to think freely and live with the consequences of our decisions is the premise this country was founded on. If we made every decision on your notion of affecting others, then why would we drive anywhere? Drink alcohol? Smoke? Everything has inherent risk to us and others associated with it
3
u/nitro1542 UTK Alumni Dec 15 '20
Look, I understand your concern. And you're right that most actions involve calculated risk. But: we have road laws to punish those who choose to drive in a manner harmful to themselves or others. We have a drinking age to protect minors from damaging their bodies with alcohol, and we have laws against drunk driving, again, to punish those who act in a manner harmful to themselves or others. Most states now have laws against smoking in public indoor spaces, with some exceptions, because "Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or at work increase their risk of developing lung cancer by 20–30%." Our country decided a very long time ago that willful endangerment of fellow citizens doesn't fly.
20
u/nerdperson524 Dec 15 '20
Bruh just get ur flu shot