University of New Mexico to Disenroll Over 250 Students for Not Complying With Vaccine Requirement

A total of 256 students at the University of New Mexico (UNM) will be disenrolled after failing to comply with the university’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

The university required students to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or to receive medical or religious exemptions. On-campus students who are exempted from the requirement have been asked to submit COVID-19 test results to the university vaccine verification site on a weekly basis.

The university spokeswoman Cinnamon Blair told the Albuquerque Journal that 164 students who did not take actions to get vaccinated were enrolled on the Albuquerque campus.

According to her, students who will be disenrolled from classes at the university are those who in no way agreed to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by Friday, as required by the institution.

“Students facing disenrollment have been receiving daily messages for over a month and, prior to that, biweekly messages. We have also conducted phone and text campaigns from Enrollment Management and our resource centers, as well as from branches, to contact these students,” Blair told the newspaper.

Some 92 percent of all students at the University of New Mexico have already been vaccinated for COVID-19, while 4.4 percent have received exemptions for medical or religious reasons. Data also show that 96 percent of university staff have confirmed their vaccination status, whereas 98 percent of faculty have received vaccine doses.

In an effort to protect the university community from the COVID-19 pandemic, the President of the University of New Mexico Garnett Stokes authorized and enacted an expedited disciplinary action and student conduct procedure for those who do not adhere to the Administrative Mandate on Required COVID-19 Vaccination.

“When students do not comply with the Administrative Mandate on Required COVID-19 Vaccination, they adversely affect the health, safety, and welfare of the University community and, in doing so, adversely affect the University’s educational function. Failure to comply with the Administrative Mandate requires that the University take disciplinary action,” the university noted.

In addition to students, staff and faculty are also required to get vaccinated for COVID-19 or apply for exemptions and submit to the university test results every week. Those who fail to meet the requirement could also be subject to disciplinary, meaning that their employment could be terminated for misconduct.

The university requires all faculty, staff, students, and other attendees to wear masks while at UNM events.