Thread by @ashtonpittman

BREAKING: The IHL Board of Trustees just voted 9-3 to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for employees at all Mississippi universities that accept federal funding.

IHL prohibited university employee mandates last month. Biden's executive order forced the reversal.mississippifreepress.org/17250/ihl-mand…

One IHL trustee, Teresa Hubbard, attempted to postpone the decision, saying members needed time to “process” it.

Hubbard, an appointee of Gov. Reeves, feared IHL's motion could override loopholes in Biden’s order, amounting to a broader vaccine mandate.
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Hubbard on the IHL vaccine mandate for university employees: “I think it’s going to affect our universities very negatively for those who may not need to require it for every individual at their schools—and it does exclude students—to have the vaccine."
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“We have a federal mandate that says if you want federal money, you have to be vaccinated. If you don’t want federal grants, fine. If you all want to come up with $271 million, its ok, you don’t have to worry about it,” said IHL Trustee Dr. Alfred McNair.
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In September, IHL voted to prohibit colleges and universities from mandating COVID-19 vaccines for students and employees.

While Biden's vaccine forced IHL to reverse course on prohibiting employee mandates, IHL still prohibits student vaccine mandates.mississippifreepress.org/16046/ihl-proh…

The faculty senates at Mississippi's three largest universities have passed resolutions supporting mandates for students and faculty.

Earlier this month, the USM Faculty Senate called on IHL to repeal its bans on mandates for students and employees.
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In August, a majority on the IHL Board of Trustees ignored the advice of the two physicians on the board, both of whom supported adding COVID-19 vaccines to the list of immunizations that universities and colleges in the state require.mississippifreepress.org/15299/mississi…

"Never in my life have I witnessed the incredible cost of political polarization and misinformation,” University of Mississippi Provost Wilkin said during in a speech to faculty on Aug. 27, the same day IHL first voted against mandating COVID-19 vaccines.
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“I am shocked at the level of anti-science thinking and anti-science sentiment,” Wilkin said on Aug. 27. “The mechanisms to generate, discover, create, and implement the very solutions that plague us as a society are brought to us by science.”
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Under Biden’s order, university employees at campuses with federal contracts must be fully vaccinated by Dec. 8.

Biden’s executive allows vaccine exemptions for medical reasons and for “sincerely held” religious beliefs regarding vaccines.
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At least 10,000 Mississippians are now confirmed dead from COVID-19

The Magnolia State leads the nation in COVID-19 deaths.

COVID-19 has claimed the life of at least 1 out of every 296 Mississippians.
mississippifreepress.org/17235/mississi…

Despite the escalating death toll, though, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves vows to fight President Joe Biden’s federal vaccine mandates.

Reeves says he's "done it right because we’ve focused not only on saving lives, but also on protecting livelihoods."
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As always, you can support reporting like this and more non-profit, paywall-free journalism by following the Mississippi Free Press at @MSFreePress and, as you're able, by giving a one-time or recurring donation to mfp.ms/donate.

The IHL trustees who voted against today’s motion mandating vaccines for university employees are:

-Trustee Teresa Hubbard
-Trustee Jeanne Luckey
-Trustee Gregory Rader

Gov. Tate Reeves appointe Hubbard & Raider; ex-Gov. Phil Bryant appointed Luckey.mississippifreepress.org/17250/ihl-mand…

Meanwhile, in Alabama...

https://twitter.com/waff48/status/1452719190478139395

UPDATE: In a statement, IHL says that, despite today's vote, it opposes Biden's vaccine mandates.

"While the Board prefers to allow individuals to make their own decisions about their health issues, President Biden's E.O. effectively ties our hands."
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IHL President: “While the Board of Trustees recently passed a motion prohibiting requiring the COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of employment or enrollment ... We are forced to comply with federal executive order or risk losing access to federal contracts." mississippifreepress.org/17250/ihl-mand…

Biden issued his executive order on Sept. 9, but IHL said it wanted to wait for clarification before acting.

Clarification came on Sept. 24.

IHL waited until today to act, leaving with university employees with mere days to start Pfizer/Moderna shots.mississippifreepress.org/17250/ihl-mand…

To be compliant by that deadline, faculty at Mississippi's public universities must receive either a first Moderna shot by at Oct. 27; a first Pfizer shot by Nov. 3; or the less effective, more difficult to obtain one-shot J&J vaccine by Nov. 24.mississippifreepress.org/17250/ihl-mand…

IHL's last minute decision leaves university employees who wish to receive the most effective and readily available vaccines just 9 days to start the process with their first Pfizer dose or 2 days to get their first Moderna dose.mississippifreepress.org/17250/ihl-mand…

Biden issued his executive order on Sept. 9, but IHL said it wanted to wait for clarification before acting.

Clarification came on Sept. 24.

IHL waited until today to act, leaving university employees with mere days to start Pfizer/Moderna shots.
mississippifreepress.org/17250/ihl-mand…

(corrected tweet)