Q: The rules about who is or isn’t covered in the K-State vaccine mandate are confusing. Which employees are required to get vaccinated under the mandate?
A: Some of that confusion has been eliminated with recent changes that put most employees at K-State under the mandate.
Three entities — KSU Foundation, K-State Alumni Association and Collegian Media Group — aren’t a part of the mandate because they aren’t directly under university control.
When K-State first announced the mandate on Oct. 22, officials indicated the mandate would cover all K-State faculty and staff members, even if they’re fully remote workers, as well as graduate and undergraduate student employees. However, at first it did not include folks who work for the Alumni Association, KSU Foundation, Student Union and most athletics staffers.
KSU spokeswoman Michelle Geering told The Mercury that the federal government clarified last week that “employees of affiliate organizations that are under the control of a federal contractor — in this case the university — are included in the guidance.”
That means the vaccine mandate is now extended to employees of university-controlled corporate entities, such as the union and athletics department.
However, Geering said KSU Foundation and Alumni Association employees still aren’t mandated to get the COVID vaccine under this directive because they are separate corporate entities and “are not under control of the university.”
Geering said the mandate also does not apply to the Collegian Media Group on campus, as that organization is a private, nonprofit organization. CMG includes the Collegian newspaper itself, the Royal Purple yearbook and Manhappenin’ magazine, as well as the advertising and administrative staffs. Geering said student employees of the Collegian Media Group “who are also employed by the university in another capacity” will be required to be vaccinated.
Similarly, some employees have multiple titles and/or receive pay from multiple sources. Essentially, the rules say those who receive any pay from K-State directly are included in the mandate.
Geering said the parameters for determining who is and is not exempt from the vaccine rule are outlined in a document from the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force. The vaccine requirement is intended to comply with a directive issued by President Joe Biden in September mandating federal employees and contractors to get vaccinated.
Even though the KSU Foundation, Alumni Association and Collegian Media Group aren’t mandated under that directive, a separate rule by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) ultimately could apply for some entities.
KSU Foundation spokeswoman Susan Berhow said “should it be required,” foundation leaders are “preparing to comply” with new OSHA regulations that would make all employers of 100 or more employees ensure that all workers had been vaccinated or tested weekly by Jan. 4.
David Levy, director of CMG, said the media group planned to discuss the situation at its board meeting next week.
Alumni Association officials were not immediately available for comment.
Affected employees can apply for medical and religious exemptions. Nov. 15 is the deadline to submit a request for a religious/medical exemption; forms for that can be found on the K-State website. Exemption requests will be approved or denied by Nov. 19. This timeline allows time for those whose request is denied to get fully vaccinated before the deadline.
KSU officials said last month that employees who have not submitted vaccine cards or requested exemptions by Dec. 1 will be notified that they have the option to resign or be terminated.
Officials also extended the deadline for full vaccination to Jan. 4. Unless they received an exemption, employees who have not been vaccinated by that date will be fired on Jan. 9.
Nov. 29 is the last date for people to upload their proof of vaccination. If people need assistance uploading proof of vaccination, they are asked to call KSU Human Capital Services at 785-532-6277.
New hires at KSU must be fully vaccinated by Dec. 8 in order to begin work.
Masks are still required to be worn on the Manhattan, Olathe and Salina campuses, as well as inside the KSU Foundation and Alumni Association buildings.
You can submit a question to this column by e-mail to news@themercury.com, or by regular mail to Questions, P.O. Box 787, Manhattan, KS 66505.
