FINAL

MODULE COORDINATION REQUEST

Tracking Number: 20D

Title of Request: Immunization Policy: Compliance Procedures for Spring 2008

Point of Origin: Dr. Jim Shekleton, General Counsel

Date Originally Referred to MOCC: August 1, 2006

Advisory Council and Committee Involvement: MOCC (current version of MCR referred on November 27, 2007); Immunization Sub-Committee of MOCC (current version of MCR referred on November 27, 2007)

Date of Final Approval from MOCC: December 13, 2007

Date of Approval from Dr. Shekleton: December 11, 2007

Effective Date of Implementation: Spring 2008

Immunization Policy: Compliance Procedures for Spring 2008

Introduction:

In accordance with BOR policy, students registered for main campus courses at BHSU, DSU, NSU, SDSMT, SDSU, USD, and/or UniversityCenter must provide evidence of immunity to measles, mumps, and rubella. This applies to all students (graduate and undergraduate)except those born on or before December 31, 1956 and those who are enrolled exclusively in off-campus courses. Students must demonstrate immunity to all three diseases; acceptable evidence includes the following options:

Immunization record which specifies administration of two doses of vaccine

Blood titer

Documentation of disease state as diagnosed by a qualified physician

Colleague Coding:

Relevant Codes:

Vaccinations:

  • MR and MR2: first and second MMR immunizations; documentation required
  • RU and RU2: first and second rubella immunizations – typically administered prior to 1978; documentation required
  • RO and RO2: first and second rubeola immunizations – typically administered prior to 1978; documentation required
  • MU and MU2: first and second mumps immunizations – typically administered prior to 1978; documentation required
  • MIL: military service

Consistent with recommendations issued by the Center for Disease Control, the regental system considers military personnel to be adequately vaccinated for measles, mumps, and rubella. Preferably, detailed immunization records for such students will be provided, and codes specific to the individual vaccinations will be entered. Should exhaustive efforts to secure detailed information prove unsuccessful, the student may submit discharge papers (DD-214) or military identification card as evidence of service, and the general MIL code will be assigned.

Titers:

  • RUT (rubella) – laboratory report required
  • ROT (rubeola) – laboratory report required
  • MUT (mumps) – laboratory report required

History of Disease:

  • RUM (rubella) – medical documentation of physician diagnosis required
  • ROM (rubeola) – medical documentation of physician diagnosis required
  • MUM (mumps) – medical documentation of physician diagnosis required

Waivers and Exemptions:

  • TWM (temporary medical waiver): a medical condition of short duration that contraindicates administration of vaccines; the most common application of this waiver is linked to pregnancy – physician statement required.
  • TWD (temporary waiver – distance classes) – documentation from the student’s advisor, department/division chairman, or college dean is required; this statement must verify that the student will complete the totality of all course work off campus.
  • TWE (temporary waiver – employment): Definition of waiver provided by Dr. Shekleton:

Students who are unable to document immune status, but who are employed by schools or healthcare facilities in settings that involve direct contact with students or patients may receive a waiver by documenting such employment.

Documentation of current employment is required. Note: Spring 2008 is the last semester for which this waiver will effectively excuse compliance.

  • XM (permanent exemption – medical rationale): a serious, chronic medical condition that contraindicates administration of vaccines on a long-term basis – physician statement required.
  • XR (permanent exemption – religious rationale): affiliation with an established religion, the doctrine of which prohibits vaccinations -completion of approveduniversity form required
  • XMR (exemption from second MMR): adverse reaction to first MMR precludes administration of the second – physician statement required. Note: Every XMR code should be accompanied by an MR code, indicating administration of the first MMR.

Codes and code combinations that reflect compliance:

MR2

MIL

Combination that includes one code from each column in this table:

Rubella / Rubeola / Mumps
Second shot / RU2 / RO2 / MU2
Titer / RUT / ROT / MUT
Disease / RUM / ROM / MUM

Example: RUT + ROM + MUM

Codes that excuse compliance:

Short-term:

  • TWM

TWD

TWE

Long-term:

XR

XM

XMR

Note:In the event of an outbreak, students who are granted waivers and exemptions will be excluded from campus. Exclusion procedures will coincide with the advice of the South Dakota State Department of Health.

Codes that do not excusecompliance:

TWR - this is a temporary waiver code that permits registration based on partial compliance. All TWR codes should be removed prior to February 29, 2008.

Time Line: Non-Compliance Lists and Administrative Withdrawal

  1. Friday, January 11: First non-compliance report: beginning on this date, RIS will run a computer program todetermine immunization compliance status of all students (graduate and undergraduate) born after December 31, 1956 who are enrolled in one or more spring 2008 courses attached to a topic code of main campus or University Center (exception: those classes with an instructional method of U). RIS will then generate campus-specific lists of non-compliant students; these reports will be distributed to the universities through the University Data Administrators. This process will occur weekly until the established grace period concludes, affording every university the opportunity to note and remedy any discrepancies. Note: in addition to this established method of periodic report distribution, a current non-compliance report will be perpetually available to campuses via WebWizard.
  1. Wednesday, January 16: Registration/first day of classes
  1. Friday, January 25: Census day – last day to drop or add classes; the five-week grace period commences.
  1. Monday, February 4: The MOCC Chairman will conduct an initial audit of temporary waivers and permanent exemptions, requesting campus submission of paper work that validates code assignment for selected students excused from compliance. The results of this audit will be submitted to and discussed with Dr. Shekleton.
  1. Friday, February 29: The grace period concludes; students must successfully demonstrate compliance with all three components of the immunization policy.
  1. Monday, March 3: Universities must enter current immunization codes for all students by 5:00 pm.
  1. Monday, March 3 at 5:00pm: RIS will run a master list of non-compliant students; this will be provided to all universities through the DA’s. It will serve as the basis for administrative withdrawal.
  1. Tuesday, March 4 throughThursday, March 6: Universities will administratively withdraw non-compliant students from all main campus and UniversityCentercourses; the official date of withdrawal will be noted as February 29, 2008. Those affected will receive prorated refunds for tuition, fees, and housing. Active fall courses will be noted on transcripts, and the corresponding grade for each will be W. A comment will be added: “Withdrew and Date.” (Refer to established procedures for administrative withdrawal detailed in section below.)

Special note: in the scenario where a student is enrolled in both on-campus courses (BHSU, DSU, NSU, SDSMT, SDSU, USD, and University Center) and off-campus courses (internet, etc.), the student will be administratively “dropped” from the on-campus classes, but allowed to remain in the off-campus courses. In this case, the procedure is considered an administrative drop, not administrative withdrawal. The comment “Withdrew and Date” will not be added to the transcript. Note: In this scenario, no prorated refund will be available to the student for dropped classes. Consequently, the student will be given the choice of total or partial withdrawal from coursework.

  1. Friday, March 7: The MOCC Chairman will conduct a final audit of temporary waivers and permanent exemptions, requesting campus submission of paper work that validates code assignment for selected students excused from compliance. The results of this audit will be submitted to Dr. Shekleton for his follow-up with regental and university administrators.
  1. Friday, March 7: RIS will generate a final list for submission to Dr. Shekleton. It will identify any non-compliant students who were not administratively withdrawn. Dr. Shekleton will orchestrate campus-specific discussions.

Colleague Procedures for Administrative Withdrawal:

Withdrawing a Student after Census Date with W grades (within the semester)

Step 1 – Access the Registration Session Defaults (RGSD) screen

Step 2 - Set date to effective date of withdrawal.

Step 3 – Update the RGSD screen

Step 4 – Access the Registration (RGN) screen for the student

Step 5 - Detail on status field to Section Registration Changes (SRGC) screen

  • Enter W in the Status field
  • Enter the date of the withdrawal
  • Enter the reason
  • Enter W in the Drop Grade/Exp Date field

Step 6 – Update the SRGC and RGN screens

Step 7 – Access the Final Grade by Individual (FGID) screen for the term of the withdrawal

Step 8 – Verify the W grades for the term of the withdrawal

Step 9 – Access the Student Hiatus (STHI) screen

Step 10 - Type in Student ID number and (A) to add

  • Complete the following fields:
  • Hiatus - W (Withdrawn)
  • Reason - Enter AD (Administrative)
  • Last Attendance Date - Enter last date of attendance
  • Term - Term (ex 2002SU/SP/FA)
  • Start/End Date –
  • Enter effect date as the start date
  • Enter last date of semester as the end date
  • Housing End Date – Enter effect date
  • Meal Plan End Date – Enter effect date
  • Advisors - Detail to Student Advisor Listing (STAD) screen

Step 11 - Detail on advisor(s) name(s) of all active program(s) to Faculty Advisee Detail (FADT) screen

  • Enter an end Date with effective date of withdrawal.

Step 12 - Detail on Registration Info (in the FADT screen) to go to the Student Acad Program (SACP) screen

Note: If there is no university advisor recorded, the SACP will need to be accessed directly from the menu instead of FADT.

  • Detail on Status/Dt/Opr. to go to the Student Program Status History (SPSH) screen
  • go to next available field and type (W) Withdrawn & enter
  • The HomeUniversity program should be withdrawn by the HomeUniversity; the other active programs should be inactivated by the appropriate university of the program.
  • The date must be the last date of the semester for accurate reporting to Clearinghouse.
  • End Date will populate after screen saved.

Step 13 – Update until returned to a blank STHI screen.

Step 14 – Access the Additional Student Term Info (ASTR) screen

  • Enter the Status/Date –
  • (W) Withdraw status
  • Effective date of withdrawal for date

NOTE: Verify that all succeeding dates are prior to the effective date. The W or T (Transcripted) status must be the top status.

Example: 1: T Transcripted 07/25/02

2: W Withdrawn 05/14/02

3: R Registered 05/14/02

  • Enter Print Comments - Type Withdrew and the Withdrawal Date (mm/dd/yy) for Administrative Withdrawals.
  • The format for comments that print on a transcript is x – comment (where x is the university identifier)
  • This will print on the transcript without the university identifier.

Step 15 – Update the ASTR screen

Step 16 – Access SREP

  • Enter an end date on registration priorities for the student
  • The end date should be the date prior to the current date

Step 17 – Update SREP

Step 18 – If this involves a multi-institutional student, notify all institutions that student was enrolled at so active programs can be inactivated.

Explanation of Original Request:

E-Mail from Dr. Shekleton to SAC 8/30/06

It is important to bear in mind that the loose administrative practices that turned up some 1,000 students without the MMR last spring are no longer viable. The numbers created a perception that taxpayers stepped in to fund the vaccination requirements that universities allowed the students to ignore. The blame falls on us. We cannot afford to chance a recurrence. The Board was not pleased by the numbers, but from the political perspective, the Board is to blame for allowing the universities to brush aside something that was framed as a policy requirement.

SAC members have given assurances that the universities can work with the students to gain compliance. Thirty-five days allowance should abundant time, particularly where, as here, ignoring the requirements – requirements that have been in place for sixteen years – puts others at risk. This is a political loser for the universities, so it would be best to make sure that students do not fail.

Obviously the assurances that must be given cannot be to repeat that this time universities will exercise their discretion more wisely than last time. Hence, having MOCC tune the system to remove students who ignore important rules provides the optimum structural check to assure that university discretion is focused on the proper question, whether the student has complied with the regulation. This approach certainly does raise the stakes for students. It may be that a few of the unwary or the unheeding somehow manage to trip up against the 35 day deadline. That is the nature of deadlines. Learning that inattention or distraction, too, brings consequences is important.

I am told that there institutions in other states send would-be registrants home if they show up without the necessary medical records. We have not gotten to that point, and it would probably be best not to cause us to be put at that point. To that end, we should make very sure that we don’t again have so many unvaccinated students in the lecture halls that tax monies must be expended to minimize the public health risk that they present.

Supplemental Information:

Excerpt from BOR 2:3 – Undergraduate Admissions

Proof of two doses of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine or of separate vaccinations against all three diseases or of the presence of immune antibody titers against measles, mumps, and rubella shall be required.

For access to the entire policy, refer to this link: