Unvaccinated student is escorted out
Undergrad went to Western University campus five times after being told he was trespassing
Campus police at an Ontario university ousted a student from class — once led away in handcuffs and another time carried out by his hands and feet — in a dramatic showdown over the school’s enforcement of its COVID-19 vaccination mandate.
The recent events at Western University in London, captured on video and shared on social media, are among the first to publicly highlight the challenge schools across the province face when upholding a policy that requires staff and students be fully vaccinated on campus.
After being repeatedly warned not to trespass on campus, and removed three times, Harry Wade, 22, was expelled Nov. 18 and told the Star, “if a university is willing to go this far to exclude people then it’s not an institution that I want to participate in.”
In an earlier statement to the Star, university spokesperson Marcia Steyaert would not comment on the videos but said, “The safety of our community is our utmost priority.”
“While we can’t speak to individual cases due to privacy legislation, we can say that individuals who violate Western’s vaccination policy may be removed from campus, and may face other discipline.”
To date, 28 students, out of a total of about 37,000, have been placed on “involuntary leave due to noncompliance” with the policy. That means they are de-registered from their classes and unable to sign up for courses, access their grades or apply to graduate for one year. They are notified not to trespass on campus. Tuition is refunded.
The university says it has “dealt with one individual regarding noncompliance requiring on-campus intervention.” The Western Special Constable Service — uniformed officers who ensure safety and security on campus — did not respond to the Star’s inquiries.
All universities in Ontario have mandatory vaccination policies for in-person activities, but not all are back to in-person learning. Since September, there’s been a mix of in-person, remote and online courses offered at schools across the province.
Western University was among the few that opted for an almost full return to in-person learning, giving students a more normal academic experience. That has put Western at the forefront of dealing with noncompliance on campus, a scenario that could play out elsewhere as more universities return to in-person learning next term.
Wade, a second-year civil engineering student, hasn’t been vaccinated because he doesn’t think COVID is a “legitimate” health threat for those his age and says there’s a lot of “misinformation” about the vaccine. “Everyone has the right to be uncertain … People should be entitled to the choice (of vaccination),” he added.
The university says students were provided with ample opportunity to make enrolment decisions prior to the Oct. 12 deadline, which is when they were required to upload proof of both COVID shots, unless granted a medical or human rights exemption.
This fall, Western says there has been zero on-campus transmission, attributing that to a vaccination rate of 99 per cent amongst staff and students. It also credits the school community as a whole for adhering to safety protocols, which includes mandatory mask use indoors.
After missing the deadline, Wade was notified Oct. 13 that he was non-compliant with the university’s policy and told not to trespass on campus. But he ultimately returned five times, as a way of protesting the university’s request for medical records. He was first detained on Nov.10 outside a school building — this was not videotaped — and returned the following day to class to make a point. He says some of his classmates had told him they had agreed with his views, and he expected them to stand up in his defence. But they didn’t.
His second ouster, on Nov. 11, was captured in a 29-second video posted on an Instagram account popular with Western students. It shows Wade, unmasked, seated in the front row of a class when two campus constables approach him and gesture for him to stand up. Wade complies, puts his hands behind his back and is handcuffed. He is led out of class in a calm and orderly manner as students look on.
Seated nearby Morty Salehi, a second-year student who doesn’t know Wade personally, was “shocked” by the incident.
“Usually (Wade) is wearing a mask, but this time he didn’t show up with a bag or a mask and I asked him, ‘Hey man, do you want a mask?’ And he very nervously told me, ‘No, I’m not even supposed to be here.’ ”
Salehi says he understands Wade’s “frustration,” pointing out that he has invested money, time and effort in the engineering program.
“I completely see where his frustration is … He was probably trying to make a statement.”
Wade returned to class on Nov. 15, where he was again apprehended. Two campus officers approached him, again in the front row, but this time they didn’t handcuff him.
“In that moment, I decided: Do I want to be someone who walks out of class or is dragged out of class?”
Wade chose the latter, “I thought at the time that being dragged out was the final straw (for students). Like, do you think this is OK?”
Another video, about five seconds long, shows Wade being carried out by officers, who are holding his hands and feet.
“There is disdain for the mandate and policy in that classroom (amongst other students) but they’re not willing to risk it like I have,” said Wade. “At this point, I’ve lost my degree and I’ve lost my access to the university.”
Ziyana Kotadia, the vice-president for university affairs for the University Students’ Council, said there’s widespread support for Western’s vaccine mandate and policies. She noted students have made it clear “a vaccine mandate is the best way to protect our campus community in the face of the ongoing pandemic.”
Wade knows that not complying with the policy and then returning to class, after being told repeatedly to stay off campus, was risky.
“I’m honestly quite happy with it. I want the expulsion because they think that’s a record against me … But to me, it’s a record against the university, that (it) would be willing to expel a student for choosing to believe in what they believe.”