With the recent release of BYU-Idaho’s COVID vaccination rates, the university has received a better view of what the current COVID-19 situation is for those in the campus community.
During the Fall 2021 Semester, The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment sent anonymized surveys to both student and employee audiences of BYU-Idaho. A total of 1,100 students responded and 630 employees responded, with an estimated +/- 3% margin of error for each group.
Results showed that 81% of on-campus students have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, with 74% of on-campus students being fully vaccinated. These surveys also showed that 91% of BYU-Idaho employees have received at least one dose, with 84% of BYU-Idaho employees being fully vaccinated to help fight against the COVID-19 virus.
Ben Fryar, Managing Director of Institutional Research and Assessment, expressed confidence that the survey respondents were a good representation of all students and employees.
“The Office of Institutional Research has checked to ensure the survey respondent pool represents the student and employee population as a whole,” Fryar said.
Conducting the survey
President’s Council suggested conducting the survey, and President’s Executive Group sponsored it.
The vaccination survey was distributed this fall and sent to a random selection of campus students who were enrolled in at least one course on campus. Half of campus employees were surveyed in the Spring 2021 Semester, with the other half of employees being surveyed in the Fall 2021 Semester.
The Fall 2021 Semester survey was a follow-up to the Spring 2021 Semester that asked the same questions to determine whether the number of those vaccinated at BYU-Idaho has increased or decreased through the year.
Matthew Taylor, an Institutional Research and Assessment Researcher for BYU-Idaho, stated how impressed he was by the results of the Fall 2021 Semester survey results.
“There was a substantial increase in vaccination rates among students and employees between the spring administration and fall administration of the surveys,” Taylor said.
The university recorded a 25% increase in vaccination rates among the student population and a 9% increase in vaccination rates among BYU-Idaho employees, since the Spring 2021 survey.
A community cooperative effort to vaccinate
The BYU-Idaho Student Health Center played a big part in the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. With the partnership of the health center, Madison Memorial Hospital, and the BYU-Idaho nursing program, the local clinics and availabilities have been readily staffed to help with the distribution process.
Clinics held in conjunction with Madison Memorial distributed 4,500 doses of the Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer vaccines. The BYU-Idaho Student Health Center, which exclusively offers the Moderna vaccine, has distributed more than an additional 4,000 vaccines in its facility.
These vaccination clinics and resources have not only been available to students and employees of BYU-Idaho but open to the community and general public. This has been done to help those in the campus community and surrounding and surrounding areas fight COVID-19.
The BYU-Idaho Student Health Center saw an uptick in vaccinations following the two addresses from President Russell M. Nelson and an address from President Henry J. Eyring during the summer of 2021.
BYU-Idaho hopes the encouragements by these leaders continues to inspire those coming to and those living in Rexburg to be vaccinated for the Winter 2022 Semester.
If you have not yet received the COVID-19 vaccine, you may contact the BYU-Idaho Student Health Center at (208) 496-9330 to schedule an appointment.