The Student Senate voted to withdraw $4,000 from their reserves to buy 200 flu shots for students during their meeting Wednesday, Nov. 4.  

Director of Health and Wellness Jonathan Lozano and SGA Treasurer Zachary James authored the funding bill. 

Lozano said that he authored the bill after he reached out to the Director of Student Health Services Camille Childers about the possibility of free shots.

“After speaking with her, she mentioned that they had a limited supply of vaccines this year … she recommended contacting either CVS or Walgreens pharmacy which I ended up contacting Walgreens pharmacy,” Lozano said. “After speaking with a pharmacist she mentioned that they are more than happy to help us out with administering those flu shots.” 

The cost for the vaccine is $40, which brings the total to $8,000. Student Affairs is covering half of the cost. 

The vaccines will be administered through Walgreens, who will have a clinic set up on campus. The timeframe the clinic will be open has yet to be decided. 

While the vaccines will be given first come first serve, specific students will be prioritized.

“If you don’t have health insurance or you can’t afford a flu shot, we would prioritize those with the higher need,” SGA Advisor Gabriel Fonseca said. 

The idea of setting aside more money to buy more than 200 vaccines was brought up during the meeting, but ultimately the number stayed the same. 

“We can just have another funding bill coming up later that asks for more money if there is a need for more flu shots in the future,” Speaker of the Senate Olivia Babin said. 

The bill passed with unanimous consent.