Last year the pandemic became a nightmare for everyone, especially kids and college students. Now universities and colleges are ready to open this fall and by doing that anyone enrolling needs to be fully vaccinated. For me, students should be fully vaccinated in order to attend in-person classes.
On April 22, it was announced that CSUs and UCs will require vaccinations for all students, faculty and staff members. Many universities are requiring vaccinations as well, including Yale, Princeton, Columbia and also in Claremont, Pomona and Claremont McKenna.
Some experts say that by requiring students to get vaccinated will make significant progress in containing the pandemic because of social gatherings that happen on campus. The LA Times reported that California succeeded better than other states like the midwest or northwest last fall.
University of California officials said in a statement that if students or staff who fail to get fully vaccinated will not be allowed to attend in-person access such as campus programs, facilities and also campus housing, according to the AP News.
While some colleges and universities are enforcing this new rule, some are leaving that decision to the students. Many believe that they can’t legally require vaccinations. For instance, in Virginia Tech some officials are determined that they can’t because the FDA has allowed it to be only for emergency use.
Over the last year, while some colleges and universities allowed students to go back to school, they have struggled to control the outbreaks on campus. Some residential campuses are social spaces where the virus can spread through the dorms, off-campus housing and parties.
In late March, Rutgers University in New Jersey became the first U.S. college to announce that it will require all students to get vaccinated before the fall. When Rutgers University made that announcement, not everybody was on board. In New Jersey, a Republican state legislator wants to introduce a legislation by blocking Rutgers’ mandate.
In Teen Vogue, experts have said to the magazine “that colleges will likely have a strong legal standing for these requirements.” There are some colleges that require students to get vaccinated against diseases like meningitis and the measles.
The reason why colleges and universities are requiring these mandates is because they do have good intentions for the students. Officials care for their health and want them to be safe. I do believe that getting the vaccine, you do feel safer.