Colleges and students brace for deadlock this fall

Hundreds of colleges have said the Covid vaccine will be mandatory for fall 2021, and just weeks before classes start, not all students are on board.

Some take their cases to court, others file a petition. And yet, no college has reversed its policy.

Earlier this week, a federal judge upheld Indiana University’s Covid vaccine requirement for the fall semester, dealing another blow to students who disagree with vaccination mandates .

In total, more than 500 colleges and universities across the country require vaccines for at least some students or employees, according to data compiled by the Chronicle of Higher Education. In most cases, students who refuse to be vaccinated will not be able to register for classes or will have their registration revoked.

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Most of these schools are concentrated on the east and west coasts, including the State University of New York and the City University of New York, as well as California State University and the University of California, which reach over one million people. students, faculty and staff.

At the same time, only about 29% of adults aged 18 to 24 received at least one dose, the lowest rate of any age group, according to data from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

Alyssa Jones, 19, is not vaccinated even though she attends Virginia Tech, one of the schools that requires vaccines for the fall. Virginia Tech is more than 37,000 undergraduate and graduate students must declare that they are fully immunized by August 6.

“We must do everything possible to avoid repeating the challenges of the past 14 months,” President Tim Sands said in a letter to the community.

“It is essential that every student who can be vaccinated, is vaccinated.

Virginia Tech faculty and staff are strongly encouraged, not required, to get vaccinated, but for students there will only be exemptions for medical reasons and religious beliefs.

“The high population density in residences, off-campus housing and classrooms – combined with student mobility – presents challenges not seen in other contexts,” said President Sands.

For her part, Jones says she has no problem getting people vaccinated. “My problem is that the government mandated him,” she said.

The Ridgeway, Va., Junior is also state president of Young Americans for Liberty, a libertarian group active on nearly 400 college and university campuses.

Jones helped organize an online petition that says the vaccination warrant violates student rights and that the decision “should be made between a student, their family and their doctors.”

“I know I’m part of a big movement,” she said. Still, Jones says her education comes first and opting out “isn’t something I’m willing to sacrifice just yet.”

“I wait until the last possible minute, but I will get the vaccine if I fail,” she added. “Of the options available, this is the one with the least impact.”

Covid outbreaks on college campuses have the potential to derail the fall semester, as well as the entire higher education system, according to Lynn Pasquerella, president of the Association of American Colleges and Universities.

“I don’t know of anyone who can afford another year like last year,” she said.

“We have also seen such a sharp drop in the number of students attending university – the biggest drop we’ve seen in decades,” she added. “When we look at the risk of losing a generation of students, we need to look at the variables that force students to drop out.”

Campuses across the country have struggled to stay open over the past year as fraternities, sororities and off-campus parties have resulted in sudden spikes in coronavirus cases among undergraduates. Meanwhile, students overwhelmingly said the remote school was an inadequate substitute for being in the classroom. A significant number withdrew entirely.

“Local mandates, whether in universities, colleges, businesses, cruise lines… countries,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, recently told CNBC’s Squawk Box.

To this end, some schools are offering additional incentives to have more undergraduates vaccinated.

For example, Rutgers University students who have uploaded their immunization status participate in a lottery to win a $ 500 gift card from the New Jersey School Campus Tech Store, and Rowan University, too. located in the Garden State, offers a credit of $ 500 for their registration during the fall with proof of vaccination.

Other institutions without a mandate try much more important motivations.

In the state of Missouri, where Covid vaccines are not required, students who get vaccinated could earn free tuition for a year, plus housing, an unlimited meal plan, books, supplies and a designated parking space.

The college holds weekly draws until September 17th, with grand prizes awarded on September 24th.

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