UW students choose vaccination
Some students waiting for on-campus vaccines
A UW-Madison survey shows 96% of dorm residents will be vaccinated against COVID-19 by early fall.
A survey conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison has found 92.5% of incoming dorm residents will be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the start of classes this fall.
Nearly 90% of UW-Madison's dorm residents filled out the survey, providing a promising glimpse into how vaccination rates will look despite the University of Wisconsin System's decision to strongly encourage, but not require, the shots.
Another 3.2% of dorm residents said in the survey that they plan to get vaccinated once they arrive on campus. The university is still providing free, oncampus vaccination.
“We're pleased to see so many students choosing vaccination, which is the most effective way to prevent COVID-19,” said Jeff Novak, director of University Housing. “Having a highly vaccinated community helps protect everyone, including those who cannot be vaccinated.”
Dorm residents who chose not to get vaccinated will need to keep getting regularly tested for COVID-19, first at movein and then weekly for the rest of the semester. The university is providing those tests; testing is free for all UWMadison students and employees.
The university is also encouraging unvaccinated people to continue wearing masks this fall, as campus operations largely return to a pre-pandemic normal, including the end of social distancing requirements in classrooms and the return of mostly in-person classes. However, with the lifting of state and local mask mandates, the university is not imposing one of its own.
UW universities statewide have been leveraging the chance for students to get out of regular testing as one of several enticements to get as many students
“Having a highly vaccinated community helps protect everyone, including those who cannot be vaccinated.” Jeff Novak director of University Housing
vaccinated as possible without a mandate.
Meanwhile, the return to normal at UW-Madison has coincided with an increase in student demand for the traditional campus experience, including a
return to dorm living.
UW-Madison plans to have 8,500 students living in the dorms this fall, up from 8,000 pre-pandemic. The increased demand has led the university to add more housing options: converting the former Lowell Center hotel into housing for 260 undergraduates, opening up campus-owned graduate student apartments for new transfer students, and converting larger residence hall spaces into three- and four-person dorm rooms.
Those moves opened up 680 additional beds, though the demand has also pushed the university to let students withdraw from their housing contracts without financial penalty.
The survey released Monday does not include the thousands of off-campus students, staff or faculty, however. Those groups are encouraged, but not required, to report their vaccination status to the university.
When in full swing, UW-Madison's campus has upward of 60,000 people on campus.