Dozens of state’s colleges require shot as more consider it
With summer approaching, and with quarantine-weary college students already banking on a normal or near-normal fall, the number of U.S. campuses requiring students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 has surpassed 500.
Nationally, the number of campuses with student or employee vaccination mandates stands at 509 as of Tuesday, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. The prevalence of those policies follows blue and red political lines, with institutions in the Northeast and on the West Coast far more
likely to require individuals to roll up their sleeves.
In Pennsylvania, at least 28 colleges and universities had announced vaccine mandates, The Chronicle reported. Some recent additions — Allegheny College and Washington & Jefferson College — join a list in Western Pennsylvania that already includes Carnegie Mellon, Duquesne and Chatham universities.
For tens of thousands of employees on Pittsburgharea campuses, laying the ground work to reopen fully for students will mean a complex, and in some cases stressful, transition back from remote work to jobs on campus. That includes the University of Pittsburgh, Western Pennsylvania’s largest campus.
On Tuesday afternoon, hundreds joined a virtual Town Hall for staff at the University of Pittsburgh as officials laid out a gradual, staged return to in-person duties that will emphasize not only business needs but employee health and wellbeing. Leaders fielded employee questions during the hourlong event that was archived on YouTube.
“We have people who are going to be excited. We have people who are going to be anxious,” said Mark Burdsall, acting vice chancellor for Human Resources at Pitt. “This will not be an easy transition for everyone.”
Depending on their their jobs, Pitt employees will tackle varying shares of their work week in person. Officials outlined a range of protocols from required health and safety training to hygiene, plus location of hundreds of sanitation stations on campus.
On the matter of student vaccinations, colleges and universities have been working to balance concerns of students and families who see vaccinations as a means to keep campuses free of the coronavirus, and others who oppose vaccination for medical, religion and philosophical reasons.
“We have received questions regarding the vaccination requirement. Based on CDC guidance, and advice of our Clinical Advisory Panel, the COVID-19 vaccination requirement has been added to our existing list of immunization requirements outlined on page 35 of the W&J Student Handbook,” the school explains on its website. “As with all required vaccinations, W& J will honor immunization exemptions for medical, religious and philosophical reasons.
“No student receiving an exemption will be prevented from fully participating in courses, campus activities or athletics. Specific provisions for students who choose not to be vaccinated will be made available on July 15,” it read.
However, requirements for those who opt out will be imposed, and will be detailed in July. “These may include surveillance testing, symptom tracking, and masking in certain situations,” the college stated on its website.
Only private campuses in this state have COVID-19 vaccination requirements.
The 14 state-owned universities, among them the Western Pennsylvania campuses of California, Clarion, Edinboro, Indiana and Slippery Rock universities, lack legal authority for such a requirement without an act of the Legislature, State System of Higher Education spokesman David Pidgeon has said.
The University of Pittsburgh and Penn State are weighing a requirement but have not decided whether to implement one.
They, along with Temple and Lincoln universities, are state-related schools, meaning they are not owned by the Commonwealth but are public institutions.
In surrounding states, the prevalence of schools requiring vaccinations this fall appears to fit what The Chronicle noted is a political divide, with states voting to elect President Joe Biden more likely to mandate shots than those carried by Donald Trump.
That includes state institutions.
For instance, in New York state, the University at Buffalo and University at Albany have requirements, as do Rutgers University in New Jersey, the University of Maryland and the University of Delaware. But Ohio State University does not require vaccinations, according to The Chronicle, nor does West Virginia University.
Some schools across the nation also plan to require that employees be vaccinated. Some are limiting the mandate to students living on campus.
Penn State is offering incentives to get students and staff to roll up their sleeves, including weekly drawings for a $1,000 cash prize. Other schools are putting a price tag on opting out, including Duquesne, where officials say those who choose not to be vaccinated are responsible for testing, quarantine and medical expenses if they contract COVID-19.
These are the Pennsylvania schools requiring vaccination, according to The Chronicle list: Allegheny College, Bryn Mawr College, Bucknell University, Carnegie Mellon University, Chatham University, Dickinson College, Drexel University, Duquesne University, Franklin & Marshall College, Gettysburg College, Gwynedd Mercy University, Haverford College, Lafayette College, Lehigh University, Mercyhurst University, Muhlenberg College, Saint Joseph’s University, Swarthmore College, Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, Thomas Jefferson University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Scranton, University of the Sciences, Ursinus College, Villanova University, Washington & Jefferson College, Widener University, Williamson College of the Trades.
In Pennsylvania, at least 28 colleges and universities had announced vaccine mandates, The Chronicle reported. Some recent additions — Allegheny College and Washington & Jefferson College — join a list in Western Pennsylvania that already includes Carnegie Mellon, Duquesne and Chatham universities.