The number of colleges and universities that require students to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 is suddenly escalating.
In recent days, Duke University, Brown, Northeastern University, the University of Notre Dame, Syracuse University, and Ithaca College have all announced that students returning to campus in the fall must be fully vaccinated for the first day of class.
Cornell University, Rutgers University, Nova Southeastern University, Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island, Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado and St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas have also said vaccinations will be mandatory by the fall of 2021.
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According to Lynn Pasquerella, president of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, more institutions are likely to follow.
“Medical and religious exceptions will be allowed, but it is expected that our campuses and classrooms will be predominantly vaccinated individuals, significantly reducing the risk of infection for all,” said Cornell President Martha Pollack and Provost Michael Kotlikoff in a statement.
Campuses across the country have struggled to stay open for the past year as fraternities, sororities, and off-campus parties caused sudden spikes in coronavirus cases among college students. Meanwhile, students overwhelmingly stated that a remote school was a mediocre substitute for the classroom.
As the entitlement to Covid vaccines grows to people 16 and older, schools should consider how a vaccine mandate can help higher education get back on track, Pasquerella said.
For those enrolled in school, there are already many vaccination requirements to prevent the spread of diseases such as polio, diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough.
All 50 states have at least some vaccination requirements for children attending public schools and even children attending private schools and daycare centers. In all cases there are medical exemptions, and in some cases there are also religious or philosophical exemptions.
“By adding Covid-19 vaccination to our student vaccination requirements, our students will provide a safer and more robust college experience,” Rutgers president Jonathan Holloway said in a statement.
At Rutgers, students can also apply for a vaccination exemption for medical or religious reasons, and students who are fully enrolled remotely do not need to be vaccinated.
And yet the hesitation of vaccines in particular remains a strong force among parents.
Only 58% of parents or carers said they would vaccinate their children against Covid, despite 70% of parents saying they would vaccinate themselves, according to a March poll by ParentsTogether, a national advocacy group.
Low-income and minority households were even less likely to vaccinate their children, ParentsTogether found.
Other studies have shown that black and Latino people are more skeptical of the vaccines than the general U.S. population due to historical maltreatment in medicine. Racial differences in vaccine distribution have also been observed in the US.
“Colleges need to get ahead of this and think about how this will work out,” said Bethany Robertson, co-founder and co-director of ParentsTogether.
“We must now begin the conversation with parents to build trust and understanding about how vaccinating children against Covid-19 protects their health, the health of their families, and the health of our communities,” said Robertson.
However, in addition to students, parents and community members, schools must also weigh the interests of faculty, staff, legislators and boards of trustees, Pasquerella said.
“It’s complicated,” she said. “Whatever decision you make, one group will eventually be dissatisfied.”
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