Some colleges have been making statements that students in the fall can effectively choose between:
- Getting vaccinated, or
- Continuing to be subject to frequent COVID-19 testing, quarantine requirements if exposed, and/or mask requirements on campus.
That is pretty much what Colgate is doing. The committeeâs recommendations for the fall state they are not requiring the vaccine, those vaccinated will have to show proof, and those who are not will be subjected to routine surveillance testing. They have not made a decision about masks yet but the report says they do not expect to be able to effectively enforce continuous wearing and will allow faculty and staff to determine their own policies.
1 Like
I think weâre going to see a wide range of decisions, just like we did with regard to restrictions, testing, etc., this year: Public vs. Private, Large vs. Small, Geographical variations, How much money a school has to spend on various things.
Oh, and I would not expect any Florida public school to have a vaccine mandate.
2 Likes
My prediction is protocols will be directly linked to the numbers/statistics with a little bit of what state factored in as well. If, by mid summer, the infection rate, number of hospitalizations, ICU occupancy and death rates are very low, Covid protocols will relax. However, if thereâs a variant issue, or vaccine efficacy wanes unexpected, or thereâs an unexpected vaccine side effect problem, and numbers increase then all bets are off.
Iâm all in for a return to pre-Covid normalâŠfingers crossed it happens!
From a small number of colleges that I have seen statements from, the variation may be less than what headlines (vaccination ârequiredâ or ânot requiredâ) may suggest. Many colleges appear to be taking the line that restrictions will be greatly relaxed for vaccinated students, but unvaccinated students will continue to be subject to frequent testing, quarantine if exposed, and/or masks on campus. Note that colleges saying âvaccination requiredâ have exemptions that a committed vaccine refuser can use (but be subject to continued COVID-19 protocols), while those saying âvaccination not requiredâ still strongly recommend vaccination (with the carrot of greatly relaxed restrictions for those who get vaccinated).
If the Florida governorâs executive order prohibits any use of proof of vaccination for any purpose, then colleges and universities there will effectively be giving students, faculty, and staff a choice of getting vaccinated or playing COVID-19 lottery.
@homerdog , I donât think thereâs any âVirginia thingâ about getting back to normal. Itâs highly likely that W&M (and many VA schools) will make the vaccine mandatory as soon as it has regular FDA approval. They are certainly urging students to get vaccinated asap.
D19 got her second Pfizer 11 days ago, so on Tuesday she can register as fully vaccinated with the college. Then sheâll be exempt from testing and quarantines (she hasnât had to quarantine). All her sorority sisters and most of her friends and acquaintances are also in the vaccination process. Most students are using a Walgreens across the street from campus, but some have gone to pharmacies in Newport News or Richmond. The college is vaccinating them now also.
Virginia has to deal with the same J&J set back the whole country is facing due to the Baltimore plant ruining 15 million doses. However, the head of VAâs DOH has emphasized that college students are a priority. Colleges continue to be paired with pharmacies to get the two doses of Pfizer or Moderna done before exams. Students at schools with the earliest departure dates will be prioritized for the J&J doses due to arrive at the end of April.
At W&M, D19 already has few restrictions on her quality of life. She wears a mask, which doesnât bother her, and her classes are virtual (which will change next semester). Rec center, dining hall, library, study rooms, pool, lake, club sports are all open. Students have always been free to leave campus. For me, the college doesnât need to officially declare that everything will be 100% normal in the fall. I can see it normalizing now. Weâll get there!
2 Likes
I see 2 factors that could negatively affect our life in the fall. (1) the covid variants and timing for any vaccine boosters needed, and (2) the (large) percent of people in the US saying they will not be getting vaccinatedâif we canât get to herd immunity then I donât think any of us can know what campuses will be like. And it would be horrible if those refusing vaccine will cause our kids to have another restricted year.
2 Likes
Where is that Colgate report? Also Iâm surprised they arenât requiring the vaccine with Cornell not that far away deciding to require it.
Adding the report below. Just seems early I guess. Maybe they will switch to requiring it. Looks like they are trying to get everyone vaccinated this spring and summer so clearly itâs a priority.
Which is probably why some colleges are basically saying that students who do not show proof of vaccination will continue to be subject to COVID-19 restrictions that will be lifted for other students.
2 Likes
Haverford has been clear that being vaccinated doesnât exempt anyone from any Covid policies, including mandatory testing and masking everywhere inside and out (dorm room excepted). Theyâve recently said that theyâre planning to revert to some double rooms next year.
Herd immunity isnât going to be possible in those states which have more than 25% of the population too young for the vaccine
Right, totally get that. Personally, I was totally optimistic about fall once the vaccines started rolling out. But recently itâs starting to seem that there are more unknowns about how this situation will play out based on the lower expected % of vaccines. Will the vaccinated kids really be able to have a normal (or nearly normal) fall? I truly hope so for my kid (who lost so much in senior year of HS and now college freshman year). Iâm sure it will be better next year. I just want it to be normal.
1 Like
Interesting. My daughterâs private high school has been incredibly careful and conservative with all its Covid protocols this year, but has said that vaccinated staff and students no longer have to participate in weekly testing. Of course, the vaccinated still have to mask, maintain distance, etc.
1 Like
Exactly. It will help when Pfizer gets approval for 12+.
Itâs frustrating that some states have tied re-opening plans to proportion of citizens vaccinated. I donât think it makes sense to penalize people who do the right thing, and delay their return to normalcy for people who refuse their vaccine (which is their right).
3 Likes
The actual 12 page report is linked from this page.
https://www.colgate.edu/colgate-together/campus-operations-during-covid-19/memo-task-force-reopening-colgate-campus
1 Like
@homerdog Also worth noting that despite all of the restrictions in place, they are at the beginning of a big mess right now. A student traveled to a party in NYC, came back and tested positive. The current count is 13 positive cases, 40+ in isolation, and graduation with guests is now in jeopardy. The health analytics dashboard looks worse than it has all year.
1 Like
Oh no! thatâs awful!
Spikes are happening at some other campuses too like Bates and Colby. Itâs when the schools allow kids to travel (or kids just do it anyway) that it all comes crashing down. Not enough kids are vaccinated yet.
I hope they get it under control quickly.
Thanks for the Rice update! Iâm so hoping for a close-to-normal year for my incoming freshman son!
1 Like
Seems like a more sensible date would be when all of those who want to be vaccinated have had the opportunity to be fully vaccinated, after which playing COVID-19 lottery is mostly a voluntary act, rather than an involuntary risk that people can impose on others.
However, that leaves open the question of children for whom the vaccines are not approved or EUAed yet. While children are at much lower risk of COVID-19 problems, it is likely that those planning reopenings (including of K-12 or K-8 schools) are worried about the unlucky child who does get severe COVID-19 problems who has lawsuit-prone parents.
1 Like
Also meant to ask, how would colleges ever enforce restrictions (masking, for ex) for unvaccinated students? How would they ever identify those students? Perhaps in class the professors could enforce it but I canât imagine it would be possible otherwise.