By Guy Page
The residential colleges in the Vermont State College system will mandate Covid-19 vaccination for all students in the fall semester, provided the FDA has given full approval by then.
“Once the FDA grants permanent approval to the existing COVID-19 vaccines, the VSCS institutions will be requiring all enrolled students to be vaccinated. This is in addition to the other vaccines currently required by the Vermont Department of Health,” VSC spokesperson Katherine Levasseur told Vermont Daily today.
Community College of Vermont (CCV) will follow a somewhat less stringent policy, because it is non-residential, Levasseur said. The following information is available on the websites of the individual colleges.
Northern Vermont University – comprising the former Johnson State College and Lyndon State College campuses – will require all enrolled students who access the campus to be vaccinated. Masks shall be worn by all non-vaccinated people on campus.
Vermont Technical College in Randolph also will require student vaccination: “once the FDA grants permanent approval to the existing COVID-19 vaccines, Vermont Tech will be requiring all enrolled students to be vaccinated,” VT Tech President Patricia Moulton said in a June 15 statement on the college website.
Castleton University has not publicly announced a decision.
Community College of Vermont will not require student vaccination “at this time.” CCV Pres. Heather Weinstein wrote in a June 14 letter on the college website:
“Will students be required to be vaccinated? Not at this time. As a non-residential college, CCV does not require proof of vaccinations except in certain state-mandated programs. CCV will continue to follow Vermont guidelines, including encouraging all CCV community members to get vaccinated, if able. Vaccination continues to be the most effective way to protect ourselves and each other against the virus.”
Wearing masks will be recommended but not required. Proof of vaccination will not be required, nor will students requesting proof from others be permitted. “It is important to remember there are many reasons why someone may not be vaccinated,” Weinstein said.
The University of Vermont last week announced mandatory vaccination for students (but not faculty and staff) returning in the fall. Other Vermont colleges with fall mandatory vaccination policies include Norwich, St. Michaels, Bennington, Champlain, and Middlebury colleges.