The University’s Vaccine Mandate

Will it even work?

By: Carter Starkey

I, like many of us who are informed on the virus, was glad to hear that the University of Minnesota would be requiring its students to prove their COVID-19 vaccination status this fall. I was glad not because I thought that it proved a point, or because it showed that the University was taking the virus seriously, or because of any reason other than the following: More people would be vaccinated. It should not be up for debate any longer: vaccines work. The CDC reports that COVID-19 vaccination reduces the risk of COVID-19 and its potentially severe complications. In clinical trials, all COVID-19 vaccines currently authorized for use in the United States helped protect people against COVID-19, including symptoms of severe illness. So far, COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness studies, which look at how the vaccines work in real-world conditions, have shown that these vaccines are working well. The FDA approved the vaccine in August. Now students wishing to attend the University of Minnesota would have to get the COVID-19 vaccine, along with the vaccines that were already required, like those for diphtheria and measles. 

That being said, curiosity sent me looking for the place where I was to report my vaccination status. The University did not make it an obvious step in order to prepare for class, but rather something I had to seek out. To my dismay, once I found it, there were but a few dropdown menus, just mere lines of text to certify that I had been vaccinated. No scan of my vaccine card, no verification of the date and time, no real evidence. It’s the honor system. Has the University actually mandated the vaccine if they are relying on the word of the student body, or have they opened the door for the virus to run wild at football games and parties around campus? At the time of writing, 69% of adults in Minnesota are fully vaccinated, according to the Department of Health. It's estimated that campus vaccine mandates around the country are resulting in high rates of vaccination amongst students, but all the numbers are self-reported. Does this even constitute data if it can’t be backed up? 

I’d argue that these actions are not nearly enough to say that the University is taking the virus seriously. I’d also like to call on the University to revamp their “Get the Vax 2.0” campaign, to do another round of vaccination reporting with verifiable proof such as pictures of students’ vaccine cards or scans of their immunization records. Additionally, I’d call for the University to hold their staff to the same standards that students are held to in terms of the COVID-19 vaccine, which is not currently the case. I do not expect any of this to happen. Rather, I believe that the University “mandated” the COVID-19 vaccine to pacify those of us calling for it. If there is one thing the institutions of our society have shown us over the last year, it’s that they prioritize protecting themselves legally and from all liability whenever possible. If there is no mechanism in place to verify students’ vaccination statuses, then the only people this mandate protects are those in charge of keeping us safe, not the student body itself.

I’d then ask the question: are we satisfied with the honor system? It seems like for the most part this approach is consistent across the country when it comes to other universities that require the COVID-19 vaccine. Most, if not all, rely on students to self-report. What is important to point out here is that our campus might be a lot less safe than we think it is, and there might be a lot more unvaccinated members of our community than we suspect. It is, regardless of whether someone is unvaccinated, still our responsibility to protect them by wearing our masks indoors, washing our hands frequently, and maintaining social distance when appropriate. If you’re a student, make sure to accurately report your vaccination status by October 8.