Oregon State University became the first public college in the state Tuesday to announce it will require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for students, faculty and all other employees beginning in the fall term.
Three private colleges have issued similar requirements, and the rest of the state’s public colleges are mulling whether to do the same.
As of Tuesday, officials at the state’s other two large public colleges — Portland State University and the University of Oregon — said no decisions have yet been made.
Becky Johnson, interim president at OSU, said proof of vaccinations will “contribute to the greatest level of population protection possible” from the virus.
How exactly OSU intends to verify that more than 30,000 students, plus employees, actually did get the shots remains unclear. The university will continue to develop and fine tune the process through the fall quarter.
OSU will honor requests for exemption from the requirement on religious or other grounds.
“We plan to implement this policy in the fall with checkpoints for compliance throughout the term,” spokesman Steve Clark said. “The result of any non-compliance by students or employees will be determined in the months ahead.”
College administrators had hoped that the virus would be a bad memory by September 2021, but that will not be the case. As the vaccine rollout drags on, the number of cases in Oregon has again surged.
Oregon State and most other colleges are planning to open their campuses to largely normal on-campus, in-person operations this fall. That makes high rates of vaccination all the more crucial, OSU’s Johnson said.
Officials at PSU and UO said their institutions encourage students to get vaccinated. But neither has decided yet to require it.
The University of Portland and Lewis & Clark College in Portland and Willamette University in Salem were the first colleges in Oregon to announce a vaccination requirement.
Last year was a difficult one for college administrators, professors and students. Colleges had to devise virtual curriculums almost overnight as the virus forced the closure of campuses in March.
It was also a bad year financially for many schools as students decided online college was not what they had in mind. They stayed home, took gap years, or found paying jobs.
How many of these virtual veterans will care to return to college for a dose of the real thing is a matter of considerable importance in college administration buildings across the state.
A significant number of Americans are refusing to get vaccinated on safety grounds.
OSU students who choose to study remotely will not be subject to the vaccine requirement. The university plans a series of discussions with students, faculty leaders, and unions about the vaccine requirements through the summer.
