Community colleges reverse course on vaccine mandates

Date: 9/28/2021

WESTERN MASS. –  Almost an entire semester after the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges (MACC) announced they would not require students to be vaccinated, they will now mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for all those attending classes in-person.

In a statement to the public released on Sept. 20, the presidents of the MACC said while many students, staff and faculty had already made the decision to get vaccinated, they were hoping to “increase the health and safety of the learning and working environment in light of the ongoing public health concerns and current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).”

The statement went on to say the announcement comes during an increase in new coronavirus cases, along with increased accessibility and availability of vaccines. Additionally, they said the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) “full and pending approval of available vaccines,” paired with CDC guidance surrounding vaccines were also factors in the decision. The requirement will take effect beginning in January of 2022 and require all students attending class on campus for any reason, as well as all employees, to be vaccinated.

Two Western Massachusetts community colleges impacted by the decision are Holyoke Community College (HCC) and Springfield Technical Community College (STCC). HCC’s Media Relations Manager Chris Yurko said the decision was worked out between the presidents of the community colleges and was intended to “protect everyone to the best of their ability.” He said any student who is enrolled in “any in-person classes,” including HCC’s culinary school would be required to be vaccinated.

Yurko said prior to the mandate, some programs at the college had already required their students to be vaccinated. “Health science, those students were already required to be vaccinated,” he said. This, he explained, was due to a clinical component required for students and added an “extra level of protection.”

One detail that needed to be worked out in the coming months, he said, was how the college would track those who had been vaccinated. Yurko said in addition to the vaccine mandate, HCC also had a mask mandate for all indoors, regardless of vaccination status. He added that outdoors those who were vaccinated were not required to wear a mask.

Yurko said the free testing for COVID-19 that had been run on campus through the Board of Health for more than a year had recently been extended through the month of December. He said while they were still working out the details, the college was working to continue offering vaccine clinics on campus as well. “Initially we said we’d do the vaccination clinics through the end of September. Right now the last September clinic is scheduled for Sept. 28. We feel really confident we’ll be able to continue to make vaccinations on campus to make it easier for people,”?Yurko said.

STCC Coordinator of Media Relations Jim Danko echoed what both Yurko and MACC said regarding the decision to mandate vaccinations. He said in addition to the increased number of COVID-19 cases due to the Delta Variant, the vaccine mandate was implemented due to “widespread availability of vaccines,” which he said was “different now, including on-campus clinics like those hosted by STCC.” Additionally, he referenced the “full FDA approval for one vaccine.”

He said, “We hope to continue increasing on-campus, face-to-face courses over the academic year.”

Danko said like HCC, STCC also requires face coverings in indoor spaces. “The college policy reflects the city of Springfield’s mask mandate for indoor and outdoor spaces. We have no plans to change the masking policy but will follow guidelines and requirement from local public health officials, including local, state and federal authorities and will revise our policy accordingly,” he said.

To assist in students getting vaccinated in time for the 2022 mandate, Danko said STCC will continue to host on-campus vaccine clinics. The clinics take place each Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. “We have participated in campaigns to encourage the campus community and the general public to become vaccinated against COVID-19,” he said.

Danko went on to say STCC would also be hosting a city-wide vaccination event on Oct. 30 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. “Springfield  Vaccination Day will include food trucks, live music, free COVID-19 testing in addition to free vaccinations,” he said.