With the fall academic semester finally upon us, waves of students are making the return to their respective universities. Given that hundreds of universities around the world are starting to allow in-person study again, there are a number of protocols being enacted to permit this to happen as safely as possible to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Perhaps the most significant of these new protocols is the mandate requiring students to receive a COVID-19 vaccine before arriving on campus. More than 700 universities have implemented such a requirement, including institutions such as Cornell University, Duke University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and a range of other private and public universities. In fact, California State University (CSU) and the University of California (UC) announced that not only do all students have to be vaccinated to return to campus in the fall, but so do all faculty and staff as well. This new requirement pertains to the over one million students and employees across the 33 main CSU and UC university campuses. The vaccination mandate was made with the expectation of mostly in-person teaching for the fall semester.
While medical exemptions are protected by law, and religious exemptions are attainable, universities have upheld their vaccination mandates by urging unvaccinated students to attend remotely. The University of Virginia has already disenrolled 238 students for not reporting their vaccination status or filing for a religious or medical exemption. Other universities are allowing unvaccinated students to return to campus, but are contemplating enforcing requirements such as frequent asymptomatic testing and distancing restrictions.
Many Chinese universities are adopting COVID-19 related “zero tolerance” policies for returning students. The Nanjing University of Science and Technology and Nanjing Tech University have banned visitors, and have encouraged students to remain within their residences on campus. Tsinghua University and Fudan University have indicated that students from high-risk regions in China should not return for the fall semester until otherwise notified. As China continues to develop its COVID vaccination program, institutions are increasingly requiring that students return to campus only once fully-vaccinated.
Furthermore, many universities that do not have vaccine requirements have recently enforced mask mandates instead, including Auburn University, the University of Tennessee, and the University of Missouri. Additionally, eight universities from the Southeastern Conference have established mask mandates on campus.
Additionally, the majority of British universities are phasing back to in-person teaching and activities, rather than relaunching fully in-person. 20 out of the 24 Russell Group Universities have decided that at least a portion of their undergraduate courses will continue online this semester in a ‘blended’ format. Cardiff University has announced that it does not expect to resume complete use of its on-campus teaching space until at least January 2022.
Other universities have utilized all available resources to assist students in getting vaccinated, and have continued to develop online programs for students who cannot return to campus. The University of São Paulo’s student body is comprised of nearly 30% of students from low-income families, and has worked to develop online programs and offer high-speed internet plans for low-income students who cannot return to campus. The Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa’s first technological university, has established a vaccination centre to vaccinate both the general public and students and staff for their return to campus. The Tshwane University of Technology in Pretoria arranged a vaccination drive to facilitate the vaccination of students and staff members in anticipation of in-person studies. Universities globally have endeavored to provide students with the resources to both return to in-campus learning and even continue their studies in cases where they must continue with an online or blended format.
While a number of universities globally are approaching this semester through a blended or online teaching format, many are having to adjust their plans to welcome students back in-person. With vaccination requirements, mask mandates, blended learning, and distancing efforts, universities are striving to allow students to return to campus while minimizing the spread of COVID-19. As the semester continues, universities will likely continue to modify their mandates in accordance with vaccination rates and COVID-19 cases. In spite of current restrictions and uncertainty around what lies ahead, the return of in-person teaching has begun, and it is important to celebrate that the journey towards normalcy is now well underway!