Vassar To Require Student Coronavirus Vaccinations

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — Vassar College in Poughkeepsie will require students to be vaccinated against the coronavirus before coming back to the campus for the fall semester.

President Elizabeth Bradley made the announcement Wednesday in a post on the college's website.

She said, if students don't have access to the vaccine where they are from, the college will work with them to get them vaccinated locally.

"We believe this is the best way to ensure the health and safety of everyone on campus," Bradley said.

Because Vassar students will be fully vaccinated, she said the college will no longer maintain a closed campus.

"With our return to in-person learning and a more typical residential model, students and visitors will be free to come and go on and off campus as they had prior to the pandemic," Bradley said.

The college will be recommitting to its core educational model and will no longer be offering a remote learning option.

Fall semester classes will begin Monday, August 30 and end Friday, Dec. 17. There will also be the traditional, pre-pandemic schedule of breaks.

Bradley said the college continues to monitor federal and state guidelines for employer regulations regarding the vaccination of employees.

"We strongly urge employees to get immunized against COVID-19 at the earliest opportunity, after consulting their physician," she said.

As state restrictions allow for more employees to work on campus, widespread teleworking will transition to a flexible workplace that provides for administrators to request some continued flexibility with supervisor approval.

Bradley said the policy is currently being developed and should be made available in June for review. The transition will happen as early as the beginning of the fall semester.

Protocols for the fall will be dictated by local and state guidelines. The use of masks and social distancing and other things to which people have become accustomed during the pandemic will be determined closer to the state of the semester.

Bradley said plans are subject to change depending on the conditions in the fall.

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