First To Close, First to Open: Iona Won't Require Vaccines

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — In March of 2020, before much of the country was aware how disruptive the coronavirus threat would eventually become, Iona College in New Rochelle became one of the first institutions of higher learning to transition to a remote learning model. Now, one year later, the school is among the first to announce a return to full-time in-classroom instruction in time for the start of the upcoming fall semester.

The Catholic college’s campus sits just a stone’s throw away from the limited containment zone set up by the governor in March of last year in response to one of the earliest identified coronavirus clusters in the country. A student body return to the classroom was paused just months later when the school faced its own on campus coronavirus cluster in October 2020.

“We know students and faculty are eager to get back to in-person instruction,” Iona College President Seamus Carey said in a statement announcing the return to more traditional instruction starting this fall. “Everyone on campus worked tirelessly to be able to make this happen, pushing through challenging circumstances to prove we could keep our community safe. We learned many valuable lessons over the past year, and we will continue to carry them forward as we forge ahead on our path of innovation.”

School officials say social distancing protocols in the classrooms, residence halls and other campus facilities will continue to be enforced according to local health department best practices. Likewise, mask requirements, surveillance testing, daily health checks and capacity reductions will be maintained as life on campus slowly begins to return to normal.

Notably absent from the school’s detailed reopening plans is any reference to students providing proof they have received some form of coronavirus vaccination. While a handful of other universities, most notably Rutgers University, have made proof of Covid-19 vaccination a requirement for students returning to campus in the fall, Iona officials have so far rejected the idea of a coronavirus vaccine mandate for returning students.