‘Masks remain an effective tool in mitigating the spread of new strains’

Brandon Poulter
Daily Caller News Foundation

WND News Center

Colleges and universities around the U.S. are still requiring students to be vaccinated for COVID-19, according to public records reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Dozens of higher education institutions, including at public universities, one Ivy League school and many small schools still enforce strict vaccine mandates, according to NoCollegeMandates.com. Many universities across the country enacted vaccine mandates for COVID-19 once the vaccine was available, though as COVID-19 numbers declined, most colleges eventually dropped their mandates.

Rutgers University banned one student who was unvaccinated from participating in virtual classes, according to the New York Post. Quinnipiac University charged students up to $200 a week for not being vaccinated, and didn’t allow them to use the school internet, according to Politico.

Many California schools still don’t allow students who don’t have vaccines, such as San Diego State University (SDSU), Mount Saint Mary University (MSMU) Los Angeles, Dominican University of California (DUC), Pitzer College, Pomona College, Santa Clara University (SCU), Soka University and the University of San Francisco (USF).

MSMU Los Angeles does not require COVID-19 vaccinations for its employees.

“In accordance with Mount Saint Mary’s University’s (MSMU or the University) commitment to provide and maintain a workplace that is safe, healthful, and free of known hazards, we are adopting this policy to safeguard the health of our employees, students, and communities from COVID-19,” reads MSMU Los Angeles’ Voluntary Covid-19 Vaccination Policy spring of 2022.

The University of Virginia and Xavier University disenrolled students who refused to get vaccinated, according to USA Today.

Harvard University is the lone Ivy League school still enforcing a COVID-19 mandate. As late as spring of 2022, Harvard University moved back to remote learning for its students.

Many smaller schools are still requiring vaccinations as well, such as Wellesley, Bard College, Antioch College, Reed College and St. Edward’s University. Wellesley and Bard College also require boosters.

Though COVID-19 vaccines were originally marketed by public health officials as having the ability to stop transmission, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) stated in July 2021 that COVID-19 vaccines did not eliminate the risk of transmission of the virus.

Some of these colleges are also still requiring mask mandates.

“Students who enter instructional settings and are not wearing facial coverings over their mouth and nose will be asked to leave,” SDSU’s website reads.

Mask mandates came under fire by students, but many professors supported the measures. One college in Maine charged students $50 a pop for not wearing masks.

Wellesley still requires masks in classrooms as well. “As a general rule, masks are optional on campus and in all campus buildings, with the exception of classrooms and Health Services/Counseling, where they are required,” their website reads.

“Masks remain an effective tool in mitigating the spread of new COVID strains. Consider wearing a mask indoors, even when it is not required,” MSMU Los Angeles‘ website reads.

SDSU, MSMU, DUC, Pitzer College, Pomona College, SCU, Soka University, USF, Harvard, Wellesley, Bard College, Reed College and St. Edward’s University did not immediately respond to DCNF’s requests for comment.

SCU could not immediately be reached by the DCNF for comment.

This story originally was published by the Daily Caller News Foundation.