Most schools don’t require COVID vaccines. But these 2 Kansas City area colleges will
While most colleges and universities in Kansas and Missouri aren’t making students get vaccinated for COVID-19, two Kansas City area campuses will require the shots, for the community’s sake.
Rockhurst University and William Jewell College, both private schools, have announced that requirement for the fall semester, though both offer exemptions.
Rockhurst was one of more than 550 college campuses across the country identified by The Chronicle of Higher Education this week that will require or strongly encourage students to be vaccinated.
The map shows that the Kansas City school is the only university in either Kansas or Missouri to announce such plans. However, William Jewell in Liberty announced in May that it will require all faculty, staff and students to be vaccinated for the fall semester “as a matter of public health.”
“The scientific evidence for the COVID-19 vaccine is clear: the COVID-19 vaccine effectively eliminates the chances of death or serious illness in nearly all COVID-19 infections,” Rockhurst said when it announced the requirement last month, to give students enough time to get fully vaccinated.
Universities across the country have struggled for months to decide whether to require vaccinations for students and staff. Many have decided not to. The Chronicle lists campuses that have said their vaccination requirement depends on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approving one or more of the vaccines. The vaccines are still being used under emergency authorization.
The University of Kansas, Kansas State University and Wichita State University, which all plan to get back to normal campus operations in August, have not announced any vaccine requirements, but apparently have not ruled them out.
“The university has not yet determined whether it will require COVID vaccines,” Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, a spokeswoman for KU, told The Star in an email Thursday. “At this time, we are strongly encouraging all members of our community, including students, to get vaccinated.”
Officials at all three Kansas universities are counting on enough students and staff getting vaccinated before August to allow campuses to reopen safely, and they planned vaccine messaging campaigns over the summer and into the fall. They will continue to offer vaccines along with COVID testing.
On the Missouri side, the University of Missouri-Kansas City is “encouraging vaccination for all members of our community but not requiring it,” said spokesman John Martellaro.
The same is true at Missouri’s main campus in Columbia. “Boone County has the highest vaccination rate in the state. We continue to monitor the situation closely as we are planning for a full capacity, in-person fall semester,” said MU spokesman Christian Basi.
Rockhurst president Thomas B. Curran explained his school’s decision on Rockhurst’s website.
“Community is the first word you frequently hear when someone is describing Rockhurst University,” Curran writes. “As a Jesuit Catholic University, we use the term ‘cura personalis’ to describe this experience of community. Translated from the Latin it means care for the person.
“Therefore, to keep our community safe, honor our collective desire to return to normal operations, and decrease the chance of an outbreak on campus, we will require all students to become vaccinated before returning to campus for the fall semester.”
Rockhurst students must fill out a COVID vaccination form online. The honor system is in place; no one will have to show their vaccination card.
Exemptions will be made for medical, religious or personal reasons. William Jewell, too, is relying on students’ honesty and will allow for medical and religious exemptions, noting that it is legally required to do so.
Unlike William Jewell, Rockhurst is not requiring faculty and staff to be vaccinated, though employees enrolled in courses must be vaccinated.
“We are encouraging rather than requiring faculty and staff because many have indicated they are already vaccinated or intend to become so, and because, for students, public health experts tell us it’s the best path for returning to a more normal student life experience,” Rockhurst spokeswoman Katherine Frohoff told The Star in an email.
The states on the Chronicle’s map are color-coded to show how they voted in the 2020 presidential election. The majority of the 552 campuses that will require vaccinations are in blue states that voted for President Joe Biden.
Includes reporting by The Star’s Katie Bernard.
This story was originally published July 1, 2021 at 3:01 PM.
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