OU expands vaccine mandate to include all who learn and work on campus
Some of the Moderna vaccine made available by the OU administration. The university’s is now mandating vaccination for the campus community.
In a letter from President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz released this afternoon, Oakland University announced that all students and employees on campus are now required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The new policy requires all planning to be on campus receive their first shot by Friday, Sept. 3 and their second shot for Moderna and Pfizer by Friday, October 1. All campus community members must now upload their vaccination status to the Graham Health Center patient portal.
The announcement effectively expands the vaccine mandate from residents only to all who will be coming to campus for the fall semester. The change in the university’s stance on a vaccine mandate comes on the heels of rising COVID-19 cases, as well as a surge in the highly-infectious Delta Variant. According to the letter, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granting full approval of the Pfizer vaccine also influenced the decision.
“In light of the fact that COVID-19 infection rates are rising rapidly across the country and that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted full approval for the Pfizer vaccine, we have decided to expand the university’s existing vaccination mandate for resident students,” Pescovitz said.
Pescovitz noted precedents of other state universities taking this step, as well as national public health organizations like the American Heart Organization’s support of vaccine mandates. She recognized the community’s efforts in containing the pandemic, but acknowledged that more still needs to be done.
“I am so very proud of how the Oakland University community has weathered the past 18 months of the COVID pandemic,” Pescovitz said. “It is a tribute to your individual and our community’s collective perseverance, determination and resilience. But, unfortunately, the national and international health crisis is not over.”
Pescovitz recognized that some in the campus community will disagree with this decision. She shared the recent loss of her father, and described how his life has inspired her belief in the campus community to come together and meet this moment.
“My father died last week. In his long life, he fought many battles – some he won and some he lost. I observed him fight these enormous battles and I watched him as he treated every person with honor, respect and integrity, even when their disagreements were fierce,” Pescovitz said. “I suggest you do the same. It is important that you listen and speak to one another respectfully.”
According to the letter, in accordance with this mandate, the university has begun expanding options for remote-instruction by increasing the number of online courses.
William Hunter • Aug 24, 2021 at 1:53 PM
As an Alumni, I am not happy with this requirement.
Ashamed is how I feel, thinking that perhaps the intention is good, however. Taking young people, right at the start of their most exciting time in life and not allowing for choice. Telling the students and parents, it is this or nothing. When a college degree is almost mandatory for most adults to achieve a high quality of life.
I think back in time, the fear of missing out would have been too great.
Then again, maybe I would have refused your mandate and left OU. Which maybe the best thing students can now do… leave OU and learn for themselves with thousands of debt.
You think you are being progressive and righteous… insidious is how I would describe it.
John Smith • Aug 24, 2021 at 1:09 PM
I would first like to say, my condolences to Pescovitz for her loss. It is devastating to lose a loved one, and I pray for peace for her and her family.
As a CT staff member of OU, I am finding it harder to come up with reasons to stay employed here. OU has made it clear that they do not care about their faculty or staff. We are a means to an end, with profit being their true motive.
All Faculty and Staff scrambled when COVID hit to make sure that students and the school were taken care of, while learning an entirely new system/process of doing their job. A lot of time having to pull over-time without compensation. Now, OU is taking away benefits from both staff and faculty, not giving them a raise, and telling them they are good to come back on campus. Then they tell CT staff that they are not allowed to work remote, while allowing AP staff and Faculty to have options of working remotely. THEN they have the audacity to mandate the vaccine??
Hear me out, I have no issues with the vaccine, especially now that one of the vaccines is FDA approved. BUT do not tell your student, faculty and staff body that they are required to be on campus, and then mandate a vaccine. I am all for “getting back to normal,” but if the President of this university believes the COVID Variant is this dangerous, then instead of forcing people to get something that they may or may not be comfortable getting, they need to reconsider going back to remote learning and working.
The path that OU is taking clearly tells me that they value money over the lives of the very people that make this “business” operate. OU is trampling on the very people that make this place run and operate.