Letter to the Editor: My response to anti-vax mandate protests
The staff and faculty at OU inspire a great sense of appreciation for vehemently upholding the new university vaccine guidelines. After an already difficult start to the fall semester, I applaud their commitment to serving this community.
Even without nit-picking the fallacies and selective research of individuals who chose to actively speak up, as an alum of Oakland University, it’s incredibly disappointing to see familiar faces take on such a pompous and self-serving objective as an Anti-Vax Mandate protest.
Oakland University is a public university subject to the same laws regarding discrimination as every other organization in the US. Put simply with the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, “no [entity] serving the public can discriminate because of a customer’s national origin, sex, religion, color, or race.”
There are already instances of students being granted religious and medical exemption to the mandate in order to attend classes, given that proper evidence is provided. Despite being offered alternatives for reasonable requests, many community members tout their privilege in the face of a dire situation, pompously flaunting their disregard to the well-being of their neighbors like a proud banner:
“My individual comfort is more important than the welfare of the community!”
There are other schools. There are other school-years. There are other options.
I urge you to evaluate the ramifications of an intention to not only violate university guidelines, but put your peers, mentors, and teachers at risk. This affects more than your present circumstance.
The add/drop deadline is in one week.
I hope you reconsider.
Joey Colby • Sep 11, 2021 at 9:59 PM
I solely protested against them and was abhorred by their decision to invade on the AAUP space after their little march. We have to continue to stand against the anti-intellectualism of the right. The science denial will only exacerbate the strain that this pandemic is putting on our already debilitated healthcare system.
Good article.
Grace • Sep 11, 2021 at 8:18 PM
While I myself am fully vaccinated, and have been well before the OU mandate, I respect the protests of the anti-vax mandate; it is a privilege if where we live to be able to voice your beliefs, and I have personally found the anti-vax protests to be completely peaceful and nothing more than an exercise of their rights. If these protests were to become more intense where the safety and well-being of the public was endangered, I may speak differently of their actions. However, holding signs that read “medical freedom” is not putting anyone at risk; the counter argument to this is that if they are un-vaccinated and un-masked, then they are not “properly” protecting others, however this logic is flawed because in few other instances to people follow through with the logic that we need to protect those around us. If that was really so, an example such as smoking outdoors and exposing people to second hand smoke would be viewed with the same passion as walking around unvaccinated. While I remain pro-vaccine, I also remain respectful that many of my peers and the general public have different beliefs than me, and while I may share my beliefs with them as I am allowed, I understand that they are entitled to sharing their beliefs with me.