NEWPORT — Students attending Oregon Coast Community College this fall will not be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of enrollment.
The decision is one facing all educational institutions across the state and could still, in theory, be overridden if Oregon Gov. Kate Brown issues an order mandating vaccines.
“We obviously have no control over that type of order,” said Dave Price, an OCCC spokesman. “But we do not anticipate a vaccine mandate to attend Oregon Coast.”
Students and staff, as per a different order from Brown, will likely have to wear masks through the end of the year while on OCCC’s campuses, Price said.
He added that social distancing and extra cleaning measures will be in place when on-campus classes begin Sept. 27. While some classes will be available for online instruction, many students have made clear that they prefer to return to in-person instruction, Price said.
Different public institutions are taking different routes when it comes to addressing COVID-19 vaccinations.
Oregon State University and University of Oregon are requiring vaccines for all students and employees for in-person classes and activities.
At Lane Community College in Eugene, for instance, all students and employees who will be attending classes or working at any LCC location will have to be fully vaccinated prior to the start of the fall academic term. The requirement does not apply to students who are enrolled exclusively in remote or online instruction courses.
Portland Community College, by contrast, has announced that it will not require students or employees to be vaccinated as a condition of employment or enrollment this fall. The decision was recommended unanimously by the college’s COVID-19 Opening Leadership Team and approved by the college’s president, Mark Mitsui.
The only caveat at OCCC, Price added, is that the lessons of the pandemic made clear that anything can happen.
“What we have all learned since February 2020 is that everything is subject to change,” he said. “Even so, I don’t anticipate this one changing.”
— Dana Tims/YachatsNews.com
I don’t understand why it is their (the state’s) business, when it comes to each individuals health. Who do they think they are? USA are free people. Stop telling people what to do. Take care of your own business.