First it was Rutgers and Cornell. Then Notre Dame. Now Duke.
The list of colleges and universities that will require COVID-19 vaccinations for new and returning students to attend in-person classes this fall grew again Friday, with the North Carolina school announcing a policy that will cover all undergraduate, graduate, and professional students.
“We know that widespread vaccination will be the only way to facilitate a return to normal and robust campus life,” Duke President Vincent Price said in a statement on the university’s website.
Brown in Rhode Island, Northeastern in Boston, Nova Southeastern University in Florida and Fort Lewis College in Colorado have also followed the precedent set by Rutgers in New Jersey and Cornell in New York.
“It doesn’t just make us safer. In the end, it makes our entire community safer,” Antonio Calcado, Rutgers’ chief operating officer, told USA TODAY this week. “That’s why we think requiring is the way to go versus encouraging.”
Colleges and universities have been especially hard-hit by coronavirus restrictions, losing students who say they’re tired of paying full-price tuition for virtual learning, and that generally means less money for universities that may already be struggling financially.
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