A southside university will require students to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
University of Indianapolis students will be required to get their first vaccine shot by Aug. 25, and their second dose by Sept. 25, according to an email to students from college president Robert Manuel on Thursday.
The university joins several other Indiana colleges in requiring students to get the vaccine. The University of Notre Dame, Indiana University’s campuses, Valparaiso University, Goshen College, Butler University, Earlham College and DePauw University all have mandates in place, according to the colleges’ websites.
The University of Indianapolis was originally going to make vaccines optional and require unvaccinated students to wear masks and undergo regular testing for COVID-19. With the Delta variant surging in Indiana, university officials decided Monday to require masks of all students and staff members, regardless of vaccination status.
Between July 4 and Aug. 4, the rolling average of positive cases in Indiana rose to 1,357 from 238, more than a 400% increase, according to data from the Indiana Department of Health.
The spread of the virus throughout July and into August made college officials reconsider the school’s vaccine policy. A low vaccination rate among UIndy students also persuaded Manuel to mandate vaccines among students, he said in the email.
“It was one of my most sincere hopes that a higher number of students would already be vaccinated. Currently, we show that only 27% of our students have registered as being vaccinated based on documentation uploaded through the Med+Proctor site,” Manuel said.
“The decision to require the vaccine was difficult to make and ultimately tied to the need to protect the health, safety and welfare of our community this fall, prevent the spread of COVID-19 and enable us to engage in more traditional ways.”
Faculty and staff members are not required to get vaccinated. They have a much greater vaccination rate than students. Students are still able to request an exemption on a medical or religious reason, but must email dean of students Kory Vitangeli as soon as possible to do so, according to the email sent to students.
At Franklin College, masks are optional for vaccinated students. Unvaccinated students are required to wear masks and get tested for COVID-19 regularly. The guidance follows recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Kerry Prather, the college’s president.
“We’re tracking our own levels of vaccination based on the requirement of all students to document their vaccination status prior to enrollment,” Prather said. “We’re continuing to study CDC recommendations and the guidance of our consulting physicians.”
Students at the University of Indianapolis start classes for the fall semester Aug. 24, while Franklin College students are set to start Aug. 30.
