A Michigan State University academic governance group is recommending requiring anyone on campus this fall to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
The Michigan State University Council voted 87-11 during a special meeting Tuesday in favor of a resolution that would mandate vaccinations for members of the campus community.
The resolution exempts certain individuals, such as people with religious or philosophical objections, or those medically unable to get a vaccine.
The council is composed of faculty, students, and administrators at the school.
MSU Faculty Senate Chair Professor Jennifer Johnson supported the resolution.
“I either know, or family or close friends of people I know, at least 20 to 30 of them have died of COVID. So I have just seen tremendous loss from this disease,” Johnson said.
The council’s resolution is non-binding; final approval would have to come from university president Samuel Stanley Jr.
During the meeting, Stanley noted the positive response towards the resolution but said its important that people who support it are themselves vaccinated.
“Whether we mandate or don’t mandate, there will be people out there who aren’t vaccinated. We will be depending on herd immunity. And so I think the key thing, again, is being vaccinated,” he said.
Stanley said there’s still some factors that need to be considered before making a decision.
There were some concerns that were brought up during the meeting, such as the logistics of vaccines for international students and possible loopholes for exemptions that would be in place.
