Hofstra’s new vaccine policy is hypocritical
Photo courtesy of Hakan Nural on Unsplash
On Monday, March 27, Hofstra University president Susan Poser sent an email to the Hofstra community about a change in the university’s COVID-19 vaccine protocol. According to the email, moving forward, Hofstra will no longer require “students, faculty or staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19.”
As someone whose always done their best to uphold the health standards of the university and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this announcement felt like a slap in the face as I graduate this spring.
I remember the excitement of getting my first two shots at the physical education building on campus. I remember making sure to always wear a mask in public (even when others didn’t follow the university’s masking requirements). I remember how empty and lifeless it was at Hofstra during the height of the pandemic when my only social interaction was during Zoom meetings.
Why would Hofstra throw out a policy that so clearly ensures the health of its community and has allowed us to engage in in-person activities again?
It’s hypocritical, especially because the university requires proof of vaccination against other diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella and meningitis in order to attend. Vaccines have long been accepted as a necessary step that individuals must take to protect the health of a widespread community; what makes the COVID-19 vaccine different?
In her email, Poser cites low case numbers in the area and predictions of “a continued decline” from healthcare experts. She’s correct: according to the New York State Department of Health, there were only 792 positive tests out of almost 50,000 tests taken statewide on Sunday, April 2, and in Nassau County, a mere 2.5% of those tested were positive in the prior week. Obviously, these numbers are encouraging, almost miraculous, when compared to the number of cases even just at Hofstra during peak waves of the pandemic.
However, much of this decline, especially in severe cases and deaths, can be attributed to robust vaccination campaigns. The CDC estimated that as of January, those vaccinated with at least a primary series of any COVID-19 vaccine had a 7.9 times lower chance of dying from the virus. Additionally, this CDC data showed that nationwide reported cases among unvaccinated individuals are higher than among their vaccinated counterparts.
I understand and respect that other COVID-19-related mandates, like masking, quarantine requirements, social distancing and remote options for classes have needed to be relaxed to return the community to “normal.” However, after all of the experiences I missed out on because of COVID-19 during my college career, all of the fear of being infected and having to isolate in Hofstra’s quarantine housing and all of the constant testing, it feels absurd that the university can’t uphold a simple vaccine requirement for members of the community.
It’s wonderful that students who’ve just enrolled will be provided with a traditional college experience. I’m happy and grateful that I will have an in-person graduation ceremony that my family can attend, something that many classes before me weren’t able to have.
Still, the university’s removal of the vaccine requirement is counterintuitive, as this is the very policy that has allowed our community to return to in-person social activities. The email’s statement that the university still “strongly encourage[s] all members of our community to stay up to date on vaccines” now rings particularly hollow.
Poser’s rationale for removing an easy, effective method for reducing severe COVID-19 infection is short-sighted and flippant after the collective trauma we have experienced throughout the pandemic. The World Health Organization estimates that almost 7 million people have died from COVID-19 worldwide – if vaccine requirements continue to be removed at institutions like Hofstra, did they die in vain?
