Montclair State University announced Thursday, April 22nd that it will be making COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for students returning for the upcoming fall semester — with exemptions are available for those who qualify.
The vaccine will be required for all students who attend undergraduate and graduate classes on campus, whether they are commuter students or students who live on campus. Students who qualify for medical or religious exemptions under New Jersey law will not have to be vaccinated. Students who are enrolled fully in the online degree pogrom will also be exempt. Staff is not required to be vaccinated.
The university has announced that an on-campus vaccination clinic will be held Tuesday, April 27, and is open to all students and employees.
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A letter from the school’s President stated, “One of the most important reasons for my optimism is the increasing availability – and adoption – of vaccines that protect against COVID-19. Already, nearly 4,000 of you have reported on Hawk Check that you have received at least one dose. On Monday, everyone aged 16 and over became eligible for vaccination in New Jersey, and yesterday, our shuttle buses began carrying hundreds of residential students to the Livingston Mall to receive their first shot.”
It continued, “The University cannot at this time mandate that employees get vaccinated. However, we continue strongly to urge every faculty and staff member to do so, and a large number of our employees have already done so. Now that vaccinations are widely available, we expect that most, if not all, employees will be fully vaccinated by the time the fall semester begins.”
In the weeks to come, the school will provide more details about the vaccine requirement, including how and when students can submit their proof.
