There is a growing number of colleges in the U.S. that will now require students to have the COVID-19 vaccine before returning to campus in the fall. As of now, UNF isn’t one of them, but Spinnaker wanted to see what UNF students thought about this.

Through a poll posted on Spinnaker’s Instagram, students could choose between three options to the question “How do you feel about other U.S. universities requiring their students to get the COVID-19 vaccine?” The options to choose from in the poll were “I agree,” “I disagree,” and “I understand both sides.”

Here are the results:

A total of 362 students cast a vote. The results revealed that 178 students voted that they agree with colleges mandating that their students have the COVID-19 vaccine, 90 students voted that they disagree, and 94 students voted that they understand both sides and stand in the middle. 

Zachary, a recent UNF graduate who asked that his last name remain anonymous, was hesitant about his answer to the question at first because he understands why colleges are choosing to do it, but also understands why some people might be reluctant to do it. However, he ultimately teetered toward agreeing with colleges requiring their students to be vaccinated against the Coronavirus. 

“I would say that, overall, I agree with the colleges’ decision. I think it will help develop herd immunity and increase the amount of young adults getting the vaccine, which will increase the overall number of people who have the vaccine,” Zachary said.

As far as UNF’s on-campus expectations, the University stated in an email sent out to the student body that “At this time, the current University mask-wearing and social distancing guidelines will continue. As specific guidance changes, we will update and communicate those expectations ahead of time as well as the expectations for the Fall semester.”

A full list of the colleges that will require their students to have the COVID-19 vaccine by the fall semester can be found here.

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