PITTSBURGH — When students at La Roche University move-in for fall semester in a couple of weeks, it won’t take much detective work to figure out who among their residential peers likely has been vaccinated against COVID-19, and who has not.
Those without the shot, including athletes, will be living in designated areas of just one residence — Bold Hall, the school says. They also will be the ones getting tested just before hauling their belongings to campus Aug. 20 and perhaps randomly throughout the semester once classes begin three days later.
Friday’s formal announcement of fall plans by La Roche details another effort by a campus in the Pittsburgh region to accommodate two groups of students at the center of a sharp political and personal divide around vaccinations. La Roche’s outline of its fall calendar and requirement for vaccinations formally sets what has been known internally for weeks.
The Catholic campus in McCandless said students can apply for exemptions.
La Roche joins several dozen other private institutions in Pennsylvania, as well as more than 600 nationally, that have implemented various vaccination requirements for students and/or employees — a group that in Pittsburgh includes such campuses as Carnegie Mellon, Duquesne, Robert Morris, Chatham, Carlow and Point Park universities, among others.
They too have included potential exemptions for medical and religious reasons.
There are no public universities in this state that require student vaccinations, with the 14 state-owned campuses of the State System of Higher Education saying they lack legal authority without an act of the Pennsylvania Legislature. The University of Pittsburgh and Penn State University, which also urge the shots but do not mandate them, have not explicitly cited the Legislature among their reasons. Those state-related schools, while not state-owned, are public institutions and receive state funds.
Penn State President Eric Barron Tuesday implored students and employees — “Please, Please, get vaccinated,” he told them during a virtual campus town hall. Leaders there warned that most courses will not offer a remote option for classes if someone is exposed or infected and must isolate. Pitt leaders said unvaccinated students and employees will face special quarantine requirements if they are exposed to someone with the virus.
In May, one public campus in Lancaster, Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, appeared to have bucked the trend by imposing a vaccination requirement on a campus that also receives state funds. It touted the policy as good for the health of students and employees, but also was met with opposition by students and others including a petition.
The school backpedaled.
“Since our announcement in May, conditions have changed,” it said in a June statement. ‘”This has prompted us to review our‘ health and safety guidelines for fall 2021, including the vaccine requirement.
It cited the Republican-controlled General Assembly passage of Pa. Senate Bill 618 that would outlaw vaccination passports in higher education institutions and other governmental entities. At the time, it faced potential veto by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf.
“While the bill has not yet been signed by the governor, it shines a spotlight on the support by the Pa. General Assembly and their constituents across the Commonwealth to legally limit mandates for the COVID-19 vaccine in organizations throughout Pa.,” the statement continued.
In July, Wolf indeed vetoed the legislation.
While some students oppose the shot for medical, religious or other reasons, another group — among them other students and faculty — are increasingly alarmed by the health risk they potentially pose and feel universities including Penn State have not gone far enough to pursue a vaccine requirement. The Coalition for a Just University makes that case, as does the State College borough council.
Each year, the community’s population swells by 45,000 or so students. It, like other college towns, says it saw a spike in cases last fall with no vaccine available at the time.
“We were here 18 months ago. Have we learned nothing?” Valerie Braman, a lecturer at Penn State University Park and a coalition spokeswoman, asked Thursday.
At Pitt, Chancellor Patrick Gallagher has said that because even schools that have mandates allow exemptions, in effect, colleges in general are pursuing similar approaches. His school, like Penn State and others, have offered incentives to get students and employees to roll up their sleeves — including prize drawings.
La Roche Friday said it intends to fully reopen for the 2021-22 academic year. Face coverings in all public indoor settings are required on campus, regardless of an individual’s vaccination status. La Roche enrolls about 1,300 students.
According to the late morning announcement, “The University will require all resident students and athletes to be vaccinated for COVID-19 before the start of the fall semester; however, La Roche will accept medical and religious exemptions, including moral and ethical beliefs, to the vaccination requirement.
“Residents and athletes who want to file an exemption must submit a waiver before the start of the semester,” the statement added.
Sister Candace Introcaso, president of La Roche, said, “With extensive health and safety protocols, we are confident in our ability to provide a meaningful university experience while keeping our campus community safe. We are excited to fully reopen our classrooms and residence halls at full capacity for the Fall 2021 semester.”
La Roche plans a regular fall semester schedule, incorporating Labor Day, Fall and Thanksgiving Breaks. Classes begin Monday, Aug. 23.
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