Written by Lauren Do Nascimento
Since the FDA and CDC approved COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson many have gotten their shots. However, there have been mixed feelings about the effectiveness of each vaccine. Some people trust the science behind the vaccines while others don’t, but that is not the only time where opinions diverge from each other. People can choose to get a vaccine from Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson and each vaccine is administered differently. However, many don’t feel the need to get a second dose which is needed for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine to be fully effective.
In some universities, methods were put in place to make vaccines mandatory before the return to classes. However, with new bills and laws that have recently been passed these regulations are no longer mandatory. Many local universities have different COVID-19 guidelines or positions and it can sometimes be confusing to understand. With that being said, here is how our local universities are dealing with COVID-19, their guidelines and what they think about the vaccine.
Florida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University, or FAU, was one of the first universities to allow students to be maskless indoors. The university plans to open fully and resume in-person learning for the upcoming academic year. It plans to continue following CDC guidelines around campus.
Some of those guidelines would include social distancing, recommended use of face coverings, wiping down frequently used surfaces, encouraging vaccination and vaccine reporting, encouraging students and staff to get tested and encouraging sick students to maintain a 14-day quarantine.
FAU does not provide on-campus vaccination and is not a vaccination site. Although vaccination is not required by the university, FAU strongly encourages students, faculty, and staff to get vaccinated and return to campus in person. For more information about FAU’s Covid-19 protocols, visit their website.
Palm Beach State College
Palm Beach State College, or PBSC, intends to keep following CDC guidelines on their campus. Some of the college’s efforts include requiring students, faculty, and staff to watch a training video on COVID-19 before returning to campus, provide face coverings for their employees, provide additional cleaning supplies, adjusting schedules to fit the social distancing guidelines and enhancing air ventilation and filtration.
PBSC also strongly encourages the use of face coverings around campus, frequent cleaning of surfaces and social distancing among students, faculty, and staff. The college will also work with the Health Care District to provide onsite Covid-19 testing. PBSC is also extending mental health aids for its community to use during their transition to in-person learning.
PBSC will not require their students, faculty, and staff to be fully vaccinated before the next academic year and plans to return to in-person and on-campus learning. For more information about PBSC’s Covid-19 protocols, visit their website.
Lynn University
Lynn University expects students, faculty, and staff to return to on-campus learning in the upcoming fall. The university recommends that its students and faculty follow the CDC guidelines and prevention methods. Some of these methods include wearing face coverings, social distances, frequent hand, frequent cleaning of surfaces and COVID-19 testing.
Lynn will be providing its community with on-campus COVID-19 testing by appointment only. The university will also issue a periodical and mandatory COVID-19 screening questionnaire. Lynn University also hopes to resume study abroad in January 2022 and awaits CDC guidance for international travel.
The university does not require its students, faculty, or staff to get vaccinated before the upcoming fall semester. Lynn will also not administer vaccines on campus. For more information about Lynn’s Covid-19 protocols, visit their website.
Florida International University
Florida International University, or FIU, has partnered with Jackson Health System to encourage people to get vaccinated since April 2021. The university will also make the Pfizer vaccine available to children of faculty, staff or who live with a student. For a child to be eligible they must be between the ages of 12 to 15. The children’s vaccination started on May 19.
FIU will require all students, faculty, and staff to complete a P3 questionnaire before arriving on campus. The university will continue using CDC guidelines, including face coverings, cleaning surfaces, social distancing, and frequent hand washing.
The university intends to return to in-person learning for the next academic year. FIU is also administering the COVID-19 vaccine to its university community since January 2021. It will not require students, faculty, and staff to receive a vaccine, but it is strongly encouraged by the university. For more information about FIU’s Covid-19 protocols, visit their website.
Nova Southeastern University
Nova Southeastern University, or NSU, intends to return fully to on-campus learning in the upcoming fall. NSU had previously made it mandatory for faculty, students, and staff to get vaccinated before the start of the fall semester but has since then removed that mandate. The university is now strongly encouraging that its community get vaccinated before the start of classes.
NSU intends to encourage students and staff to get the vaccine with voluntary vaccine reporting. NSU Vax MAx is a platform that will allow students, faculty, and staff to report if they’ve received the vaccine to the university. NSU expects that this will help the university return to normalcy and follow CDC guidelines.
The university will continue to follow CDC guidelines of social distancing, recommending face coverings, cleaning surfaces and frequent hand washing. NSU hopes that 80% of its community will be vaccinated by August 1 and allow the university more flexibility in the fall. NSU is also a vaccination site and administering vaccines to its community and anyone eligible. For more information on NSU’s COVID-19 protocols, visit their website.