SUNY lifts COVID-19 vaccine mandate, chancellor says
Students enrolling for summer classes at Stony Brook University and all other SUNY campuses will no longer be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, officials said Tuesday. Credit: Daniel Brennan
SUNY has lifted the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for students on its 64 campuses, Chancellor John B. King Jr. announced Tuesday.
Students applying for on-campus summer courses no longer need to be vaccinated against the virus.
The removal of the mandate follows the official end Monday of the national public health emergency as infection rates continue to fall, new variants have proved less virulent and vaccination rates and natural immunity have both risen. The change also reflects the recommendation of a SUNY panel of experts.
Students will be "strongly encouraged" to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Faculty and staff are encouraged to stay up-to-date on vaccinations.
"Across SUNY we will continue to monitor cases and make adjustments as needed," King said, while stressing that SUNY would increase "the overall health and wellness support we provide our students."
The newly revised guidelines cited changed conditions and high vaccination rates among New Yorkers aged 18 to 35 as the rationale for lifting the mandate, adding that "protocols are subject to change as COVID conditions evolve."
Campuses must continue to comply with any additional requirements imposed by localities, the state and SUNY. Individual SUNY campuses can impose additional COVID-19 restrictions not otherwise spelled out or barred under the guidelines. Masking can still be required where deemed appropriate at campuses' "sole discretion."
Should local conditions change, guidelines allow individual campuses, in consultation with SUNY officials, to reinstate vaccination, testing and masking mandates. SUNY approval is needed to revert to remote instruction.
Students, faculty and staff must still comply with the requirements at non-SUNY locations where they work, volunteer, study, or intern, and at SUNY hospitals and health care facilities.
Under the revised guidelines, campuses can still conduct surveillance testing — random testing to detect early COVID-19 outbreaks — at an early stage, and are also encouraged to do wastewater surveillance testing, which can also predict outbreaks and monitor for new variants.
The changes to SUNY's COVID-19 policies come at the recommendation of state health officials and from the university system's Public Health Expert Advisory Committee.
Community colleges, which have seen declining enrollment over the past decade, may be most affected by the policy change, said college officials.
Edward Bonahue, president of Suffolk County Community College, said he told King, on a recent campus visit, "that at this point the vaccination policy had served its purpose and should be allowed to sunset."
He said there was strong anecdotal evidence that the mandate had deterred some potential students from attending on-campus programs "both in workplace training and our traditional associate degree programs."
For students who want to take advantage of programs but were hesitant to get vaccinated, "we’re going to throw the doors open as wide as possible."
Faren Siminoff, president of the Nassau Community College Federation of Teachers, said she anticipated that "faculty, like all New Yorkers, will have mixed reactions" to the revised policy.
"Some will cheer it, while others will feel uncomfortable with the idea of being in a packed classroom or small spaces with possibly unvaccinated students," she said. "I think this is part of the broader dilemma we, as a society, face in a "post-pandemic" world where COVID still exists."
Carol Polsky writes news and features on wide-ranging topics, from superstorm Sandy, 9/11 and presidential elections to health care and the economy.
