Colleges Introduce New COVID-19 Requirements

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M. Reynaert

Sparrow Health System has a Drive Through in Frandor for receiving COVID-19 Tests along with Vaccines. Sparrow Laboratories had conducted 250,000 COVID-19 Tests as of January 13th.

Megan Reynaert, Co-Editor in Chief

  As 2022 makes its entrance, schools and universities everywhere across the U.S. are making hard changes and decisions due to a new COVID-19 surge. 

  Michigan State University introduced new requirements for spectators attending ticketed events such as basketball games, hockey games, and events at the Wharton Center of Performing Arts. Spectators now must provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within three days (72 hours) of such an event. 

  This new policy applies to all attendees ages 12 and up. The university’s mask requirement is still in place as well. 

  MSU began its spring semester on January 10th, 2022, but classrooms are still empty after the winter break. The university chose to start their semester virtually, and remain in remote classes for the first three weeks.

  Michigan State isn’t alone in its decision either. Harvard and Stanford students also won’t return to in-person courses the first few weeks of their semesters; colleges and universities across the country started in online courses. Among these colleges, the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and at Chicago, Northwestern University, Columbia, and Yale also made the decision to return to remote learning temporarily.

  This decision was controversial across college communities. Stanford, Yale, and Harvard all require on-campus students to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 but still started online classes. Along with this, it has been an ongoing debate since COVID-19 first started, almost two years ago, whether or not online courses have the same educational benefits as in-person courses.

Many tend to believe that online classes cannot come close to comparing to regular schooling, while others thrive in an online environment. 

  It started out as only a few colleges implementing vaccine requirements but has since expanded to include colleges from almost every state across the country.  

  This article provides a comprehensive list of colleges and universities that are requiring all students to be fully vaccinated in order to continue to participate in on-campus learning. This list includes Michigan State University, where the deadline for submitting booster information is February 1st. This applies to all students, faculty, and staff at the university. 

  On the bright side, these shutdowns aren’t for forever. Hopefully, soon college life can return to what we once knew it to be.