K-State so far not requiring COVID-19 vaccines for fall enrollment

AJ Dome, The Manhattan Mercury, Kan.
·2 min read

Apr. 13—For now, Kansas State University is not requiring students to get a COVID-19 vaccine before returning to campus for fall classes.

K-State spokeswoman Michelle Geering said university officials currently don't have any plans to require vaccines for students to come back for the fall semester beginning Aug. 23.

Geering said any future plans will depend on recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

Universities across the nation are considering whether to implement COVID-19 vaccination requirements for students.

Last month, Rutgers University in New Jersey became the first institution to make getting the COVID vaccine a requirement for enrollment in the fall 2021 semester. As of Monday, around a dozen other universities, including Cornell, Duke and Notre Dame, have added a coronavirus vaccination to their list of necessities for enrollment.

Geering said K-State administrators are in communication with members of the Kansas Board of Regents, the governing body for state universities, to determine if any future action is needed on vaccine requirements.

Like most U.S. universities, K-State requires a tuberculosis screening, along with proof of two vaccinations against measles, mumps, and rubella before students can set foot on campus for classes. A meningococcal meningitis vaccination is also required. All vaccination documents and other health information can be uploaded to the myLafene portal on the university health center website. Students can request a waiver to exempt them from the rule for medical or religious reasons.

K-State is holding vaccine clinics to get its on-campus community inoculated. For the week ending April 2, health officials administered 456 vaccines to students, faculty, and staff. Nurses at Lafene Health Center have administered more than 4,000 vaccines in total since the university began receiving dosages in mid-February.

The university administered the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine to people during a clinic Monday. Individuals interested in an on-campus vaccine clinic can sign up for an appointment through the Lafene Health Center website.