Oakland University To Require Students, Faculty To Get Vaccinated

Rochester Hills, MI—Oakland University announced on Monday that all students, faculty and staff have to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order attend in-person courses and events.

"I am so very proud of how the Oakland University community has weathered the past 18 months of the COVID pandemic. It is a tribute to your individual and our community’s collective perseverance, determination and resilience," Oakland University President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz said in a news release. "But, unfortunately, the national and international health crisis is not over. This will continue to require more of each of us. To protect yourself, your family and your community, you must get vaccinated and wear your mask."

Not only does the university's decision come after the FDA granted full approval to the Pfizer vaccine, but also at a time when COVID-19 cases are rising in Michigan, specifically Macomb County.

According to the university's news release, from July 28 to Aug. 18, Michigan’s positivity rate increased from 4.74 percent to 8.74 percent, with 228,000 cases coming from Oakland and Macomb Counties. More than 80 percent of Oakland University's students come from those counties.

Students, faculty and staff will have until September 3 to get their first COVID-19 shot and the second one by October 1. They must then upload their vaccination status through the Graham Health Center Secure Patient Portal.

The news release also noted that Oakland University is now one of more than 700 higher education institutions nationwide that have vaccine mandates, including the University of Michigan, Albion College, Michigan State University, Wayne State University, Kalamazoo College and Grand Valley State University.