WASHINGTON (CNS) Catholic college graduation ceremonies like everything else this past year look different. But they are primarily happening in-person unlike last year, when many ceremonies were canceled or took place virtually.
A student poses after receiving a coronavirus vaccination dose at a University of Notre Dame clinic held April 8, 2021. The school in Indiana announced its COVID-19 vaccine requirement for the upcoming fall semester on April 7. (Courtesy of University of Notre Dame/Barbara Johnston)
Some two dozen Catholic colleges and universities have joined the growing list of institutions requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for students returning to campus this fall.
As among their secular counterparts, Catholic colleges requiring the inoculations are still a small minority, and the potential requirements have sparked debate about what Catholic colleges can and should require of their students.
According to a tracker maintained by the Chronicle of Higher Education, 21 Catholic colleges, of about 191 nationwide, had announced fall semester vaccine requirements as of May 4 including large schools like DePaul University, Georgetown University, Loyola University Chicago, Fordham Un
By Grant Welker
Anna Maria College in Paxton is the latest to announce it ll require students and employees to be vaccinated in time for the start of the fall semester.
Anna Maria joins Assumption University in Worcester and each of the state s public university campuses, including Fitchburg, Framingham and Worcester state universities. Community colleges, including Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner and Quinsigamond Community College have said they won t require vaccines, not wanting to worsen potential health inequities among members of its campuses.
For Anna Maria, which announced the decision late Thursday, the vaccines will be required before arriving on campus. The requirement is also in place for overnight campus guests but the college will make medical and religious exemptions.
Fitchburg, Framingham, Worcester State and their counterparts statewide will require students to receive COVID-19 vaccines this fall, they said in a joint announcement Friday.
Those colleges join others in Massachusetts including Assumption University in Worcester and Northeastern University in Boston to announce requirements before students are able to attend in-person courses or live in residence halls. The Massachusetts State University Council of Presidents said it expects employees to be fully vaccinated before the start of the fall semester.
“Student safety and the safety of our communities remains at the forefront of our planning as we prepare to return to in-person learning and campus life in the fall, James Birge, the president of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in Boston and chair of the state university presidents group, said in a statement.