4 min read Provost Noel Wilkin said on Monday that “vaccinating our community is the fastest path back to normal” as he encouraged students to get the COVID-19 vaccine, but the university will not require the UM community to schedule appointments for vaccines. “We know that the path to normal is through vaccination,” Wilkin said. “So if the vaccine is not gotten by the number of people who need to get it — in order for us to have comfort and relax the protocols — we’ll just continue to modify operations with the protocols.” Wilkin was accompanied at an information panel by Dr. Lauren Bloodworth, a clinical associate professor of pharmacy practice; Alex Langhart, the director of University Health Centers; and Dr. Hubert Spears, a staff physician at the Employee Health Center, to discuss the university’s vaccine rollout plan.