Univ. encourages community to seek options for vaccination The university announced that they are trying to provide vaccines to the community directly, but community members should look for an alternative way to get vaccinated, wrote Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Carol Fierke and Executive Vice President for Administration and Finance Stew Uretsky in an email sent to the Brandeis community on April 8. On April 19, the state of Massachusetts will open eligibility for the vaccine to anyone 16 years or older who is currently living in the state and does not have any preexisting conditions, according to the Massachusetts COVID-19 vaccine page. However, vaccine demand is high, making it difficult to obtain, Fierke and Uretsky wrote in the email.