Testing, Mask Mandates, Fake Vaccine Cards: Universities Face Thorny Return
More schools are layering in safety requirements for the fall semester. Stanford University announced that it will require all students to test for covid every week, regardless of vaccination status. And administrators requiring vaccinations are on the lookout for fake cards.
San Francisco Chronicle:
Stanford Among First Universities Requiring Weekly Coronavirus Testing - Even For Vaccinated Students
Stanford will test students for the coronavirus every week, regardless of vaccination status, the university announced Wednesday, making it one of only a few campuses in the country to do so. Citing the ongoing threat of the highly contagious delta variant, officials unveiled several new safety measures in an email to students ahead of the university’s planned return to campus beginning Aug. 15. (Vaziri and Asimov, 8/11)
In more news about colleges and universities —
AP:
Univ. Of Arkansas Board Votes To Require Masks On Campuses
The University of Arkansas’ governing board voted Wednesday to require masks on its campuses, as dozens of school districts imposed their own mandates following a judge’s decision to block the state’s mask mandate ban. Arkansas’ COVID-19 hospitalizations reached a new high point for the third day in a row, growing by 11 to 1,446 patients in the state’s hospitals. There are only 14 intensive care unit beds available in the state, according to the Department of Health. The state on Monday broke the record it set in January for the most virus hospitalizations since the pandemic began. (DeMillo, 8/11)
Arizona Republic:
Arizona State University, NAU, UA To Require Masks In All Classrooms
Arizona State University officials announced Wednesday that they will require face coverings in all classrooms and labs, as well as some other indoor settings, while Northern Arizona University and the University of Arizona followed suit shortly after. The universities' updated policies may contradict the state's prohibition on requiring masks for unvaccinated people to receive in-person classroom instruction. That ban was introduced in an executive order from Gov. Doug Ducey in June and later placed into law with the passage of the state budget. (Latch, 8/11)
AP:
Tennessee State To Offer $100 To Vaccinated Students
Tennessee State University officials say enrolled students can receive $100 if they can show they’re fully vaccinated. University officials announced this week that students who get vaccinated through one of the campus vaccination sites will also receive a $100 gift card. In addition, vaccinated students living in on-campus housing will be eligible for an additional $50 gift card. The gift cards are available until Aug. 27. (8/12)
USA Today:
Fake COVID Vaccine Cards At Colleges: Students Warned Of Consequences
Students who use phony COVID-19 vaccine cards to skirt mandates at U.S. colleges and universities are risking disastrous consequences, according to school officials and other experts. Hundreds of colleges and universities now require proof of COVID-19 inoculations. The process to confirm vaccination at many schools can be as simple as uploading a picture of the vaccine card to the student’s portal. However, an easy click of the mouse could spell a hard road for students’ academic futures – if that card is a fake. (Segarra, 8/11)
AP:
Fake COVID-19 Vaccination Cards Worry College Officials
As the delta variant of the coronavirus sweeps across the United States, a growing number of colleges and universities are requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination for students to attend in-person classes. But the new mandate has opened the door for those opposed to getting the vaccine to cheat the system, according to interviews with students, education and law enforcement officials. Both faculty and students at dozens of schools interviewed by The Associated Press say they are concerned about how easy it is to get fake vaccine cards. (Romero, 8/9)
In other news —
The Boston Globe:
Brown University Agrees To Stop Rejecting Students Who Take Mental Health Leave
Brown University is changing its policies on undergraduate student leaves of absence after settling a Justice Department finding that the school violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by not allowing students who took medical leave for mental health reasons to return to school -- even though they were ready to return to campus life. The settlement, which was made public Tuesday, protects the rights of students with mental health disabilities to have equal access to Brown’s educational programs, according to the US Attorney’s Office. It’s based on an investigation and compliance review that the Justice Department conducted in response to a student complaint regarding the university’s policies. (Gagosz, 8/11)
