Reminders to wear masks and practice good hygiene are sprinkled around campus to “shield” fellow Spartans from COVID-19. The university has announced that it will require vaccinations going into the fall 2021 semester.
Michigan State University President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. announced in an email that all students, staff and faculty will be required to receive a COVID-19 booster shot for the spring 2022 semester.
The mandate applies to all students, staff and faculty who are currently eligible for a booster shot — at least six months after their two-dose vaccine regimen or two months after a single-dose vaccine.
Stanley said that those who fail to receive a booster when eligible will be considered in violation of MSU’s vaccine directives.
Stanley also noted that students, faculty and staff who already received medical or religious exemptions for the fall semester will continue to be exempt from this new requirement.
The system to fill out booster information is the same one you used to record your original vaccinations, according to an email from Stanley sent Jan.10. The form will begin accepting submissions Jan. 26 until Feb. 1.
Stanley said that this decision was made due to a combination of the CDC’s recommendations supporting boosters for everyone over 16, as well as the highly contagious Omicron variant’s emergence in recent weeks.
The email said that MSU’s current vaccine form would be updated to allow the recording of boosters, but did not give a timeline for when the updated form would be available.
MSU deputy spokesperson Dan Olsen discussed the university’s decision to mandate these boosters. Olsen said boosters are needed in continuing in-person instruction this coming spring semester.
“Certainly vaccinations have been a critical component to a healthy and successful fall semester. And when you combine that requirement with our mask requirement as well, this has created a safer community for students, faculty and staff to live, work and learn,” Olsen said.
Olsen said the university is pleased with the high vaccination levels on campus, and the booster is an additional staff to keep the community safe.
Students, faculty and staff who don’t receive the booster once eligible to would be subject to discipline from the university, he added.
Editor's note: This article was edited at 12:40 p.m. to add comments from MSU deputy spokesperson Dan Olsen.
Editor's note: This article was edited on Jan. 10 at 5:19 p.m. to add the deadline to submit booster verification forms.
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