The student newspaper of Bucks County Community College

The Centurion

The student newspaper of Bucks County Community College

The Centurion

The student newspaper of Bucks County Community College

The Centurion

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Bucks Students Weigh In On Vaccine Mandates

Photo+Courtesy+of+Unsplash
Photo Courtesy of Unsplash

Some colleges are starting to mandate vaccinations for students. Bucks has not mandated the vaccine, and students seem to agree with that decision.
According to The Washington Post, community colleges in Maryland have begun mandating the coronavirus vaccine for students and employees. The colleges are allowing some students to be excused from the mandate due to medical or health exemptions.
Colleges that are not mandating the vaccine do still recommend students and staff get the vaccine to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Colleges have been offering rewards or educational opportunities to encourage students to get vaccinated.
Bucks has encouraged its students to get vaccinated in the past by offering $100 gift cards to the first 200 students who get vaccinated across their three campuses, but has not yet mandated it for its students and faculty.
The only requirements Bucks has put in place for students is wearing masks and social distancing at all times while on campus.
As the coronavirus has persisted and mutated, colleges might have to be stricter on students being vaccinated.
The idea of mandating the coronavirus vaccine has some Bucks students displeased.
Jocelyn Kosiba, a 20-year-old journalism major from Feasterville, is supportive of people getting the vaccine but does not believe it should be forced upon them.
Kosiba explains, “Students should have a choice to be vaccinated. I don’t think it’s right to force someone to get a vaccine if they’re uncomfortable with it.”
But when it comes to professors getting vaccinated Kosiba feels that “It would only be beneficial for them to get vaccinated, since they are in a room full of students. They can’t just take a three week leave when they get sick because they have classes to teach.”
Another Bucks student that shares similar views is Joe Samperi, a 20-year-old engineering major from Pipersville.
“Mandating the vaccine for college students is wrong and people should be able to choose for themselves. I should be able to use my rights to decide what I want to put in my body.” said Samperi.
Students do not seem to have an issue with people getting vaccinated, but they do have an issue with schools taking away students’ decisions and forcing the vaccine upon them.
Breanna Lyons, a 19-year-old communication major from Langhorne, is another student that has an issue with the vaccine being mandated for students.
She explains, “If the vaccine becomes mandatory right now, I believe there will be a huge destructive movement and uproar from the students. I think that students will fight the school over the mandate and there will be a decrease in the number of students attending Bucks.”
According to The Washington Post, colleges have experienced a steep decline in enrollments due to the pandemic.
Students seem to be okay with the restrictions already put in place at Bucks of wearing masks and social distancing, so why take a chance on overstepping by requiring students to get vaccinated?