In a recent press release, Bucks
County Community College
states that it will be mandatory for
all Bucks employees to be fully
vaccinated by January 18, 2022.
The recent statement has received
positive reactions from students
and is seen as a necessary step in
returning to normalcy.
It is to no surprise that the
vaccine is once again in headlines
across the world with new
COVID variants being discovered
such as Omicron. However, a
press release from our very own
Bucks obviously hits closer to
home.
The announcement that employees
must be vaccinated in order to
work on campus might surprise
some, but to others this is just another
step in returning to a world
similar to pre-COVID.
There are some mixed reactions
about the announcement, coming
from students near and far. Mark
Ferris, a student at Bucks, says, “I
think it is fair for vaccines to be
mandatory, considering in order to
attend public schools you have to
have specific vaccinations.”
Keeping up to date with mandatory
vaccinations is nothing
new, however some believe
COVID vaccinations shouldn’t
be mandatory which has sparked
controversy.
“You could argue that the
COVID vaccine is fairly new but
the amount of conjoined research
from around the world accelerated
the process and should validate
the vaccine,” states Ferris. The
debate over correct information
about the vaccine has been
relevant since the first vaccine
was given in the United States on
Dec 14 of last year. Having a year
to understand the virus should
comfort people into getting the
vaccine, but some still have reservations.
A student from Penn State,
Evan Kwak, explains a comparable
situation going on at state
college.
“At Penn State, if you don’t
want to get the vaccine, you have
to submit a COVID test every
week.”
This shows that schools are giving
the option to students whether
they want to be completely vaccinated
or not, but Bucks does not
seem to be doing this for staff.
Students from public schools
have been required to have specific
vaccinations in order to attend,
which validates some in favor for
staff to have to be vaccinated. The
overall consensus among students
is that the vaccine mandate is fair,
however there should be an alternative
or an incentive for getting
the vaccine.
Former student Brad Koch
gives his take on the press release
saying, “There should be an
incentive for the staff to get vaccinated.
For instance, if everyone
is required to be vaccinated, mask
shouldn’t also be a requirement.”
Masks are currently required on
all Bucks campuses regardless of
vaccination status.
“In order to return back to
normal, we need to start opening
things up and not require masks
for those who are vaccinated.”
The recent press release was
met with mixed views, but overall,
it seems most are in favor for
employees being required to be
vaccinated. It does beg the question
of whether we will eventually
see a change to the mask mandate
once everyone is vaccinated. Students
have brought up alternatives
to the vaccine requirement, but
for now you can expect all Bucks
employees to be vaccinated by
Jan 18, 2022.
Bucks Employee Vaccine Mandate