Le Moyne to require student vaccinations for the fall semester

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Le Moyne College is joining the long list of colleges and universities across the state and nation that will require students to be vaccinated against COVID by the start of the fall 2021 semester.

Le Moyne said the requirement applies to all undergraduate and graduate students, but it will accommodate exemptions based on medical and religious reasons. The college said it expects most students on campus to be vaccinated.

“Our primary goal is the health and safety of our students, and we look forward to welcoming both new and returning students to an on-campus experience that is academically challenging and personally fulfilling,” Le Moyne President Linda LeMura said in a news release. “By requiring the vaccine, we will make great strides toward meeting this goal.”

Le Moyne joins other area schools, like Syracuse University, Ithaca College, and Cornell University, in requiring students to be vaccinated against COVID.

The Onondaga County Health Department this month held an on-campus clinic for Le Moyne students and employees that resulted in nearly 300 vaccinations.

Onondaga County has an “ample supply” of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, so anyone currently attending Le Moyne can be vaccinated before they return home in May, the college said. Le Moyne added that it can help current students with making an appointment and providing transportation if needed.

As the year progresses, it is expected that vaccines will become “increasingly available” in New York for all individuals over the age of 16, Le Moyne noted. The supply of the vaccine is also increasing in other states, so first-year students “should have vaccine options” available before arriving on campus in August.

Le Moyne says it’ll be ready to help students who do not have access to the vaccine when they arrive on campus in August.

A decision on whether faculty, administrators and staff will be required to be vaccinated is “forthcoming,” the college said, but it “strongly encourages” all employees to get the vaccine as soon as possible.

“It isn’t only for the Le Moyne community that we have chosen this path, it is also for the greater good of all our neighbors,” said LeMura.

Le Moyne has already announced its plan for the fall semester, but it will release a “more detailed” blueprint over the summer as the state of the pandemic changes.