As the Fall semester kicks off at Sonoma State, students have returned to campus. However, along with the return of students on campus and in the dorms, is an increased risk of potential COVID-19 cases, as well.  

According to the last update from SSU, there are 2,000 students living on campus. The most recent positive case of COVID-19 was on August 25, 2021. There have been five positive cases since the beginning of the semester.

Last semester, SSU would shut down and clear out the buildings that COVID-19 infected people had previously been in, but this semester, the buildings are being used the next day by other students. 

This plan of action seems incredibly dangerous for those who are unvaccinated or immunocompromised.

It’s understandable that the campus is attempting to allow students to resume experiencing living on campus, taking classes, and being a part of a campus community–even if it means requiring students to be fully vaccinated or tested weekly if they’re not vaccinated.

However, that doesn’t mean that students shouldn’t be concerned. Under the Vaccine Requirement page, there are still concerns about the Delta variant. “The CSU is requiring COVID-19 vaccination before one or more of the vaccines receives full FDA approval, due to worsening circumstances associated with the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant.” 

If positive cases continue to occur on campus, would that mean that in-person instruction will cease and students will be sent home like they were in Spring of 2020? 

With the recent announcement that the Pfizer vaccine has been approved by the FDA, the California State University system is requiring that “SSU students, faculty, and staff must certify fully vaccinated status by no later than September 30, 2021.”

As stated by Cal Matters, different CSU campuses will take different disciplinary actions towards students who refuse to provide proof of vaccination, ranging from being unable to access campus to being disenrolled from in-person classes. 

For example, Humboldt State University stated on their Campus Ready Page that, “Any missed in person courses or lab related activities will not be forgiven due to the health and safety risk.” 

An article for the Washington Post found that “California State University at Stanislaus, known as Stanislaus State, pushed its classes online until Oct. 1 after the virus swamped surrounding Stanislaus County and started making inroads on the Central Valley campus.” Additionally, “There were 740 new cases in the county in one day.”

It’s unclear what Sonoma State’s plan of action is if students continue to become sick with the COVID-19 virus. It seems that the school has taken appropriate measures to keep the virus from spreading on campus in the past, but will they continue to stay as diligent during the reopening of campus?

Students should be concerned about the increasing rate of positive COVID-19 cases on campus and what it means for future instruction. In order to preserve our chance of staying in person for this semester, everyone should take the proper precautions that were set in place in order to be on or around campus.

Don’t forget to get vaccinated and upload proof of vaccination to your SSU health portal by the Sep. 30 deadline. The on campus testing center will be located in the Denali Gym of the Student Recreation Center.