Seawolves have until 5 p.m. on Sept. 30 to submit either proof that they received the COVID-19 vaccine or an application for an exemption to the “My Health Portal” on the online services dashboard. Those who are attending classes fully online should submit a request for the vaccine requirement to be waived by this date as well. Students who fail to comply with this deadline are at risk of facing disciplinary action. 

On July 27, the California State University (CSU) announced that students, faculty, and staff accessing any of the Cal State locations and facilities are going to be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 for the fall term. The goal was for all students to be fully vaccinated by Aug. 15, but because there was not adequate time between the announcement and the start of the semester for all students to be considered fully vaccinated, the CSU established the deadline of Sept. 30. 

There were rumors that those who did not submit proof of vaccination would be subject to disenrollment from classes this semester. However, this seems to not be the case. The COVID Compliance Lead, Missy Brunetta said, “[Disenrollment] is the last thing we want to happen to any student. Instead, they will be subject to registration holds, meaning they will be unable to register for the spring semester.” With the registration process already grueling enough as it is, there is hope that this will be incentive enough for students to come into compliance. 

According to a vaccination report from Sept. 24, there are 5,805 fully vaccinated students and 310 students who are exempt from the vaccine (these numbers are subject to change with the deadline fastly approaching). Overall, Sonoma State is at 85 percent compliance with the CSU COVID-19 vaccination policy when it should be at 100 percent. 

In an email from Ryan Jasen Henne, the dean of students, he stated that, “Sonoma State has put in place public health safety protocols for students who will be on campus attending classes…” As they are the majority, students play a critical role in keeping the spread of COVID-19 and the Delta variant to a minimum. It is just as vital for professors, staff, and administrators that are not working remotely to be adhering to public health safety protocols as well. 

Faculty and staff across all departments should be doing their part in keeping students and colleagues safe. Currently, employees have an alarming rate of 50 percent compliance with the policy. So far, 611 employees have reported to be fully vaccinated and only 21 have been granted exemption. These rates could change, as employees who are represented by a labor union are currently negotiating terms between the University and the union. 

Senior Jocelyne Gerardo shared her opinion on the matter: “It is slightly concerning that not all faculty and staff are vaccinated when the school placed such an emphasis on students to be. I do believe though that professors and other staff members will make the right choice in keeping students safe.” 

Brunetta said, “We strongly encourage everyone to get their vaccination information uploaded to My Health Portal as soon as possible.  If students have questions or concerns about the safety of the vaccine, please contact the Student Health Center, another trusted medical professional, or refer to the CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine safety information page: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety.html.”