Marquette University to Require Its Students to Get COVID-19 Vaccine for Fall Semester

Marquette University will require its undergraduate and graduate students to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by August 1 in order to be able to attend in-person classes this fall, the university president Michael Lovell outlined in a letter.

Marquette’s decision came after the university decided to lift mask restrictions last week, Erudera.com reports.

“This decision was made after consulting with health experts, and it has been endorsed by the university’s COVID-19 Response Team, the University Academic Senate Executive Committee, the Staff Senate and the Graduate Student Organization,” the letter sent by the University President Lovell reads.

By imposing this requirement, Marquette becomes the third private institution in the state requiring its students to get the COVID-19 vaccines, as the University of Wisconsin System has not imposed a vaccine mandate yet but has strongly recommended its students to get vaccinated against the virus.

“A vaccinated student population will allow us to provide you with a richer in-person experience, reduce testing and let you interact more freely across campus,” Lovell’s letter reads.

Two other universities located in Wisconsin imposing similar requirements are Beloit College and Lawrence University, which are both planning to return to in-person learning this fall. Beloit College allows vaccinated students to not wear masks, whereas vaccinated students at Lawrence University will continue to wear masks and keep social distance while they are in public space.

In early April this year, UW-Madison announced it is considering imposing the vaccine requirement for students living in the dormitories. Following this plan, on Monday, the chief of staff for Chancellor Rebecca Blank, Matt Mayrl, told a faculty committee that the university is still considering this option.  

Blank said that whatever decision the UW-Madison takes, she is expecting a high number of students to be vaccinated, at around 85-90 percent.

Up to date, nearly 500 US higher education institutions have imposed COVID-19 vaccination requirements, including Rutgers University, University of California, Harvard University, and more.

Marquette’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement does not include staff; however, the university continues to encourage them to consider vaccination. On the other hand, students can ask for exemptions in case of any medical, ideological, or religious reasons but will then be asked to get the vaccine during the semester.

Marquette is currently the largest university in Wisconsin to ask its students to get a COVID-19 vaccine as it has 11,550 undergraduate and graduate students, whereas Beloit College and Lawrence University have more than 1,000 students.