INDIANAPOLIS — With eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine expanding to everyone 16 and older in Indiana next week, WRTV is working to find out if local colleges and universities will be requiring students and staff to get the shot.
This comes after Rutgers University in New Jersey recently announced that all students must be vaccinated before the fall semester.
Students on Butler University’s campus Friday said they think that it is a great idea.
“We want a regular semester coming back, I mean we are dealing with a lot,” Duncan Stone said.
Colleges all across the country have made adjustments to keep students safe. Some of those include additional online rather than in-person classes and suspended group gatherings and activities.
“It is really hard being a freshman starting college with online classes and stuff,” Isabell Austin said. “I’m a hands-on learner so it's been really difficult to keep my grades up and stuff.”
That is part of why some students say they would support a COVID-19 vaccine requirement on campus.
Leaders at Butler University say they are considering a vaccine requirement for the fall, but at this point, they have not made a final decision.
“I think anything we can do to get back to a normal college setting would be great,” Austin said.
A spokesperson for Indiana University said they are encouraging students, staff and faculty to get the vaccine, but they have not yet made a decision regarding a requirement.
Media representatives at Purdue University and Marian University said the same thing.
Ball State University has not yet responded to WRTV's request for information.
