U. suspends COVID-19 vaccination mandates
Effective Monday, the University has suspended three immunization policies created in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an email sent to the University community from Antonio Calcado, executive vice president and chief operating officer at the University.
Specifically, the University will no longer require the Rutgers community to abide by University Human Resources policies 60.1.35 and 60.1.36, along with Student Health Services policy 10.3.14., the email read.
The email also stated any rhetoric relating to COVID-19 inoculation in hiring documentation will be eliminated.
The two Human Resources policies had required vaccination from University affiliates — members of the University community who do not work or attend classes at Rutgers, such as contractors, fellows and honorary appointees — as well as current, clinical and prospective faculty members, barring religious exemptions.
While issuing these modifications, Calcado summarized the University's historical approach to navigating the impact of the pandemic and acknowledged how compliance with its policies has benefited the University community.
"As you are aware, since March 2020, we have relied on science, including guidance from our own experts and from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on how to best manage the COVID-19 pandemic," Calcado said. "Your cooperation has been unfailing and led to a successful effort in keeping our community safe."
The announcement comes less than one month after a public complaint was issued against two University professors from various institutes for using inflammatory, offensive and threatening language when engaging in discourse about the pandemic.
It also comes two months after the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit issued a ruling in a two-year lawsuit regarding the constitutionality of Rutgers' mandate.
Rutgers' COVID-19 policies first gained attention in 2021 when the University became the first in the nation to require students to be vaccinated before returning to in-person schooling in the Fall 2021 elections. A publication in Rutgers Magazine from Senior Vice President of External Affairs Peter McDonough indicates that the University takes pride in establishing this precedent amid any backlash.
"By taking bold steps like the vaccination mandate, Rutgers has become the national role model for protecting the health and safety of the students who learn here and the faculty, researchers and staff who work here," McDonough said. "It's a good reputation to have."
