Health |

DePaul University and Columbia College will require COVID-19 vaccines this fall for on-campus students

DePaul University and Columbia College Chicago are the first post-secondary schools in Illinois to require COVID-19 vaccines for students returning to campus this fall.

Columbia College announced the mandate Monday, explaining it will help “maximize opportunities for in-person courses and social and cultural opportunities.” DePaul shared the decision Wednesday and said it was based on “safety, mutual care and social responsibility.”

Both Columbia and DePaul will host vaccine sites on campus in the coming days. The institutions join a small but growing list of schools, including the University of Notre Dame, making students get inoculated in order to live in dorms, attend in-person classes or spend time on campus.

So far, 58 colleges in the U.S. will require students or employees to be vaccinated before fall, according to a list maintained by the Chronicle of Higher Education. All but three of the universities are private.

At DePaul, the nation’s largest Catholic university, the requirement applies to undergraduate, graduate and professional students who will be on campus in any capacity when the fall quarter begins Sept. 8. Students who don’t comply might not be able to register for classes.

“We know the threat of COVID-19 will not completely disappear before we convene in the fall,” University President A. Gabriel Esteban said. “We also know the COVID-19 vaccines have been proven effective at greatly reducing the spread of the virus, as well as preventing serious illness and death from COVID-19.”

DePaul hasn’t decided if employees must also get shots, but a February survey showed the majority of faculty and staff already received or plan to receive the vaccine, Esteban said.

DePaul is offering a vaccine clinic for students, faculty and staff on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week at its student center in Lincoln Park.

At Columbia, located downtown, the Moderna vaccine will be administered at a campus site starting Thursday. The vaccine requirement applies to students taking online-only classes as well.

Students should only get their first dose on campus if they can also receive their second dose at the same location 28 days later.

For the fall, students must complete their vaccine regime at least two weeks before moving into residence halls, Columbia said. Some exceptions will be made for international students unable to receive the shot before arriving.

“Any student who arrives not vaccinated will still be able to attend class, but will be required to both begin the vaccination process and test a minimum of once a week when on campus until the vaccination process is complete,” Columbia said.

Columbia is not requiring employees to receive the vaccine.

Both DePaul and Columbia will grant vaccine exemptions for religious or medical reasons.

echerney@chicagotribune.com