Proposed COVID-19 measures don’t include vaccine mandate for Modesto Junior College
Community college district trustees are proposing a COVID-19 testing requirement — but not a vaccine mandate — for students and staff at Modesto Junior College and Columbia College near Sonora.
The Yosemite Community College District board is slated Wednesday to consider setting the policy for the spring semester when thousands of more students are expected to return for in-class learning.
A committee including board Chairwoman Margie Bulkin and trustees Darin Gharat and Leslie Beggs came up with the resolution after the board heard a variety of opinions, for and against a vaccine mandate, at a meeting last month. The COVID-19 policy requires approval from the entire board.
COVID vaccinations are mandated at University of California and state university campuses to limit outbreaks among students, faculty members and staff members and prevent serious cases or long-term effects of COVID-19. But the 72 community college districts in California have authority over management of communicable diseases, according to interpretations of state law.
“We are trying to address how to get people back on campus in a safe way and we think this meets everyone in the middle,” Bulkin said Tuesday. “We heard a tremendous amount of opinions all over the board on this issue.”
Soon after the proposed resolution was released this week, some MJC faculty members said they didn’t see how the testing program would work to keep people safe on campuses from outbreaks of the potentially deadly COVID-19 respiratory illness.
“The resolution seems to put more emphasis on allowing for individual choice regarding vaccines than on the safety of the campus community,” said one faculty member who asked to remain anonymous.
Dimitri Keriotis, president of the Yosemite Faculty Association, said many faculty members have questions and concerns about what’s proposed in the resolution. They hope to get more clarity during Wednesday’s Zoom board meeting at 5:30 p.m.
“We have many faculty members who favor a vaccine or testing mandate and faculty members who are against a mandate,” Keriotis said. He added the median position is safety for everyone on campus.
The proposed resolution directs the chancellor’s office to develop a testing program for students and people working on campus who choose to remain unvaccinated. Testing also would apply to those who have recovered from COVID-19, as well as people who have been vaccinated.
Details of the testing program have not been set. And it’s not clear how the testing requirement will be enforced.
“Tests will occur at reasonable time intervals that are designed to provide increased safety against spread of COVID-19 but not be punitive,” the resolution states in part.
The district’s COVID-19 measures may be reviewed by the board as time passes and the COVID-19 pandemic poses additional challenges. The testing policy would sunset Aug. 20 before the start of the fall 2022 semester. Board members also plan to revisit the testing requirement in March.
“I cannot tell you if it will pass or not, but I can tell you that I think it represents a middle ground (where) our board might find an acceptable compromise,” Beggs said via email.
Survey: Half of MJC students want vaccine mandate
About half of students surveyed by MJC in mid-September said they would like a vaccine mandate for spring 2022. Of the 6,188 responses, 63% of students indicated they preferred a testing mandate.
Trustee Milton Richards said Tuesday he didn’t see board support for a strict vaccine mandate that could result in students ending their education. He said he hears from people who support and oppose vaccine mandates. About 56% of eligible residents in Stanislaus County are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, which is below the state and federal rates.
After enrollment dropped by thousands of students during the pandemic, the district is eager to see more students return to classrooms. Trustees took note of a survey showing that 40% of students said they may leave the college if it’s under a vaccine mandate.
Richards said he didn’t want to divulge how he will vote on the resolution. ”As it is written, it’s a reasonable place to begin the discussion,” he said.
MJC President Santanu Bandyopadhyay said the plan for spring semester is holding 43% of classes on campus. Less than 15% of courses are in classrooms this fall, while the vast majority of students are on remote learning.
He said policy setting is the board’s responsibility. All of the community college districts in California have elected boards and have adopted a wide variety COVID measures, with some going with a strict vaccine mandate and others offering a choice between vaccine or regular testing.
According to a report in EdSource in August, about 25% of the 115 community colleges in California had approved a COVID vaccine requirement. Leaders at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton went back and forth on a vaccine mandate before adopting one in August. It allows for medical and religious exemptions.
Bandyopadhyay said there is no data on how many students at MJC or Columbia are vaccinated against COVID-19. The president said he can see a testing program providing safety in classrooms, for example, if a large percentage of class members are immunized and a small percentage are not.
MJC and Columbia maintain other infection control measures, such as masking, distancing, regular disinfection and air filtration systems.
Before the YCCD board took comments at a meeting last month, trustees received 22 written comments opposing a vaccine mandate and 42 in favor.
In a listening session last month, those in favor of the requirement argued that higher vaccination rates would expand classroom capacities to provide more face-to-face instruction and curtail the number of positive cases and quarantines that cause students to miss class.
Those opposing a vaccine-or-testing mandate argued it would serve as another hurdle for students to complete their education, noting that the testing requirement in particular would be hard for students to fulfill if tests aren’t provided on campus.
This story was originally published October 20, 2021 at 5:33 AM.
