Sophomore Nathalia Aranda says she’s confused about the reasoning behind the decision and believes the university hasn’t given students a solid answer. “I just want to know why, with statistics and a more in-depth reason, instead of it being ‘so sad, you should put on your mask and get your souvenir,’” he said. On Monday, Western announced it will require students, faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and to have received a booster and cover up in classrooms and seminar rooms to ensure in-person learning at the start of classes. In September. In a press release, the university said the decisions were based on extensive consultation with science experts and the Western community. The updated vaccination policy, which will take effect immediately, will require three doses of any combination of COVID-19 vaccines recognized by Health Canada. “This decision supports the safety of our students, employees and community while maintaining our personal experience,” said Dr. Sonya Malone, Western’s occupational physician. Nathalia Aranda, a sophomore at Western, believes the university hasn’t given a strong reason for their new policy. (Submitted by Nathalia Aranda) Aranda, who gets a booster shot, says she understands the importance of coverage and vaccines, but can’t understand why the only place in the province that mandates the third shot is her university. “I chose to receive my souvenir, however I don’t understand why we need it to get an education,” he said. “Why is it harder to get a Western education than to travel to another country? Because you don’t need that booster to travel,” he said. In June, the Ontario government withdrew its mask mandates in most settings. And while the province strongly recommends getting a booster, it’s not mandatory. “We are thousands of students who go to the same clubs, bars, libraries, and people hang out together. It doesn’t make sense. Is there something in the air that spreads in a classroom faster than a bar?” Aranda asked.
“Unjustified order”
Justin Alla was looking forward to enjoying his final year at university when he starts the fourth year of his degree in September. “I was really excited to be back at Western, my friends and I saw the restrictions lifted this summer and we thought we can have some normalcy for our senior year, university is an experience and we want to have at least a bit of that.” he said. Alla, who was at the end of his first year when the pandemic hit, says there were COVID restrictions for most of his university experience. He believes this mandate is unjustified and questions why Western abandoned the mask mandate in June, only to reverse it two months later. “It just came out of left field,” he said. “They did a 180, they should have talked to their students and staff to see where we are and how we feel about the situation.” Third-year student Mya Kestle feels cheated that the university announced its updated COVID policy right after the fall tuition deadline. (Submitted by Mya Kestle) Third-year student Mya Kestle feels cheated. He believes the university could have communicated earlier, because right now students feel very unheard. “They could have said that at the beginning of the summer so that we would have had the summer before paying tuition to decide if we wanted to go to a school that required that mandate,” she said. For Kestle, if the government required a third tranche, it would be easier to adapt or take alternative options such as online courses, but right now the only place she needs a boost is the university she pays to attend, she said. Western will require students living in residence to get their booster shot before moving in, but will offer a two-week grace period — and easy access to the campus vaccination clinic — for students who can’t get a booster before they arrive. “Mitigating the risk of transmission of COVID-19, as well as serious outcomes from the infection, can be effectively achieved through a combination of coverage and vaccination,” said public health physician Dr. Saverio Stranges. The updated policy requires all students, faculty and staff to submit current proof of vaccination to the university by October 1, 2022.
