ALLEGANY, N.Y. — St. Bonaventure University will require that most students get vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend class in the fall.
In a newsletter to campus, Acting President Dr. Joseph Zimmer said the decision "aligned with strong recommendations from the American College Health Association, Centers for Disease Control, and the New York State Department of Health."
The University will require students living on campus, off-campus, and commuting to provide documentation showing they've been vaccinated by move-in day.
Specifics on uploading proof of vaccination will be sent after July 4 and must be completed before residential students will be issued a room key or off-campus students will be permitted to attend class, the newsletter stated.
According to Bona's academic calendar, classes begin on August 30.
Fully online, non-residential graduate students will be excluded from the requirement.
The decision was not made lightly, Zimmer added in the newsletter, saying limited religious and medical exemptions would be granted. Those seeking an exemption can make their request using St. Bonaventure's “Vaccination Policy & Exemption Form."
Former St. Bonaventure President Doctor Dennis DePerro died from COVID complications back on March 1, 2021. DePerro had been in the hospital since the end of December 2020.
"While we cannot be certain what if any, public health measures related to COVID will be required in the fall, we anticipate that we will have more freedom on a fully vaccinated campus than if a significant portion of our campus community members are unprotected," Zimmer stated.
St. Bonaventure isn't the only college or university that has made the decision to require vaccination.
In mid-May Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that all SUNY and CUNY students will have to be vaccinated if they want to return to in-person learning for the fall semester. Cornell and Syracuse University, both private institutions like St. Bonaventure, have also added the requirement, as has Hilbert College in Hamburg.
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