The Evergreen State College to require COVID-19 vaccinations this fall

The Evergreen State College announced Thursday that students, staff, and faculty will be required to show proof of vaccination for COVID-19 before fall quarter 2021 begins.

The college’s goal is to bring as much in-person learning as possible back to the campus when the 2021-22 school year starts on Sept. 27.

“Requiring vaccinations will enable us to provide even richer in-person educational experiences for our students in the fall,” said Evergreen President George Bridges in a statement.

Evergreen follows Washington State University, Western Washington University and Central Washington University in establishing similar vaccine requirements for students, staff, and faculty. The University of Washington will require all students on all three of its campuses to be vaccinated against COVID-19, but not faculty and staff. Eastern Washington University in Cheney announced it will not require COVID-19 vaccinations, it has announced.

Evergreen will work with its campus community to develop policies and plans to achieve the vaccination goal, according to a news release.

Individuals unable to receive the vaccine for medical, religious, or personal reasons, will be afforded the opportunity to apply for an exemption to the requirement, according to the release.

This story was originally published May 7, 2021 at 10:55 AM.