United Academics statement on vaccine mandate (8/27/21)

United Academics statement on vaccine mandate (8/27/21)

United Academics is committed to protecting the health and safety of our community. UVM’s faculty union overwhelmingly supports a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for faculty this year. UVM students are required to be vaccinated, and United Academics supports the same requirement for faculty.

We are heartened that in a recent survey of our members, 99% of respondents report being vaccinated, and that vaccination rates are also high among our students.

Some in our communities are unable to be vaccinated and are exempt under state rules. Many of us have young children who are ineligible for the vaccine. A vaccine mandate helps protect these individuals.

As an additional precaution, United Academics supports frequent testing for the vaccinated and unvaccinated alike.

We begin another academic year worried about the ongoing pandemic and its potential impact to our UVM community and other communities we treasure. It is reasonable to anticipate transmission of the Delta variant at UVM may again upend the in-person, on-campus learning we all wish for. As faculty who care deeply about our students, our fellow workers, and our community, we approach this new school year with courage, ingenuity, and most importantly, compassion.