Oregon’s largest community college will not require students or employees to be inoculated against COVID-19 to come back to campus this fall, school authorities said Monday.
Portland Community College officials said in a news release that they decided against requiring that students and staff receive the COVID-19 vaccine because of racial disparities that exist when it comes to access to vaccines and vaccine hesitancy. They said limiting in-person instruction to those who have had the vaccine would create a barrier for Black and Indigenous students and other students of color.
Officials also said based on surveys, they anticipate that vaccination rates for staff and students will exceed the 70% target rate set by Gov. Kate Brown for the entire state. Officials also said that “the vaccination rate will never be 100%,” citing religious, personal and medical exemptions.
The community college’s health and safety protocols can be found on their website.
All seven of Oregon’s public universities, including the University of Oregon, Oregon State University and Portland State University, are requiring students and staff to receive COVID-19 vaccines to return to campus this fall.
In contrast, Portland Community College officials said Monday that few community colleges across the country are requiring vaccinations.
—Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR