An Update on Fordham’s Bivalent Vaccine Mandate
Fordham required the bivalent booster for students, faculty and staff. (Courtesy of Twitter)
On Sept. 26, Fordham announced that all students, faculty and staff must receive a COVID-19 bivalent booster vaccination by Nov. 1. Before the deadline passed, there was pushback against the mandate from parents, students and faculty, but now, the deadline has passed. According to Bob Howe, associate vice president for communications, the vaccine mandate is not currently being enforced by gate guards and nobody’s ID has been deactivated.
Instead, the enforcement starts by “individually contacting everyone eligible for the bivalent booster who has not yet updated their vaccine records,” said Howe.
“The university hasn’t set a date yet [for when the enforcement starts] — once it does, we will notify all faculty, students, staff and parents via email, the web and social media — likely multiple times before the deadline,” said Howe.
At the moment, the university has not released any specific numbers on compliance. “We are still working with the student community on compliance with the COVID-19 vaccine policy and don’t have any specific numbers to share at this time,” said Keith Eldredge, assistant vice president and dean of student services.
Additionally, the university has granted extensions and exemptions for the vaccine.
“Students requested extensions for many reasons. The most common was from students who have a positive test within the past 90 days, which is accommodated when they upload documentation of that positive test via the link on the VitalCheck daily questionnaire,” said Eldredge. “Other students who have other minor medical issues (such as a cold, virus or the flu) are receiving the vaccine when it is medically advisable for them to do so.”
Eldredge said the new requirement as being very effective. “I think the update to Fordham’s COVID-19 vaccine policy to include the new bivalent booster in accordance with the change in the CDC definition of being up to date was very effective,” said Eldredge.
“Of course, we know that research shows that being fully vaccinated and boosted helps protect students, faculty and staff. We wish that it would prevent all transmission and know that is not the case, but increasing the protection in our community is important,” said Eldredge. “The policy update also seems to have reminded students of the importance of their health and the continuing impact that the COVID-19 virus can have on their personal health, as well as, the health of others on campus, in the community adjacent to campus, and in their home community.”
Olivia Griffin, FCRH ’25, says she agrees with the booster requirement, but she feels like the time window was not ideal. “While I feel that the booster is necessary for the university’s and surrounding area’s health, I wish that Fordham would have more accessible options for vaccination times and extended the deadline,” said Griffin. She added, “Many students had to juggle their schedules with booster side effects with midterm season.”
Alexa Davidson, FCRH ’25, also says she is happy with the university’s decision. “I’m really glad that Fordham decided to make the bivalent booster mandatory. I feel safer on campus knowing that we are all taking the extra precaution,” said Davidson.
Eldredge added that not everyone was aware of the benefits of the booster before the requirement. “Some students seemed unaware of the new booster and the benefits it can provide and seemed grateful for the awareness we brought,” said Eldredge.
“I hope the conversation around the policy has reminded students of the important lessons they are learning in and out of the classroom about the importance of seeking answers to difficult questions from reliable sources. Debate and disagreement can provide opportunity to learn and grow provided all parties approach the conversation with an open mind and a willingness to listen,” said Eldredge.
Emma Kim is a junior from Pittsburgh. She is double majoring in economics and English. She started as a contributing writer for news in her freshman year...
Melissa Haub • Nov 24, 2022 at 7:22 am
Its about time someone from Fordham admitted the vaccine or the booster does not stop the transmission of Covid AFTER your mandate deadline has passed. You bullied and mislead all along the way. And now you are in Cover you assets mode. By getting another jab, students are NOT protecting the Fordham or Bronx community and barely protecting themselves at this point due to the amount of side affects, especially myocardial that is finally being admitted on major news outlets. And my child doesn’t need Fordham helping her “seeking answers to difficult questions from reliable sources” as you are anything but a reliable source. You don’t followl the science and you censor and suppress comments against your narrative.
AG • Nov 18, 2022 at 5:19 pm
If The Ram is to be considered a form of journalism, please make more efforts to interview students or faculty who have an opposing viewpoint. There is strong opposition to keeping these mandates going, not only from the Fordham community but also nationally and internationally. Without even citing reasons, we are at a point when governments, companies and organizations worldwide are dropping Covid vaccine mandates altogether, but we are to believe that Fordham students can’t get enough of them? Aren’t the readers of this publication entitled to more than just a repetition of the standard narrative from the administration? Please do your jobs as junior journalists and provide context and information from both sides of an issue, as well as ask challenging questions to authority.
Mike Moran • Nov 18, 2022 at 2:28 pm
What a joke.
Stacy • Nov 18, 2022 at 10:29 am
Why is the Flu shot not mandated? All students that were eligible received the actual mandated Covid shots. The boosters are a CHOICE. Healthcare workers are not even mandated to receive this shot. CDC “recommends” it. Stop using the students as Guinea pigs for this new shot.
Suzanne Domenici • Dec 1, 2022 at 7:52 pm
Yes, the flu is far more dangerous to this population than Covid. We are at the point where it has become apparent that the risks from side effects from these vaccines FAR outweigh the benefits for this particular population. And yet our kids were coerced into getting them. My junior son who is a rule follower and was worried he would get kicked out of school after FINALLY starting to have a decent college experience this year reluctantly got the shot and was sick for a week and had to make up midterms. What Fordham has done is shameful, and it is equally shameful that both viewpoints were not presented in this article, leading readers to believe that all students are ok with this bullying. I assure you they are not!
Karen Sofhauser • Nov 18, 2022 at 7:37 am
This is not a well written article as it shows only one side of the story. There are many students who are opposed to the mandate. Why were their opinions not included in this piece?
Kym Camputo • Nov 18, 2022 at 5:33 am
Clearly misinformed. No interview from students who are against the mandate? Odd….
Fordham Together • Nov 17, 2022 at 2:53 pm
Students and staff were told in no uncertain terms (emails, website, announcements) that they would be disenrolled, barred from campus, and removed from athletic teams on Nov 1 if they did not get the bivalent booster.
Many waited until the last minute to get their booster, hoping that the policy would change but in fear of losing their jobs, their tuition money, and campus access. On October 31 and November 1, hundreds of students lined up and got the booster against their will. Had these students and staff wanted felt the bivalent booster was important for themselves or others, they would have gotten it long before the deadline.
This “deadline” was during midterms. After getting the booster, many of them were too sick to take midterms or attend classes.
Now Fordham glibly announces that it is not enforcing this mandate. They know that if they do take action on students or staff who are still not bivalent-boosted, they risk international shame and a lawsuit for injuries and discrimination.
So basically the school acted like the classic cowardly bully who threatens to beat you up if you don’t share your homework with him, when in reality he has no intention of following through on that threat because he knows he’ll look like a jerk – and get in big trouble if he does it.
The whole thing leaves one to wonder: How is Fordham protecting the vulnerable and neighboring Bronx community by bullying its own students and staff into the Nov 1 mandate, but not visitors and prospective students who come from all over the world to attend open houses, watch games, attend alumni events, weddings and other events?
If Fordham is so concerned with its community’s health, then why is it allowing unboosted students, staff, visitors and teams to mingle closely in its multiple congregate settings?
The school is not enforcing its mandate for 4 reasons:
1) If it asks every visitor for proof of the bivalent booster, it will lose masses of revenue for games; visitors, fans, and prospective students will simply not come.
2) It cannot physically enforce a mandate because this would place medical decisions on its security staff and cause major backlogs on campus entries on game days, as 96% of the US population still has not opted to get the bivalent booster and there would likely be discussion after discussion just to gain campus entry.
3) Requiring all visitors to show proof of the bivalent booster every time they want to enter would make Fordham the laughingstock of the university community nationwide and beyond. It would lose donors, sponsors, paying fans, and of course, credibility.
4) If it kicks a student or staffer off campus, it exposes itself to a lawsuit with all accompanying shame and negative publicity.
Fordham Administration is now finally admitting that the booster does not stop transmission. In the same breath, it somehow claims that it protects the vulnerable and the neighboring Bronx community. Obviously this is a word salad that makes no sense whatsoever.
Fordham Administration also states that there is a new deadline for enforcement – but doesn’t state what that deadline is. When will we know when Fordham will start “protecting our community”? Are we all unsafe until then? Or will Fordham simply slink away in shame, never admitting that this mandate was simply bullying, and never upholding or enforcing the policies with which it threatened its own captive students and staff?
We are infuriated that Fordham bullied its students and staff into getting this booster against their will and better judgment, all on the pretense of community safety and transmissibility when in fact, by not enforcing its own stated policies, Fordham is clearly more concerned about its revenue and its reputation than its most vulnerable, its neighboring Bronx community, its students, and its staff.
We encourage all Ramily members, visiting teams, and prospective students to contact the administrators for clarification on these important points.