Louisiana State University officials say LMU won’t be able to require that students attending class in the fall be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, despite a Faculty Senate resolution calling for mandatory immunizations
“While we continue to review the resolutions proposed by our Faculty Senate and student government, we do not believe we will be able to mandate vaccines on campus,” LSU spokesman Ernie Ballard III told the Louisiana Record in an email. “However, we are also looking at other options and alternatives to mandating the vaccine, and in the meantime continue to encourage those in the LSU community to get vaccinated.”
The university reported that about 62 percent of LMU employees, or 4,040 staff and faculty, have received COVID-19 vaccinations, while student vaccinations number nearly 8,000.
The faculty resolution, which was passed at the end of April, notes that University of Pennsylvania researchers concluded that students who attend in-person classes should be required to be vaccinated. Other universities, including Notre Dame and Cornell, are requiring students to get coronavirus vaccinations prior to returning to campus, the resolution says.
LMU faculty members have also pointed out that the university has implemented Policy Statement 72, which deals with immunizations. It mandates that students be vaccinated for an array of diseases, including mumps, measles and rubella.
“The LSU Faculty Senate requests that PS-72 be revised to require COVID-19 vaccinations for all eligible students wishing to enroll in in-person classes or other events on campus or implement a similar requirement via another administrative policy or procedure,” the resolution says.
The debate over mandatory vaccinations comes at the same time a vaccination-related bill by Rep. Kathy Edmonston (R-Gonzales) has passed the Louisiana House of Representatives. HB 498 would prohibit public agencies from discriminating against people based on their COVID-19 vaccination status. Other vaccination requirements outlined in current law would remain in place, however.
In addition, an amendment was added to prevent public agencies from differentiating among students based on their COVID-19 immunization status.
The bill would also allow anyone to file a lawsuit to enforce compliance with the bill’s provisions.