King’s Faculty and Students Split on COVID-19 Vaccines and Mask Mandates Going Forward

| Photo by Kai Pilger on Unsplash

The city recently opened up eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine to any New Yorkers 16 years of age and older who want it, but a Siena College poll recently found that more than 25% of those surveyed do not plan to get the vaccine.

Students and faculty at King’s are now part of the larger population that has access to the vaccine, although opinions around receiving the shot -- and the possibility of easing restrictions on campus -- vary within the school community. 

“About three weeks ago I had my second shot,” said Dr. Henry Bleattler, Associate Professor of History and the Humanities. “I know there were a lot of people who weren’t so sure about it, and it does feel rushed, but it is an emergency.” 

A good number of the student body and faculty have been signing up and receiving the vaccine, although some have experienced difficulties with the process. 

“My experience that day was a little bit stressful. A lot of the vaccination sites are in the Bronx, so it takes like an hour to get there,” said Sofia Valdes, a sophomore. “Mine was in this sketchy pharmacy. And then of course, afterward you don’t feel too well.”

Some, on the other hand, expressed their surprise at how efficient and smooth the vaccination process went. 

“It was honestly the most organized I have ever seen the government,” said Connor Kopko, a Junior. “I got there at 8 a.m. and was out by 8:20 a.m.” 

While many of the students and faculty interviewed have been vaccinated, or are in the process of getting vaccinated, one particular professor’s experience has been unlike his colleagues’. 

“I’ve not been able to get vaccinated, despite the fact that I would do so immediately,” said Dr. Ben White, Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies. “I’m currently in Canada, so I’m not eligible here and my age group won’t be for at least another six weeks.” 

Similar to Dr. White, there are other members of the King’s community who have not been vaccinated yet. The only difference is that they are currently living in New York with the vaccine readily available to them. 

“At this point, I'm waiting until the semester is over. I've heard that it wipes a lot of people out and I don't want to deal with that while I'm writing a ton of papers,” said Hannah Sarenpa, a junior. “I already have a ton of stress entering my body. I don't need anything that's going to slow me down.”

Others planned to do it, but changed their minds after speaking with their family. 

“About a month ago I signed up to get vaccinated,” said Josh Wagner, a junior. “But then my parents said they wanted to talk with me about it. I ended up canceling the appointment so I could talk to them beforehand. One of the reasons I don't want to get vaccinated is that if I move back to Kansas for the summer, I’m kind of secluded there. I’m not going to be doing much, so there’s no point getting vaccinated.”

For those who are not yet comfortable with the idea of receiving the vaccine, decisions such as Colombia University’s, who announced they will require all of its faculty and students to get their shots in time for the fall semester, may not like to see this trend spread to King’s. 

Many of those vaccinated at King’s expressed their concern over institutions requiring the vaccine. 

“I don’t think we would want to create a situation in which people are forced to do something they don’t want to do. I’m very much about people having the choice as far as the vaccine goes, even though I am very pro everyone getting the vaccine,” said Dr. Phillip Williams, Associate Professor of Mathematics. 

“That's a difficult one because I think that individuals need autonomy and they have autonomy,” added Dr. Dami Kabiawu, Assistant Professor of Finance. “I think that for a student to come on campus they should take the vaccine, whether schools require it or not. I think certainly if you are going to be there in person, you should do the right thing and take the vaccine.”

While a good deal of students and faculty interviewed were not in favor of requiring the vaccine at King’s, opinions vary. Some said that requiring the vaccine would help get things back to normal sooner. 

“My brother goes to NYU and they’re requiring them to do that over there,” Valdes said. “I think it’s extremely important that they do. It’s also really important for King’s to do that because we’re such a small school and if someone gets it, it’s so easy for other people to get it. The more people that get vaccinated, the closer we are to getting back to normal.” 

Dr. White agreed, adding, “I hesitate to say the vaccine should be required, but I do feel fine with an institution requiring it, so long as they have some sort of appeal process for those with legitimate concerns, but I could only think of a very limited number of scenarios in which someone could reasonably disregard the advice to get vaccinated.” 

As King’s prepares for the fall, there have been questions of loosening restrictions as more of the population receives the vaccine. Recently, King’s has changed their policy to allow fully vaccinated professors to teach without their masks on if they so wish. 

“It's completely in compliance with any federal and state guidelines. So that's not something that King’s is going rogue on,” said President Tim Gibson. “Our goal throughout this entire time has been, as evidence lends itself, to support the decision, be as prudent as possible, and not put ourselves at undue risk. But this is something that we've chosen to be a little bit conservative on.”

Some members of the King’s community feel relieved at the new policy around mask-wearing. 

“I’m in favor of it. … I took my mask off for class, and when class was over and students started moving around I put it back on,” Dr. Bleattler said. “It was pretty easy to do. I appreciated having the option. I think we need to start moving towards a model where those who are vaccinated can have a little more freedom.”

“I’m in agreement with the policy. I wouldn’t say we should go any further, because we don’t want to go against whatever the rules are,” Dr. Williams added. “I actually think that once the vaccine is available to everyone, which is pretty much the situation now, we as a country should wait a few weeks and just get rid of all the restrictions. We need to get society back to normal and we need to see the vaccine as what it really is, which is basically something that makes you immune to COVID-19.” 

Wagner said he didn’t mind seeing less mask use for those who are fully vaccinated. 

“I love it. I really wish we could return to having no masks,” he said. “Obviously, it’s not quite feasible at the moment, but I know Dr. Griffith and Dr. Bleattler are fully vaccinated and it's been a really great experience being able to actually see their faces. I believe it can only improve classes. People will be more involved because they can see you and see reactions and read other people better.” 

While some individuals believe the process of loosening restrictions needs to speed up, others feel more cautious. 

“Even though they’re vaccinated, and just because we’re six feet apart doesn't necessarily mean that the germs won’t reach us or we won’t spread germs to the professor,” Valdes said. “Especially if we're in the classroom with the door closed for an hour and a half. It just doesn’t seem very smart. I feel like we should wait on that.” 

It remains to be seen what the fall brings, although infection rates have dropped in many parts of the country where vaccination programs are in full effect. Nonetheless, some favored the continued use of masks while in the building. 

“I'm excited to see life go back to normal. I'm excited to have this vaccine work and for all of us to be able to walk around without a mask. I miss being able to hug people,” said Kabiawu. “I want to hug a stranger because I think they've had a bad day and I want to make them feel better. And I haven't been able to do that. It's the highlight of your day when you make somebody else smile, because you put a hand on their shoulder or something, offering air for a conversation. When I was told that the mask is the best way to protect others, I put on my mask. And so when I'm told that, if I'm vaccinated, I'm not a danger to other people, then I'll take that as face value as well.”