Professors call on universities to introduce or strengthen vaccine mandates

University communities in Nova Scotia are about to come back together in personand some faculty membersare concerned by the absence of vaccine mandates at certaininstitutions.

Schoolssuch as Dalhousie University, Mount Saint Vincent Universityand the Nova Scotia Community Collegehave announced vaccine mandates in recent days that include restrictions for those who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.

The policies havelargely been met with support from students and staff, but some schools are trying a different approach.

Acadia University in Wolfvilledoes not have a vaccine mandate. Instead, itwillrequire students to be masked in all public areas, practise social distancingand get tested regularly.

The university's faculty association is speaking out against the school's fall plan, saying it is not comprehensive or flexible enough to addressfears about what's to come.

"The problem is it seems to be kind of a one-size-fits-all policy to return to in-person teaching," said Jon Saklofske, a spokesperson for theassociation.

In a statement on its website, Acadiasaid it"strongly encourages all members of the campus community (including members of the general public who access the campus and its facilities) to be fully vaccinated."

Professors at Acadia will be required to teach classes in person unless they have a medical exemption. They will also not be able to create their own COVID-19 rules within their classrooms.

Saklofske said many professors with immunocompromised or young children are nervous about in-person teaching, but they would not be eligible for anexemption. The association said there should be flexibility for professors in terms of virtual course delivery.

The associationhas also calledon the school to introduce a vaccine mandate for everyone on campus, but it said the university has not responded.

It has been trying to set up a meeting with administrators, but with less than two weeksuntil classes begin, the association feels time is running out.

"Our representatives are going to make themselves available evenings, weekendswhatever it takesbecause we do think this is an important issue," Saklofske said.

In Antigonish, the faculty association at St. Francis Xavier University has asked the school to introduce a vaccine mandate due to concerns over a fourth wave of COVID-19 and the highly contagious delta variant.

In a letter sent Thursday to students, faculty and staff, the university saidacampus-wide survey will be conducted by a third partyto help "quantify and understand the vaccination status of all staff, faculty and students to support planning purposes."

St. FX also said it is consulting with union leadership and the students'union on a mandatory testing policy. Those who are fully vaccinated would be exempt with proof of vaccination.

It said details would be shared in the coming days.

High-risk settings

The Canadian Association of University Teachers, which representsmore than 70,000 academic and general staff at universities and colleges across the country, said vaccine requirements should be part of any safe back-to-school plan.

"There's large numbers of people who gather to teach and to learn and to socialize," said David Robinson, director of the national association.

"We also know that there's a large proportion of the 18- to 29-year-old population that is not vaccinated."

Robinsonnoted there are some legal issues with mandating vaccinations, but the issues can be easily mitigated by making policies fair, reasonable, and respectful of human rights and privacy laws.

Some schools are trying a blended approach. Saint Mary's University in Halifaxis requiring certain groups to be vaccinated, includingathletes and students living in residence, but not making a rule for the entire campus community.

Jamie Livingston, an associate professor at Saint Mary's,believes a full vaccine requirement is necessary to protect students and staff, as well as the city as a whole.

"We have students coming from across the province into Halifax, across the country. Thirty per cent of students at SaintMary's are coming internationally," Livingston said.

"So I think there's a responsibility for universities to ensure that we're keeping our community safe as well."