Boston College will require members of the BC community on campus next fall to be vaccinated by the beginning of the 2021-22 academic year, according to a letter sent to the BC community on Friday.
To assist students in meeting this requirement, the University will be administering 4,500 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to undergraduate students in Conte Forum beginning on Monday and ending on Wednesday. Exceptions will be granted only for legitimate religious and medical reasons, the letter said.
“I urge that undergraduates reserve their times as soon as possible to assist the vaccination process,” University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., wrote in the letter. “Any unfilled appointment times will be offered to other members of the Boston College community via email.”
Information Technology Services is building a reservation system for vaccine appointments that will be released over the weekend, the letter said. Undergraduate students will be given priority, but additional vaccines may become available for graduate and professional students, staff, and faculty in the future.
“This weekend all enrolled BC undergraduates will be sent a link via email to a reservation system to book their appointments, which will be on a first-come, first-served basis,” Leahy wrote. “They will also receive a consent form, which will include a request for individual or parental medical insurance information. This document must be printed, completed, and presented at Conte Forum.”
Corresponding second doses will be provided on May 17, 18, and 19 for those still on campus or who live within driving distance, the letter said.
“Students who will already be at home can obtain their second Pfizer dose at a Walgreens or CVS Pharmacy, or through their state and local vaccination sites,” Leahy wrote.
The announcement comes in the wake of a number of schools in Massachusetts—including Boston University, Northeastern University, and Emerson College—requiring the COVID-19 vaccine for their students for the 2021-22 academic year.
Other schools, such as the University of Notre Dame, have already begun vaccinating their students this semester. With 90 percent of its students now vaccinated, Notre Dame announced that it will begin lifting some COVID-19 restrictions Wednesday.
“The months since COVID-19 surfaced more than a year ago have been challenging, but our campus community has responded with generosity, commitment, and grace,” Leahy wrote in the letter. “I ask that we continue to help and care for one another as the spring semester comes to an end and planning for another academic year moves forward.”
Featured Graphic by Eamon Laughlin / Heights Editor
