Petition urges KU to require COVID vaccine for students, faculty returning to campus

A University of Kansas student has created a petition urging KU to require students and faculty to get the COVID-19 vaccine before they return to campus in August.

If not a vaccine requirement, the petition created by Sophie Kunin calls for a mask mandate or the option to take classes online.

“Currently, hundreds of public universities and private colleges in the United States are requiring Covid-19 vaccinations before the fall semester; yet, KU has remained silent,” according to the petition, which had been signed more than 450 times by Wednesday.

KU spokeswoman Erinn Barcomb-Peterson said Kansas law limits the university’s ability to require vaccinations or proof of them, but that it is requiring students living on campus to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination or to participate in entry testing.

The university, she added, has had “zero known transmissions of COVID-19 within any of our classrooms or research spaces,” which she called a “testament to the health and safety measures we implemented and the diligence of our faculty, staff and students.”

In May, Chancellor Douglas Girod and Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer began strongly encouraging people to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

“In the meantime, KU will continue to do everything possible to encourage vaccination and make it as convenient as possible for Jayhawks to get vaccinated,” they said at the time. “This will include student-specific efforts as we approach the fall semester.”

In an interview with KMBC-TV, the student who created the petition said she was concerned about unvaccinated students spreading the virus. She said the petition was about the safety of everyone in the city.

“Lawrence, it is not just where KU is — it is a big community,” Kunin told the television station. “And I worry for the faculty who have lived there with their families, their children who can’t get vaccinated because they aren’t old enough.”

To date, more than 320,000 people have been infected with the virus and 5,198 have died across Kansas, according to state data. That includes more than 9,000 infections and 85 deaths to date in Douglas County, where KU is located.

The state’s monthly positive test rate was 7.6%.

This story was originally published July 21, 2021 at 10:59 AM with the headline "Petition urges KU to require COVID vaccine for students, faculty returning to campus."

Luke Nozicka

The Kansas City Star

816-234-4104

Luke Nozicka was a member of The Kansas City Star’s investigative team until 2023. He covered criminal justice issues in Missouri and Kansas.