Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, June 23, 2022, Image 9

Portland observer., June 23, 2022, Page 9, Image 9

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Newspaper Page TextJune 23, 2021 CAREERS Special Edition Page 9 Portland Community College’s Cascade campus in north Portland, like the entire PCC educational system, won’t require students and staff to be vaccinat- ed for COVID this fall. PCC Won’t Require Vaccinations College doesn’t want new barrier to enrollment Portland Community Col- lege announced Monday that it will not require students or em- ployees to be vaccinated for the coronavirus as a condition of employment or enrollment this fall term, a reversal of what’s happening at Oregon’s four- year public colleges. This decision was recom- mended unanimously by PCC’s COVID-19 Opening Leader- ship Team and approved by the College President Mark Mitsui. Officials said because vac- cination access and hesitancy looks different across racial lines, vaccination requirements create a barrier to educational access that will disproportion- ately impact Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). This would not reflect PCC’s institutional values of equity, inclusion and belonging. In addition, based on sur- veys, vaccination rates for PCC employee and student commu- nities far exceed 70%, the vac- cination target rate set by Gov. Kate Brown. Acknowledging the vaccina- tion rate will never be 100%, PCC pointed to Oregon law that allows individuals to re- quest exemption from vaccina- tion requirements for personal, religious, or medical reasons. As such, some members of the college’s community would not be vaccinated, even if it were re- quired, officials said. “While many public univer- sities are requiring vaccina- tion, no community colleges in Oregon are requiring vacci- nation of all students, and few community colleges across the country are making vaccination a requirement for enrollment. This trend is aligned with the open access mission of com- munity colleges, a value that is core to PCC,” a statement from the college said. Officials said as the state moves closer to meeting the Governor’s vaccination goal of 70% of eligible Oregonians receiving their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, it’s likely many of PCC’s pandemic ad- ministrative rules and health and safety guidelines could change. For the latest on PCC’s health and safety protocols, as well as reopening plans, visit pcc.edu/ coronavirus/.