OR community college waives vaccine requirement, citing diversity and equity
Portland Community College will not enforce COVID-19 vaccinations because it would 'disproportionately impact Black, Indigenous and People of Color.'
This policy goes against the trend of universities requiring the vaccine for the fall semester.
Portland Community College has announced that it will not require faculty nor students to the vaccine to attend the fall semester.
The college attributed its decision to varied access to vaccines between racial groups.
“Vaccination requirements create a barrier to educational access that will disproportionately impact Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). This would not reflect PCC’s institutional values of equity, inclusion and belonging,” read the statement.
This policy puts Portland Community College in stark contrast to other other schools that do have requirements in place for the fall semester.
The statement further clarified that none of the community colleges in Oregon have such restrictions on attendance, which the school argues is “aligned with the open access mission of community colleges, a value that is core to PCC.”
The decision was made unanimously by the college’s COVID-19 Opening Leadership Team, which was then approved by College President Mark Mitsui.
Campus Reform reached out to Portland Community College for comment; this article will be updated accordingly.
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