One can argue whether Mississippi’s public universities should mandate that students or staff be vaccinated against COVID-19, as hundreds of colleges around the nation have done.
But first it needs to be determined who has the authority to impose such a mandate.
The university presidents and the state College Board that oversees them can’t agree.
The presidents say their hands are tied, that only the College Board can add more immunization requirements on top of what’s already in place.
Not so, according to the College Board, saying that the governing body has set only the minimum requirements and that the individual universities have the power to add to them.
It sounds as though neither one wants to be held responsible for saying yeah or nay on mandating COVID vaccination. Still, it’s a cop-out by the College Board to pass this hot potato back to the universities.
There should be one systemwide policy on vaccination. Like all systemwide policies, it’s the College Board’s responsibility to set it. The board should accept this duty and not try to shirk it.
- The Greenwood Commonwealth
