As ETSU prepares to head back to in-person classes for the first time since March 2020, President Brian Noland emphasized the importance of vaccination and measures put in place to keep campus safe.
“We as an institution are pleading, begging, imploring students to get vaccinated,” said Noland.
ETSU announced an indoor-only mask mandate Aug. 4 for all students and staff, no matter their vaccination status. The mandate spurred from recent COVID-19 spikes in the region and the increasing spread of the delta variant.
“ETSU was the first (state) public university to send out a statement regarding mask mandates following the delta variant,” Noland said. “We can’t ask people enough to make the sacrifices we need to make to keep people safe.”
Noland asked the student body to put “politics and hysteria” aside in order to protect everyone on campus. When asked about the possibility of returning to remote learning in the event of an outbreak, he stated that the protocol of masks and vaccines will aid in having a normal school year. Additionally, he said that the mask mandate could be lifted before the end of the fall semester if students take the appropriate precautions and we see a decrease in COVID-19 cases.
“Everyone will always have differing views about things, but if putting on a mask helps keep people safe, put on a mask,” said Noland. “We put seatbelts on to keep other people safe.”
Noland said that the key to a successful semester is getting students vaccinated. ETSU Health began running a vaccine clinic in April 2021, administered the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines throughout the summer during new student orientations and will continue to do so throughout the school year.
In hopes of keeping the pandemic at bay, Noland announced the “ETSU Vaccine Challenge” on Aug. 12 via email, a campaign including a series of drawings and raffles created to encourage students and faculty to get vaccinated. Door prizes include scholarships, ID Bucs, t-shirts, a tailgate tent and a designated parking space on campus. The challenge will run from Aug. 20 to Oct. 8, and participants can sign up at etsu.edu/vaccinechallenge.
“We drive the speed limit, we put on seatbelts, we do things in the greater public good. This is not a time to point fingers at each other; it is a time to break down barriers,” said Noland. “This is a university with a culture of helping one another. This is an institution built on people. This isn’t a time to push people apart; it is a time to bring people together, rally around each other and keep each other safe.”
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