By Collin Carpenter

As of now OCCC students are not required to get vaccinated before returning to in-person classes for this upcoming fall semester and there has been no official comment from administrators about the issue.

However, OCCC students are already discussing among themselves if mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations should be required before they are able to return to in in-person classes.

Oklahoma alone has lost over 4,000 people since last march and over 400,000 U.S. citizens have contracted the virus. It has changed the way Oklahomans live every day.

During these past couple of months the few different COVID-19 vaccine options have been released in short bursts and citizens are slowly getting vaccinated, but people are still very worried– including students who are debating coming back to on-campus classes. 

Some students are concerned about returning to in person classes this upcoming fall because of COVID, but Clancy Tresemer, a diversified studies major at OCCC said, “I personally believe that students should not be required to get the COVID shot in order to return.”

He said his main concern about a requirement to be vaccinated is the coercive nature of such a mandate.

“I agree that the school should be worried about the health of students, but forcing a medical procedure is not the right direction,” Tresemer said.

Tresemer is not alone in her thoughts. Many think that because COVID often is not very severe for college-aged students that they should not be required to receive the vaccine, because they are more likely to recover easily.

But some students think differently.

“I think that students should be required to get vaccinated before returning to in-person classes this fall,” Isabel Eldridges said.

“We will be in the classroom everyday and we all are working jobs at the same time. Most people are not as exposed as us so I think it should be mandatory,” Eldridges said.

Tresemer also said she supports the vaccine and wants people to get their shots. She just does not believe that it should be a requirement for anyone, whether they are students or not.

“I also understand that COVID is a big problem and everyone should be encouraged to get it [the vaccine], but it is unethical to force anyone to get a medical procedure that they might have a reaction to depending on their DNA or medical condition.”