Two months after announcing it will require students to be vaccinated against COVID-19, Marquette University said more than 85% of students enrolled for the fall have submitted proof of vaccination.
University officials said that means the campus has effectively reached “scientifically accepted” heard immunity for its student population.
Marquette announced in early June it would be mandating all students – including undergraduate, graduate and professional – enrolled for the 2021-’22 academic year be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Aug. 1.
While Marquette has exceeded what most experts consider the herd immunity threshold – it’s typically estimated to be around 70-80% – the university said students who are still not compliant with the requirement will receive phone calls this week.
The university said the majority of faculty and staff have voluntarily submitted their proof of vaccination, and there will be incentives and giveaways throughout the month for faculty and staff who submit or have submitted their proof of vaccination.
Students are allowed to request an exemption for medical, religious or personal conviction reasons. Exempted students will be required to be tested for COVID regularly and complete a daily symptom screening process.
Marquette is among a few college campuses in the state to require COVID vaccinations for students and instructors this fall. Carthage College in Kenosha also announced its mandate in June and gave students, faculty and staff until Sept. 15 to submit proof of their COVID vaccination.
The University of Wisconsin System is moving forward with the fall semester without a vaccination requirement.
Last week, UW-Milwaukee announced that students, employees and visitors will be required to wear masks indoors beginning Wednesday. Unvaccinated UWM faculty, students and staff who are not online will also be required to test weekly.
