The Chronicle of Higher Education
by Oyin Adedoyin
August 9, 2021
Rather than offering a reward for students to get vaccinated, one college in West Virginia will charge a $750 fee to those who don’t.
West Virginia Wesleyan College announced last week that students who do not submit proof of vaccination or are not vaccinated will be charged a nonrefundable $750 fee for the fall-2021 semester. Students have until September 7 to provide proof of full or partial vaccination.
This is a sharp contrast to other methods that colleges have used to encourage students to get vaccinated. Some have offered monetary rewards and lifestyle-related incentives.
At West Virginia University, the administration promised that if the campus was 75-percent vaccinated, then many of its programs would run at full capacity and homecoming would be in person. Administrators at Nova Southeastern University, in Florida, said that if 80 percent of students reported being vaccinated, they’d increase in-person class capacity and allow for dining on campus, The Chronicle reported.
West Virginia Wesleyan College is not mandating the Covid-19 vaccine, but, according to its updated protocols, “Students, faculty, and staff who have been fully vaccinated are able to return to normal on-campus activity, may go maskless, and take the personal public-health precautions they choose.”