Students, staffers and parents protest Fordham University COVID vaccine mandate
NEW YORK -- A protest was held Friday at Fordham University over the school's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. All students and staff must be up to date on their boosters by Nov. 1 in order to be allowed on campus.
CBS2's Andrea Grymes has more on protesters' concerns and the school's response.
There were honks of support for the demonstrators standing outside the main entrance to the Bronx campus. Dozens of students, staffers and parents made their voices heard against the school's vaccine mandate.
"My body, my choice, freedom. This is America," staffer Virginia Ungaro said.
"I have read some reports about myocarditis and other side effects and it seems like there's a lot of conflicting data," senior Kyle Sofhauser said. "It should be an individual choice."
In the latest vaccination requirement, Fordham says, "All university faculty, students, and staff must be fully up to date as defined by the CDC as of Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022, which includes the updated bivalent booster."
The school posted a video this week on Facebook of its president, Tania Tetlow, receiving that shot.
"Right now, we're not sure what the winter holds, but this is a great way to have more protection against the new variant, to keep our community safe, particularly the most vulnerable in our community, and to keep being able to function," Tetlow said.
Political science professor Nicholas Tampio is just one staffer pushing back.
"For me, it's just, if the vaccine doesn't stop transmission, there's no justification to mandate it for other people," Tampio said.
Reaction from students outside the protest was mixed.
"It doesn't bother me so much because I've already gotten the booster," junior Reed Maruyama said.
"Anything that will keep the school open is good for me," junior Tatum Allen said.
"I'm putting more stuff into my body because I want to continue my education. I don't think that's a good combination," senior Omayra Henriquez added.
Fordham denied CBS2's request for an on-camera interview. Instead, it sent us a long statement, arguing the shots are safe and do reduce transmission, that the school has a well-established exemption process, and noting more than 20 colleges and universities have mandated the bivalent booster, including Harvard and Tufts.