Los Rios District announced the vaccine requirement had been lifted for students and staff beginning on Nov. 14, according to the Cosumnes River College website.
Faculty at CRC expressed their opinions over the vaccine requirement being lifted.
“I feel like I am ready to restart and to that degree I get it,” said Photography Professor Patty Felkner. “I would hope that the people who didn’t come back because they weren’t vaccinated would feel like they were welcomed back on campus.”
Felkner said she advocates for people to get vaccinated and understands that there are people that have multiple reasons as to why they can’t get vaccinated.
“I just think that we need to be better to each other, kinder to each other and just more patient with each other’s beliefs,” Felkner said.
Felkner expressed that she thinks education is forever changed and that going forward people are always going to want to have options.
Engineering Professor Eric Anderson said that he thinks it was a good idea to impose the mandate in the first place and that it makes sense for it to be lifted now.
“Unfortunately, it seems like COVID is here to stay and I think we are past the point where it’s a crisis threatening to overwhelm our healthcare system” Anderson said.
Anderson also said he understands the people who are still concerned, but that there is no better time to return to normal than now.
“I still think it’s a really good idea to get vaccinated even if it’s not required to be on campus,” Anderson said. “One thing that I have learned from COVID is to pay more attention to when you are feeling sick and just stay home”
College Nurse Michelle Barkley said she has no opinion on the vaccine mandate being lifted.
“My hope is that through the people, through doing their research with critical sources that they make the effort to get the vaccine,” Barkley said. “Just encourage people to do the research and make that decision.”
Barkley also said precautions such as good handwashing, masks and social-distancing will still be done.
“I know that there are people that aren’t happy about the mandate and I know people that are very happy about the lifting of the mandate,” Barkley said.
Barkley said that everyday is still a learning day for COVID-19 because it is still fairly new and that unfortunately it is here to stay.
Librarian Robert Hoile said that the vaccine mandate being lifted is a positive thing for the library and the students.
. “When we found out that the vaccine mandate was going to be lifted we were able to kind of open our doors to how the library used to be pre-COVID.” Hoile said.
Hoile said he thinks that opening up the doors more has been helpful with easing the stress of having students wait in line or creating an extra barrier for the place on campus that is supposed to be welcoming.
“We actually haven’t discussed any additional precautions as now the library is also open to the public aside from suggesting that people wear masks, but not requiring it,” Hoile said.
There are additional risks when it comes to opening up the library fully, but they have set up training moving forward to help the staff from troubling patrons Hoile said.
Photography Professor Kathryn Mayo said she has mixed feelings about the vaccine mandate being lifted.
“I do respect the board’s decision and I know they must have made it with a lot of thought and consultation,” Mayo said. “I am curious to know what my students think and will be asking them in class about it.”
Mayo said that in the past she felt more comfortable being around students in a classroom because they are vaccinated or they had taken a COVID-19 test.
“I know that moving forward, our district will follow in line with the state and local health experts and hopefully we’ll have not only the student’s best interest in mind, but the faculty’s best interest in mind as well,” Mayo said.