The Article below was published in Vol. 136, Issue 8 of the Lake Forest College Stentor on April 30, 2021.
Emma Overton ’21
Editor-in-Chief and News Editor
On April 20, Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students Andrea Conner notified the campus community via email that the College would revert from Phase 3 of the “Lake Forest College Plan for Spring 2021 Semester in Response to Coronavirus” (referred to as “the Plan”), which allowed students to “utilize residence hall lounges, fraternity and sorority lounges, and organization lounges” and reserve space on campus for small in-person meetups, according to Conner’s March 25 email, back to Phase 2 of the Plan. In announcing the return to Phase 2, Conner shared that there were eight students in isolation and 42 in quarantine. Under the requirements of Phase 2, students are not allowed to gather in “residence hall lounges, student organization lounges, or fraternity/sorority lounges,” and “the only events that are permitted must be outside,” according to Conner’s April 20 email.
Speaking with Stentor staff, Conner noted that the return to Phase 2 was the result of “a series of social gatherings on Saturday, April 17 led to the transmission of the COVID-19 virus in such a way that we experienced a notable and worrisome uptick in COVID cases the following week.” While she did not provide an exact timeline for the duration of Phase 2, Conner stated that the College “anticipate[s] the possibility of moving forward (or backward) in direct response to conditions on campus.”
Regarding the planned in-person graduation ceremonies next month, Conner stated that while Phase 2 will not affect graduation, she cautioned, “if we have to revert backwards again, though, we jeopardize the ability to bring guests to our campus.”
Additionally, while several other colleges and universities across the country, including Western Illinois University, Illinois State University, the University of Chicago, Cornell University, Brandeis University, and Swarthmore College have held on-campus vaccination clinics, Lake Forest College has yet to host an on-campus clinic. Conner shared that the College is “still looking to offer a more convenient clinic for residential and local students,” and emphasized that the College has encouraged students “to register at AllVax https://allvax.lakecohealth.org/s/ and local pharmacies (Walgreens, CVS, Jewel Osco) to seek vaccines.” She further noted that “vaccine finders like this one https://vaccinefinder.org/ and https://www.vaccinespotter.org/IL/ show lots of availability in our area…[t]he availability of vaccines in Lake County has increased dramatically and many locations are offering open appointments and walk-in options.”
As of press time, Conner shared that the College has not made a final decision regarding a vaccine requirement for students, faculty, and staff in order to return to campus next fall, but commented that the vaccine “is likely to be required for Fall 2021.” Many other colleges and universities have already announced a vaccine requirement, and in Illinois, Columbia College Chicago, DePaul University, and Loyola University Chicago have all announced a requirement, according to University Business. However, University Business also reports that some of the institutions are “only requiring that students who are living on campus receive COVID vaccines,” and that many schools “are accepting religious and medical exemptions.” Conner noted that if Lake Forest College institutes a vaccine requirement, the College “will likely offer students the chance to request exemptions for medical and religious reasons as we do with other vaccination requirements.”
First-year student Becca Ray ’24, who is living on-campus this semester, shared that she has received the vaccine and “got my second shot last weekend.” When asked about her thoughts on a potential vaccine requirement at Lake Forest College, Ray said, “I think it would be important for the [C]ollege to require vaccinations before coming back next fall, but I also think there needs to be ways to deal with situations where students [and/or] faculty can not get vaccinated for medical or other reasons.” Fellow first-year Grace Greenly ’24 agreed, noting that she is vaccinated and thinks “people should try and get vaccinated for next year.” Further, Junior Sydney Johnson ’22, who is learning remotely from Arizona, also shared that she is vaccinated, and thinks “it [is] definitely fair for the College to require proof of a vaccine before returning to campus next fall, because they already require proof of other vaccines like meningitis.”
Additionally, Audrey Bailey ’22, who took a leave of absence during the spring 2021 semester but is planning on returning to campus in the fall, shared that she has been vaccinated. Regarding a potential vaccine requirement, Bailey stated, “I think it would be responsible for the school to require that students are vaccinated before returning to campus unless they have a medical justification for not receiving the vaccine. Not requiring students and faculty to get COVID vaccinations would put the community at risk and add more stress to students’ lives. We are required to get other vaccinations before coming to college, so this should be no different.”
Finally, looking ahead to the Fall 2021 semester, Conner shared that the College is “still working” on determining the mode of instruction, but noted that “our hope and intention is to offer a fully in-person, residential semester in Fall 2021.”
