As most of us in our community have heard by now, the Nevada Board of Health unanimously voted to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for all college students throughout the state. It is required of all students at the University of Nevada, Reno to be fully vaccinated by November 1st, 2021 before students can enroll in the Spring 2022 semester. This means that some current students who have not been vaccinated yet are left with an ultimatum, either be forced into making a health decision they do not feel comfortable with or drop out of school. This decision ultimately hinders the development of our education and leaves us at risk to an uncertain future.

Forcing vaccination against a virus with an approximately 98% recovery rate is against our individual freedoms. Although this vaccine has been preached as safe, nobody is certain on the long term implications. We should not be academically penalized by being wary about our own wellbeing. Denying access to finish our education because of a personal health decision, as such, is discriminatory. With the majority of the student population being healthy 18 - 24 year olds, we are statistically not a high risk age group for major complications from the virus. If a student feels unsafe from COVID-19, they have access to the vaccine for their protection as we all know and support as their health decision.

Where is the support for our health decision?