Dear President Jacobsen, 

As alumni and alumnae, we are disappointed to hear that Hobart and William Smith Colleges have decided not to have a COVID-19 vaccine mandate on campus for students and employees. In a time when the Delta variant is spreading in local communities and around the world, HWS's decision to not have a vaccine mandate is against the overwhelming consensus among other colleges and universities nationwide that a vaccine mandate is the most effective way to achieve a high level of community immunity against the virus. It is also against the American College Health Association's guidelines on reopening for Fall 2021. Most importantly, we are dismayed by how the decision will put our beloved community of students, faculty, staff, and the local Geneva community in unnecessary danger and stress. 

We, the undersigned, demand the HWS administration instate a COVID-19 vaccine mandate effective immediately to ensure that our alma mater is doing its part to curb the spread of COVID-19 and protect the most vulnerable members of its community. 

In a time when Hobart College is celebrating its bicentennial, we ask the HWS administration to honor the colleges' history of being a socially responsible institution and to recognize it as the source of pride behind our continued support for the colleges' mission--to lead lives of consequence. Therefore, our demand must be met. 

Yours respectfully,

Concerned Alumni/ae of Hobart and William Smith Colleges

August 16, 2021

(We encourage alumni/ae to use the "comment" function below to indicate your name, class year, and let the admin know the reasons why you support this petition.)