Hello Xavier Nation,

We, the current students of Xavier University, demand that our institution require all students who are able to receive an immunization vaccine against COVID-19 have it administered to them if they wish to remain a member of our community. Doing so will allow us protect one another and those around us, hinder the spread of the virus and its variants, and allow us and future classes to live a normal college experience. 

Xavier University is centered around the idea of "cura personalis", or care for others, as well as ourselves. This principle is reflected in our university's "pillars", in our school pledge, and in our motto. Truly, there is no better way to exemplify this ideal than to receive an immunization against COVID-19. Obtaining a COVID-19 vaccine provides you with an invisible armor that spares you from harm against this debilitating disease, and from becoming an incubator for the illness to mutate. Building defense against COVID through the vaccine also allows you to protect those who cannot accept an immunization due to medical reasons, saving lives and preventing further fatalities from this plague. It is our duty as Xavier Musketeers to look out for ourselves and others, so we must oblige this duty and display our fellowship by getting vaccinated to protect ourselves and those around us. 

Two years ago, we were forced to be sent home and resume our school life on computers. Everything from classes to club meetings took place in front of a screen, with no real way for us to connect with one another or get to know in our peers in ways learning in person would. Last year, we were allowed to return to campus, but it was not the Xavier we all knew and loved - events being drastically altered or cancelled, many students being forced to quarantine, meeting our friends in the dining hall or other places on campus becoming very challenging, and viewing basketball games without being in the student section of the Cintas Center were among the many challenges we faced during the 2020-2021 school year. Now that the vaccines have arrived, we have the chance to make Xavier the fun, friendly, social place it was prior to the pandemic. But unless we all do our part and get the COVID shot, this will not happen, and we will have to endure yet another semester of mediocrity. 

The time has come for us to fight back against this invisible enemy that has tormented us for so long, and reclaim the parts of our lives that we lost! We cannot continue listening to flagrant misinformation and blatant lies that tell us not to get vaccinated and to continue putting our lives and the lives of the vulnerable around us in peril. Vaccine mandates must be enforced, for the good of ourselves, those around us, and our futures. To quote the Xavier motto, "All for one, and one for all."

Sincerely,

Lindsey Insco, Maddie Schramm, and Sami Poole