As Ohio s colleges and universities were hustling to get COVID-19 vaccines in students arms this spring, Ohio Wesleyan University President Rock Jones made an announcement about fall semester: Students would be required be get vaccinated to return to campus.
Jones announcement came in early March, but the Delaware private liberal arts university quickly changed course after some questioned the decision to require the vaccines if they re still under emergency use authorization. OWU briefly changed its plans to strongly encourage COVID-19 vaccinations and only require them once they were fully FDA approved.
Now, three months after its last change, OWU is back to its original plan. Students will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 for fall semester and provide proof of vaccination before July 23.
By Cole Hatcher
DELAWARE, Ohio – In nominating Grace Ison for a Charles J. Ping Student Service Award, Ohio Wesleyan University President Rock Jones, Ph.D., praised the sophomore as a “shining example of all that is best about this new generation.”
Ison, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is one of 12 students across the state being honored with a 2021 Ping Award, presented by the Ohio Campus Compact “to recognize and honor undergraduate students for their outstanding leadership and contributions to community service or service-learning on their campus and within their community.”
Of Ison and her work, President Jones said: “Grace is the ultimate example of the coming together of service and leadership in a way that is meaningful and productive, and evidence of her work abounds on our campus and within our community. … Grace has changed the service landscape at Ohio Wesleyan. Her deep passion, her vision, and her sustained commitment are a shining example of all that is b