Opinion: Ga. should do more to protect health at public universities

So why won’t he take a stand on vaccinations and masking for Georgia’s universities? Other states have.

The University of Virginia established a vaccine mandate policy for the 2021 academic year and 97% of its students complied. To enforce it, last month the university disenrolled 238 students for disregarding the mandate.

Any rational person would think that is balanced and makes sense. Students don’t have to get vaccinated. But you don’t have to allow them to matriculate either. It’s their freedom of choice.

It should be noted that Virginia’s governor is a physician. He strongly supports vaccinations and mask requirements.

Credit: contributed

Credit: contributed

When you look at Georgia’s situation objectively, it is surprising that the University of Georgia (UGA) is not requiring students, faculty and staff to wear masks and be vaccinated. Instead, UGA is encouraging getting shots and wearing masks by offering financial incentives. The lack of a mandate is especially concerning given that UGA prides itself as a top-ranked research university with a top-ranked college of public health and a medical program with Augusta University Medical College.

But UGA’s decisions are not being based on science. They are being based on politics.

Gov. Kemp’s opposition to mask or vaccine mandates has left few options for controlling COVID infection on Georgia’s public university campuses, contrary to his past statements about protecting the innocent and vulnerable.

The University System of Georgia (USG) Board of Regents, made up of members appointed by the governor, hires and fires the USG chancellor and all 26 USG university presidents. UGA president Jere Morehead is one of those presidents. The dean of the College of Public Health reports to Dr. Morehead, as does the UGA vice president of research. This organizational structure makes it difficult for academic leaders of USG to make objective decisions based on science, rather than internal political considerations.

However, it is clear to the citizens of Georgia that the number-one responsibility of USG leadership is protecting the students, faculty and staff of all of its universities. The COVID pandemic is a public health crisis responsible for already killing more than 650,000 innocent, vulnerable souls in the U.S. alone.

Chapters of the United Campus Workers of Georgia have been protesting at UGA and Georgia State University regarding the lack of action in establishing vaccine and masking requirements. University staff, including professors, have resigned rather than endanger their health.

We are at a crisis point. If the USG is able to mandate no smoking in USG buildings for health reasons, then surely it can mandate masking and vaccination requirements in those buildings.

What is lacking is the political will to go up against a governor who has decided to pander to the fringe minority in the GOP base at the expense of the rest of us.

Jack Bernard was the first director of health planning for Georgia. A Republican, he’s a former chairman of the Jasper County Commission.