Student Reactions to the Vaccine Mandate

By: Alex Barfield, Promotions Director

November 9, 2021

UNIVERSITY, Miss. -- Controversy has followed the announcement that the University of Mississippi would require all employees to be vaccinated. 


Some student workers on campus are supportive of the mandate. 


Jamie Anderson, a student employee at the library on campus, said, “Just knowing that everyone is vaccinated and everyone is fully up to date, that makes me feel safer.” 


“I agree because it makes our campus community safer,” said Zuri Dixon, a student employee at the Student Union. “It gives us an opportunity to push forward, so we can get rid of the masks and just come back to some kind of normalcy.”


However, Ole Miss student Samuel Money disagrees. “I feel like just because you’re an employee of the University doesn’t mean you should be vaccinated.” 


Last week, protestors gathered on campusto oppose the mandate. The crowd contained students, professors, and other community members. 


Chancellor Glenn Boyce sent an update earlier this week on the deadline for employees to be vaccinated. Previously, employees needed to be two weeks from their last shot date by December 8. Now, unvaccinated employees will be given until January 4 to have both shots of the two dose vaccine, or one shot of the single dose vaccine.

This story was originally reported by NewsWatch correspondent Olivia Wright.