If KU officials won’t take COVID seriously enough, this student will

As the delta variant of COVID-19 grows in strength, so do the fears of many students returning to college campuses.

One such student is Sophie Kunin, a Jayhawk entering her fourth year at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Kunin, a triple major who plans to attend law school upon graduation, recently came to the realization that rising case numbers resulting from the prominent delta variant and vaccine hesitancy could jeopardize the health and safety of around 25,000 students returning to campus this fall. When Kunin discovered the University of Kansas would not implement COVID-19 vaccine or mask mandates, she decided to write a petition in a bid to commit KU to a safe reopening.

Kunin began the Change.org petition to challenge the administration to mandate mask wearing for students and faculty who are unable to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination. The petition will stay in place until at least 70% of the KU population (faculty and students) are fully vaccinated. As of the most recent tally (from last April), university officials estimate that 63% of employees and 18% of students have been fully vaccinated. However, KU did not respond to The Kansas City Star’s recent request for an updated tally.

In addition, the petition states that the instituted measures would follow KU’s guidelines already in place for other university-required vaccinations, such as those for measles, mumps and rubella, saying: ““Students and Faculty may get documentation stating their health issue to opt out of wearing a mask and/or receiving COVID-19 vaccination. … Students without health conditions, who don’t receive the vaccine would only be enforced to wear masks until it is safe.””

While the University of Kansas will require COVID-19 testing from students who are unable to provide proof of vaccination, university officials have maintained that laws recently passed by the Kansas Legislature reduce their ability to mandate student and faculty vaccinations. However, this petition would follow local and national guidelines by advocating for a mask mandate for individuals who cannot provide proof of vaccination, rather than a vaccination mandate. Still, a federal judge in Indiana has recently upheld the University of Indiana’s vaccination requirements, indicating that there could be a similar precedent set in Kansas should a legal case play out.

Even though coronavirus cases in Kansas have declined in comparison with last summer, the rise of the delta variant suggests that the Sunflower State has entered a fourth wave. While this wave will likely be more muted than previous iterations, the unvaccinated are more at risk as society begins to open up again and mask-wearing declines. Currently, only 42% of Kansas’ population is fully vaccinated, falling far short of the estimated 50 to 90% needed to reach herd immunity. Still, the vaccines have shown promise, as the state of Kansas is currently experiencing only about one-tenth as many active cases as it did at this time last winter.

Aside from its efficacy, some questions still linger about the safety of the vaccine. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Selected Adverse Events Reported after COVID-19 Vaccination, a database that anyone can access to submit negative effects, a reported 6,079 individuals have died after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. While that number may seem large, keep in mind that the number is 6,079 out of 161 million fully vaccinated individuals. It is also worth noting that these individuals did not necessarily die from the COVID-19 vaccine — they simply died after receiving it, potentially because of preexisting health conditions. Even if every single reported individual had died from receiving the vaccine, a statistically improbable outcome, the total death rate would still only be .003776%, as compared to the COVID-19 death rate of 2.08% in the United States.

Since the petition has been published, it has garnered attention from Jayhawks who both support and oppose its measures. Hundreds of individuals have currently signed their support, but many others are against mandatory mask-wearing. Kunin recognizes this hesitancy and responds, saying: “It’s frustrating that receiving a potentially lifesaving vaccination during a global pandemic has become a political opinion rather than a safety precaution. I encourage those who are hesitant to consider the elderly and those with preexisting health conditions. Getting vaccinated and/or wearing a mask will help create a safe and welcoming learning environment in addition to a healthy Lawrence community.”

While the University of Kansas promotes the COVID-19 vaccination on its website, the administration has not yet released plans to enforce vaccinations or mask-wearing on campus next semester. Kunin wrote the petition to advocate for the public’s health, and asks for support by signing and sharing the petition, which can be found at bit.ly/KUMaskPetition

Matthew Garr is a psychology major and education minor at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.