The $5.4 billion Rutgers budget is heavily subsidized by New Jersey taxpayers.
One state legislator says the university system’s multi-million dollar state aid package should be on the chopping block if it persists in maintaining its vaccine mandate which has been in place since March 2021.
“All students must present evidence of COVID-19 immunization,” the Rutgers policy explains. “Evidence of immunization must be uploaded to the Rutgers Immunization Portal as soon as the series is completed and no later than the beginning of the first semester or session for which the student is enrolled for classes or such earlier time as the University may direct.”
Since the policy was enacted, it’s been established that the Covid-19 vaccine doesn’t prevent transmission and therefore makes little sense as a mandate for college kids who have a close-to-nonexistent chance of serious complications from the virus.
“It is difficult to put into words just how absurd and irrational the vaccination policy is at Rutgers University,” said state Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-13). “The 2024-2025 semester is just around the corner and the administrators at Rutgers still insist that all students, faculty, and staff receive the COVID-19 vaccine—a policy that has no basis in science whatsoever. In fact, the entire policy is anti-science.”
“Unlike many other colleges and universities throughout the state, Rutgers seems incapable of understanding that the public health emergency is over, and has been over since last May,” O’Scanlon continued. “Until Rutgers lifts the mandate, I’m calling for a cut in funding. And, students who are thinking about going to Rutgers, but are not going due to the vaccine mandate, should be able to apply for school aid to use at whatever institution they want.”
Kean University, Princeton University, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Seton Hall University, and The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) have all since ditched their own policies.
