DePaul endorses Covid-19 vaccine despite president’s claims it’s ‘not a priority’

Nadia Carolina Hernandez, Former Editor in Chief|January 22, 2021

AP

FILE – In this Jan. 7, 2021, file photo syringes containing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine sit in a tray in a vaccination room at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, Calif. Taking a new direction to speed release of coronavirus vaccines, President-elect Joe Biden’s office said Friday he would end the current practice of holding back vaccine doses to guarantee that people who get their first shot can also get a required second inoculation three weeks later. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

DePaul has encouraged students to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, despite President A. Gabriel Esteban saying vaccinations are not a priority when returning to campus.

In a Jan. 14 Faculty Council meeting, President Esteban said that vaccinations are “not such a big issue” for faculty. 

Esteban also said there was no plan to “force” students to receive vaccinations. 

Despite Esteban’s comments, Newsline published an article saying that receiving the Covid-19 vaccine is key to the Vincentian mission. 

“DePaul encourages all faculty, staff and students to get vaccinated when it is their turn,” the article reads. “By getting vaccinated, you will put our Vincentian mission into practice by living in service of the common good.”

Eugene Zdziarski, the vice president of student affairs, said DePaul will rely on state and federal institutions to distribute the vaccine. 

“​DePaul is working closely with the city to learn when we can begin helping our students, faculty and staff access the vaccine,” he said in the article. “To prepare for a time when we can help people access the vaccine, the university will reach out to faculty, staff and students soon with more education and to gauge their interest in receiving it.”

However, DePaul will only provide resources to students to learn more about receiving the vaccine in the hopes of getting students to take it.

As DePaul plans to return to in-person classes by fall quarter, no comprehensive plan has been made as to whether DePaul will require the vaccine to return to campus.