Students and faculty who interact with facilities or activities on any campuses within the California State University System will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by September 30.
Tuesday's announcement about CSU's vaccine mandate for the upcoming year made a Cal Poly student feel better about returning to campus.
"I agree with the mandate because of the new Delta variant that's going around and other mutations that are caused by unvaccinated individuals because I feel like, as a student, it's our job to care for the greater good," said Cal Poly student Sophie Martyrossian.
Though Martyrossian thinks vaccines are important for the Cal Poly community, she says there should be exemptions for those with conflicting religious beliefs or health problems.
Cal Poly students received an email on Tuesday from the Office of the President saying that medical and religious exemptions to the vaccine remain available.
The email states the policy will go into effect whether the FDA recommends the vaccines for all uses or continues with the current emergency-use authorizations, which has some students feeling hesitant.
"I know it was granted emergency use... I kind of disagree with how they're rushing it. I think that they should wait to make sure that it has passed all requirements so that we know it's completely safe for us students. Yeah, that's my opinion on it," said Cal Poly student Ryan Adams.
"The vaccine mandate seems a little... I'm a little... in between on whether or not that's a great decision because I think the original move was to wait until the FDA had completely accepted it and not just having the emergency approval," said Cal Poly student Scott Wright.
Ultimately, Wright decided to get vaccinated in hopes of returning to campus.
"So I am a little bit in between on that but I am also fully vaccinated and I'm going to do what it takes to get back on campus because I think it's important," said Wright.
Incoming Cal Poly student Havianna Hornish says she thinks the mandate is a good thing that could have a positive impact on the community.
Hornish was diagnosed with leukemia when she was 6-years-old and spent six months in the hospital. She is now in remission and entering her first year of college at Cal Poly.
"I had cancer when I was little, so I mean, I understand people in the medical field, they know what they're doing, so I think it's important that everyone just kind of listens to health professionals because, I mean, had to listen to a lot of health professionals for my whole life," Hornish said.
She's thankful science has gotten her this far.
Cal Poly tells students and staff that more details about the revised vaccine policy will be emailed to them in the upcoming days.
Students and faculty can arrange for vaccinations on campus through a Rite-Aid pop-up clinic. For a complete list of times and more information, head to Cal Poly's COVID-19 vaccine page.