- I definitely think that it's gonna become

one of those things that just happens at universities

of submitting your vaccination record.

- I know of a lot of people

who've stayed home for first and second semester,

but I think a lot of them

are planning to come to campus in the fall.

- [Narrator] A growing number of colleges around the country

will require students get vaccinated

before returning to campus in the fall.

- That means a lot more in-person events,

in person activities and classes.

Of course masks and social distancing

may still be a part of campus life,

but certainly more classes will be happening

inside the class than they have this year.

- [Narrator] But the mandates are stirring up controversy

about the legality, and whether colleges

can make vaccinations a condition of attendance.

Will the requirements help campus

return to some semblance of normal in the fall?

Or will there be legal setbacks?

(light upbeat music)

For Northeastern, a private university in Boston,

the school says herd immunity is the best path

to return its 18,000 undergraduates

to fully in-person classes.

- The magic of an undergraduate degree

is that you're close to your friends

and you're close to your classmates and you learn together.

But that same thing that makes it so rich and interesting

does allow the virus to spread.

- [Narrator] Northeastern Administrator, Michael Armini,

believes the school is on solid legal ground

with the requirements.

- So we're gonna require the COVID-19 vaccine

for the same reason

that we have always required vaccinations of students,

whether it's for measles or mumps or meningitis,

and it's to keep the community safe.

- [Narrator] Northeastern reopened last fall,

but with frequent COVID testing,

social distancing protocols, and limited in-person classes.

- You never know if someone has coronavirus.

So it's just that whole issue of I want to meet new people.

I want to get into my new college environment.

But is it safe to do so yet?

I'd say that was the biggest stressor

of going to college this year,

which was definitely unique for our class.

- [Narrator] Cole Clericuzio is a freshmen,

and says his experience has been anything but normal.

He works part time as an EMT,

treating COVID patients up close.

So he jumped at the opportunity to get vaccinated.

- Definitely when I saw that I had an opportunity

to get an appointment, and I took the first available.

There was no question in my mind.

- [Narrator] He's even been volunteering

to help get people vaccinated,

and appeared in the school produced PSA.

- If I could carry vaccines with me,

I'd just walk around giving them to people.

It's that easy.

- [Narrator] Like many of the other schools

mandating the vaccine, Northeastern says it will allow

for medical and religious exemptions.

But Armini says that making this announcement early

will allow vaccine hesitant students to make other plans

because they won't be allowed on campus.

- I mean, we hope it doesn't come to that.

We hope that over the summer

anyone who may have some vaccine hesitancy,

that that sort of dissipates over time.

One thing that we always find with students

is that peer to peer is very powerful.

So if their friends are being vaccinated

and they're enthusiastic about it, that helps a lot.

- [Narrator] Other colleges are hoping

they can reach herd immunity without a mandate.

Texas A&M and Virginia Tech

believe the requirements conflict with federal law

because the FDA has only allowed

the emergency use of the vaccines.

- I think a lot of it's just becoming

very politically charged,

this debate around vaccine passports.

By getting a vaccine you're allowed to do certain things,

and by not getting it you're left out of those things.

So places like Florida, Arizona, Texas,

Utah specifically says that public higher ed institutions

are not allowed to require vaccination of students,

faculty and staff in order to be on campus.

- [Narrator] The country's largest university systems,

the University of California

and California State University,

recently announced they intend to require vaccinations

for the more than a million students and faculty,

but say the timing of a more formal mandate

will depend on when the FDA gives full authorization

to one or more of the vaccines.

It could come before or after classes start.

Many schools aren't wasting any time.

They've launched vaccination blitzes

and public health campaigns

to get students immunized before they leave for the summer.

- Protecting the path, we're all getting tested regularly,

making sure to fill out our daily wellness checks.

- [Narrator] Last week Cornell University

in Ithaca, New York held a pop-up vaccination event

on campus that provided Moderna shots to students.

The school says that nearly 50%

of the current on-campus population is already vaccinated.

Senior Jade Ovadia says she's relieved

to see more and more of her classmates vaccinated.

- So I'm fully vaccinated,

as are many of the Cornell students.

Everybody is very eager to get vaccinated.

You know college life,

you only get to have it really once in your life.

And COVID-19 kinda interrupted that for us.

And these are years that we don't really get back.

So I think we're all just really eager and willing

to take whatever actions that will help us

be able to return back to that experience.

(light upbeat music)