President Keel strongly encourages all at AU to wear masks and get vaccinated

By Chris Woods | News editor

Augusta University President Brooks A. Keel in a town hall meeting on Thursday, Aug. 5, said that face coverings and vaccinations will not be required but “strongly encouraged,” a phrase heard consistently throughout his talk.

Despite being “not out of the woods yet” with COVID-19, Keel said AU still intends to be back to “business as usual” come Aug. 11 when fall 2021 classes start with staff and faculty returning to their respective spaces and students back in the classrooms.

“Masks and face coverings are not required on campus, in buildings or otherwise, and are not required regardless of vaccination status,” Keel said. “However, we are strongly encouraging everyone, including vaccinated individuals, to wear a mask or face covering while inside campus facilities.”

In addition to masks and face coverings being optional, vaccinations are currently not mandatory for students, staff or faculty, as well, but with some exceptions. Keel said that some students may be required to be vaccinated if it is a requirement of their respective program involvement. 

Students in medical training or traveling with Study Abroad, for example, may need a vaccine if required by their third-party training location.

Student athletes also should be aware that a vaccination may also be required to compete if mandated by their respective athletic conferences, according to Keel.

Masks are required at AU Health’s facilities. That mandate was put back in place in late July.

Keel also discussed protocols for COVID-19 exposure and dispelled some common vaccine myths.

For fully vaccinated individuals, who Keel defined as those “two weeks beyond the final shot,” it is recommended they get tested three to five days after exposure and wear a mask for up to 14 days if exposed to someone with COVID-19. Unvaccinated individuals, Keel said, should reference the Augusta University website and follow the established standard guidance.

Keel laid down strict guidance concerning vaccination status of students and said an “honor system” will be in place in which students cannot be asked if they are vaccinated nor can they be discriminated against based on the status or presumed status of students’ vaccinations.

“We are not allowed to and we’re not going to ask a person ‘are you vaccinated or not.’ We’re not going to segregate classrooms,” Keel said.

Additionally, vaccination status will not be a reason for alternative education arrangements nor can course modality be changed unless the instructor falls ill, according to Keel.

With COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations once again on the rise with increasing concerns of surrounding the delta and lambda variants, AU’s not-required-but-strongly-encouraged protocols have left some faculty and students wary and concerned. 

Dustin Avent-Holt, associate professor of sociology and director of the Center for Social Science Research, said he is “between disheartened and infuriated” given the university’s COVID-19 policies for the fall and finds it “shocking” that AU, as a leading medical institution, is not following basic medical and CDC protocols for fighting the pandemic.

“Encouraging doesn’t do the trick,” he said. “There should be a requirement, at least for masks. Some people are not able to be vaccinated, like those immunocompromised. Masks are a basic measure to protect other people, and we’re not protecting them.”

Logan Moore, a senior and a director for The Crew, expressed enthusiasm for a return to campus for her last year and for organizing events for students that “enhances their college experience,” but not without caution.

“I will definitely wear my mask while I am in close proximity to others, and I hope other students will do the same,” Moore said. “I am looking forward to hosting several Crew events for our students while also considering their safety.”

Keel broke from the policy-driven “strongly encouraged” phrasing with a personal plea for vaccinations.

“If it would make a difference, I’d get down on my knees right now and beg—please, please get vaccinated. Please, please get vaccinated,” Keel said. “That is the only way we’re going to get beyond COVID-19.”

Plans for an AU Health hospital in Columbia County and attempts to increase enrollment through improved online course delivery were discussed briefly, as well.

Keel said confidently that he expects more changes and possibly soon due to the delta variant of COVID-19, which has cases above 124,000 per day, according to data accumulated by the New York Times.

The AU president encouraged all to keep an awareness of the changes in the pandemic and to stay on top of the situation by regularly checking the AU website (https://www.augusta.edu).

Contact Chris Woods at RIWOODS@augusta.edu.

AU President Brooks A. Keel emphasizes the importance of vaccination at a town hall meeting. At the top of the page, Keel warned that “we are not out of the woods yet” with the pandemic as the delta variant has raised the number of daily national positive cases near 125,000. (photos by Chris Woods)