ASU President Crow expects only vaccinated to be on campus in fall

PHOENIX – Arizona State University President Michael Crow said the school has expectations that anyone at the campuses will be vaccinated against COVID-19, if they’re not already, before returning.

The university will resume full in-person learning for fall semester, which begins Aug. 19.

“I don’t know about ‘passports’ but we are expecting everybody to get vaccinated because we’re expecting the institution to move forward,” Crow said Wednesday on KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News.

On Monday, Gov. Doug Ducey issued an executive order banning state and local agencies and jurisdictions from requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter government facilities or receive services.

The order, however, does not apply to most private businesses or health care facilities, child care centers, universities and K-12 schools.

“I think everyone here, for the most part, understands that we’re going to need every tool … to function through the rest of the pandemic and vaccines are a part of it and it’s not going to be a big issue,” Crow said.

His counterpart at the University of Arizona, Robert Robbins, said Monday he would “really favor mandating” that students and staff be vaccinated against COVID-19. He described himself as a “big advocate for a vaccine passport.”

Crow said his school already had some vaccination requirements in place, such as for measles, mumps and rubella.

ASU students and employees must wear face coverings in classrooms, labs, office. They can be taken off at campus outdoor spaces only when eating.

They also have to check in daily with a health app so their temperatures can be monitored.

“We have ways of self-reporting all kinds of things,” Crow said. “We’re not overly worried about compliance.”

He added the Arizona Board of Regents, which oversees the three public universities, including Northern Arizona University, has left how to handle the virus situation to each school.

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