Are Fresno-area community colleges requiring the vaccine? Here’s what’s new for the fall

When classes start at Fresno City College on Monday, vaccinations won’t be required to come onto campus, but masks will, college officials announced this week.

The masking requirement is for all employees, students, and visitors and is in effect at all State Center Community College campuses and buildings as of Wednesday.

“Facial coverings must be worn in common areas indoors, such as hallways, breakrooms, restrooms, elevators, and stairwells as well as open area offices and cubicles, conference rooms, and in single person offices when more than one person is present,” Chancellor Doug Houston said in a campus-wide notice. “You are not required to wear a facial covering when you are the sole occupant of a room, such as your office.”

Unlike California State University and the University of California, which are mandating the vaccine at every campus, the 116-campus California Community Colleges have left vaccine requirements for local districts to handle. State Center, the parent district of Fresno City, and Reedley, Clovis, and Madera Community Colleges decided not to mandate the vaccine.

At Fresno City, about 35% of classes will be in-person or hybrid, according to spokesperson Kathy Bonilla. Most of the in-person additions are in English, history, performing arts, and physical education.

Although community colleges saw a dip in enrollment the past year, FCC President Carole Goldsmith said she believes many students enjoyed taking online classes. She said she wouldn’t want to take that option away.

“I believe the online education opportunity really worked well for a lot of our students, as evidenced by our increasing graduation rates,” she said in a notice. “So, we’re going to continue to provide some online, but we also know that we really need to have some on ground activities and classes too.”

Many services will be open on campus, including the library, psychological services, financial aid, admissions and records, and counseling. A COVID testing site is available in the staff dining room.

Another perk, the college announced, is that parking will be free for the fall semester. The new parking structure is still being built.

Incentivizing the vaccine

Although the vaccine is not a requirement at the community colleges as of now, it’s being encouraged by leaders, especially due to the Delta variant, a more contagious version of the original coronavirus that health officials blame for the recent rise in hospitalizations.

“Our plan right now is not to mandate vaccines unless circumstances change,” Houston said during the district’s monthly board meeting on Tuesday. “We’re following the protocols that our local county public health officers have established for the counties, and our counties are not mandating vaccines yet.”

Trustee Annalisa Perea wondered at the meeting if the district could encourage students to get the vaccine in exchange for bookstore vouchers or debit cards.

Houston said he and college presidents are looking into how best to incentivize students. That money could come from the one-time federal coronavirus relief funding that colleges have received.

“We’ll see over the course of the rest of this week,” Houston said. “College presidents have indicated they’d like to collaborate a little bit more so that we get some universal protocols.”

The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Read more from The Bee’s Education Lab on our website.