Everything is relative, including the strength of COVID-19 mitigation strategies. Viewed in that lens, the university has pushed the edge of what the community is willing to embrace in terms of coronavirus restrictions.
The first example of the university leading its peers in COVID-19 mitigation was the decision to require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to enter Tiger Stadium. The university was the only one within the Southeastern Conference to impose a broad vaccine mandate to enter its football stadium.
“While we are aware of the diverse perspectives across the nation regarding masks and vaccinations, we must take all reasonable measures to protect our campus and community, not only on gamedays, but long after guests have left Tiger Stadium,” President William F. Tate IV said when announcing the updated Tiger Stadium requirements.
The university faced criticism for lackluster enforcement of its gameday vaccine mandate, but it was one of only a handful in the sport to even attempt it. That deserves commendation, especially considering the potential political consequences of the decision from Louisiana Republicans.
The vaccine mandate inside Tiger Stadium was ultimately short-lived due to the enforcement difficulty, which is another sign of a weary and hostile public.
Fans attending games inside Tiger Stadium were not the only ones protected by university’s vaccination mandates. The day after the FDA approved the Pfizer vaccine, the university announced it would be requiring the life-saving shots for all students and employees.
Political concerns pushed the university to widely publicize a broad vaccine opt-out granted by state law, hampering the administration’s enforcement efforts. But even with this opt-out clause, the vaccine mandate greatly improved vaccination numbers at the university.
“If you juxtapose LSU’s vaccination rates with the surrounding community or the state of Louisiana or other SEC schools, LSU finds itself at the top in terms of vaccination rates,” Tate said at a White House roundtable on COVID-19 mitigation measures last semester.
The university has been consistently more aggressive on COVID-19 mitigation than it can logistically and politically enforce—an unfortunate reality in a state where barely over half of the population is fully inoculated.
The university’s vaccination rates are far higher than the the grim statewide statistic, which can be directly attributed to Tate’s vaccine mandate.
President Joe Biden cited the sharp increase in vaccinations at the university as a model for improving vaccination rates across the country, noting that the university “went from 63% to 81% of students vaccinated, in weeks.”
The university leads the state’s public institutions in COVID-19 protocols and sets a strong example as the flagship university of Louisiana.
Everything is relative—and relatively speaking, we are leading the way.
Charlie Stephens is 21-year-old political communication junior from Baton Rouge.