Opinion by James R. Stocker

James R. Stocker is an associate professor of international affairs at Trinity Washington University in D.C. These opinions are his own.

Over the past four months, enormous progress has been made in the fight against the coronavirus. More than 140 million individuals in the United States have been vaccinated. The number of daily infections is less than a quarter of its peak, and the seven-day average of related deaths is just under 700 per day, approximately a fifth of the level in January. A crucial question over the coming weeks and months will be whether to require vaccinations for high-risk populations, including university students and staff.

Many universities are now planning to return to nearly full levels of on-campus activity for the fall semester. This means millions of students will be migrating across the country to clustered locations, providing new opportunities for infections in classrooms, dorm rooms, and social gatherings.

As a professor at a teaching-oriented liberal arts college, I say that this return to campus cannot come soon enough. Though some students have adjusted well to online teaching, others are finding it incredibly difficult. Completion rates are down, and students are dealing with massive personal, financial, and psychological burdens. Many will be affected for life. Moreover, the pandemic has disproportionately affected students of color by magnifying elements of structural racism. A return to in-person learning is an important step toward addressing these issues.

Since the beginning of April, nearly 100 universities have announced that they will require returning students to receive a coronavirus vaccine for the fall semester. In D.C., American University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, and my own employer, Trinity Washington University, have adopted such policies. The University of Maryland System, with more than 200,000 students, faculty and staff, joined the list over the weekend.

These decisions were taken by the universities themselves. So far, no state or local government has mandated that institutions of higher education require vaccines for returning students. Indeed, in states such as Texas and Utah, governors have explicitly prohibited at least some universities from requiring the vaccine.

This is a missed opportunity. State and local governments and universities have the power to require students to be vaccinated. In all 50 states and D.C., vaccinations are required for children to enter public school. Many do not realize that the same rules often apply to university students. D.C. law requires students under 26 to receive a set of vaccinations determined by the mayor.

Requiring university students to be vaccinated against the coronavirus offers numerous benefits. It will help guarantee that up to 20 million students nationwide receive vaccines. Many are in the 18-24 age range, which has the highest rate of coronavirus infections of any age demographic tracked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It will also protect older students, staff, and faculty, who experience higher coronavirus hospitalization and mortality rates. Finally, it will reduce the likelihood of outbreaks on campus, which require onerous contact tracing and quarantine procedures that disrupt the educational process.

There are some obvious reasons many university leaders have balked at requiring this so far. Until recently, it was unclear whether the supply of vaccines would be sufficient for all Americans, and most jurisdictions prioritized elderly and other vulnerable populations. Now it is apparent that supply will not be an issue by fall. Other concerns stem from the fact that all three vaccines have received emergency-use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, rather than the normal process. We are currently living in a time of emergency, and the same rationale that justifies emergency use of the vaccine also validates its required use in certain parts of the population.

Perhaps more important, university leaders know that a significant number of students and community members are vaccine skeptics. I have many of them in my classes. A few believe that vaccines are or may be dangerous, even though they have saved thousands of lives. Others, including some who have already been vaccinated themselves, simply see the issue as a matter of free choice, rather than as an obligation to their community. It is important to respectfully listen and engage in dialogue with those who have doubts about the wisdom of vaccine requirements. But, ultimately, administrators have a responsibility to protect the health of those on their campuses.

In an ideal world, universities would not have to make this decision. Political leaders have the power to require colleges and universities in their jurisdictions to verify that students have been vaccinated against the coronavirus. If they cannot do that, they can at least get out of the way. Many universities in Virginia have been awaiting a legal opinion from that the Office of the Attorney General to allow them to require vaccines. In Maryland, such a legal opinion has been issued by the state attorney general’s office. On Monday, the Virginia attorney general finally followed suit, and we can now expect more universities in Virginia to issue vaccine mandates.

Vaccine mandates are by no means a silver bullet for coronavirus risk at universities. Precautionary measures must still be taken, including mask use, social distancing, and providing options for online courses where possible. Reaching 100 percent compliance will require outreach and support, as well as ensuring that enough vaccine supply is on hand to vaccinate any returning students who have not yet had their jabs. But failing to do so virtually guarantees continued interruptions while risking more unnecessary illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths.

This was originally posted on The Washington Post.