No vaccine mandate for the University of Nebraska system next fall

LINCOLN, Neb. — The University of Nebraska system has been open since the fall and hasn't seen any major outbreaks on any of its campuses. University of Nebraska President Ted Carter attributes this to positive behavior from students.

"We weren't perfect when we opened up in the fall," said Carter. "We did have a little bit of an infection rate, but we were able to manage it and did stay open. That's when we started to see the real behavior of our students start to change, understanding that hey, we want to make sure that we have as much freedom as possible but they had to act responsibly and they've done that."

Since coming back from spring break, Carter said University of Nebraska-Lincoln's infection rate is less than 1%.

Most recently, President Carter has shifted his focus toward vaccinating students and faculty.

"We're following the state rules on this," said Carter. "They vary a little bit county-to-county. Obviously, it's going to be a little bit different out in Kearney versus Omaha, versus Lincoln."

He explained that he's seen an increased interest in getting the vaccine from the majority of people across all campuses.

"The take rate at least within our faculty and staff has been over 80%," said Carter. "That includes here at Varner Hall, central administration. I suspect the student take rate will be that high or even higher, and I think that will be terrific."

Taking all of this into consideration, the University of Nebraska system will not have a vaccine mandate for students returning to campus.

"I think if we make the vaccine available, and we state how important we think it is to get it, I think we have a good chance of getting to herd immunity and being able to allow the freedom for everybody to get the vaccine who wants it and still be able to be open," said Carter.

Conversations about the presence of masks next fall are still ongoing, but Carter has specific expectations.

"We will be as close to back to normal by the fall on all of our campuses, Omaha, Lincoln and Kearney as we were pre-pandemic," said Carter. "Of course, we will follow the rules, and we reserve the right to make slight modifications for things like masks, social distancing based on the variants and what else is out there. But right now, that is our plan."

He also expects that online learning will continue to run smoothly for those who choose to do so next semester.

"We know we have to have the full spectrum of capabilities," said Carter. "That's one of the lesson that we learned here that the hybrid type of modality is something that you have to be exceptional in performing, and I think we're ready for that."