As of Sept. 30, CSUSM officially enacted a vaccine mandate on all students and faculty. In addition to the vaccine mandate, CSUSM is still enforcing masking while indoors to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Unless granted an exemption, active CSUSM students, faculty and staff  must be fully vaccinated to attend on-campus classes and events. Those who are exempted under medical or religious grounds are expected to commit to weekly COVID-19 testing, just as they have been doing before. Those who chose to not get vaccinated must submit to online classes only.

As a third-year student, who merely spent a semester and a half on campus before the pandemic, I chose to get the vaccine as soon as  it was available to me.

After spending an entire school year online, I understood that CSUSM would take precautions to prevent further closures for future school years. I was prepared to mask–as it seemed to become the new normal.Although, I was originally unsure if vaccines would be widely available before the next term.

Even if the school chose not to propose a mandate, I would have gotten the vaccine anyway. I have at-risk people at home, so whatever I can do to prohibit exposure I will do without hesitation.

The COVID-19 vaccine means more to me than a new school requirement. To me, getting vaccinated  is an effort to further help the community from further ache.

Although we see a lot of reports regarding illness statistics and survival rates, the numbers always seem more insignificant than the reality. Over half a million Americans have died from the virus since early 2020.

While I may not react severely to the illness, that does not say much for my friends and family. Their lives are just as valuable as mine. I would be selfish to put them in positions in which they had no say.

Needless to say, I do not regret getting the vaccine. In fact, I am glad that CSUSM required  them.

We as a community have to work with each other to keep the campus safe. It is difficult to just depend on a few people when thousands of us are constantly around.

The campus community is also not the only group to be affected by the decisions we make here.

Everyone has a life beyond these halls. The people they mingle with matter too.

Getting sick is not the only issue concerning the pandemic, COVID long haulers are developing severe effects months after they recovered. We should work to prevent that too.

The school has no hidden intentions when it comes to its mandates. The vaccine was never supposed to be a divisive dispute; it was meant to be treated as every other vaccine required upon admittance. The school is simply looking out for our well-being.

I would take the shot over and over again if it meant that my little immunity prevented my peers from getting sick. I do not think I would ever forgive myself if I contributed to the problem. I would like to prevent a domino effect before it occurs.

Life is precious, jeopardizing our way through life is not always the best thing to do.