CSU Bakersfield students are not required to receive a vaccination against COVID-19 for fall 2021 semester according to CSUB President, Lynnette Zelezny. On April 7 faculty and staff at CSUB held an open forum to discuss the upcoming term as well as health and safety protocols that will be in place. 

One attendee asked whether or not the COVID-19 vaccine was mandatory.

  “As of today we can only inspire you to get the vaccine, but we can’t require you to do it,” Zelezny said in response.

  Vernon Harper, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, said the fall semester will serve as a transition from online to in-person instruction by providing four types of classroom instruction: face-to-face, entirely online, Zoom, and flex classes. 

  He said CSUB aims to have 30% of classes contain a face-to-face component and 70% of classes to continue online instruction. 

  Students can view the mode of instruction for each of their classes on MyCSUB when registering for the fall term which begins on May 3. Summer 2021 will continue virtually. 

Attendees asked whether the Student Recreation Center will be open in the fall. 

“The SRC has a plan, I do wanna remind you that the mass vaccination site is in the SRC until the end of July,” she said.  

  Zelezny said students should stay tuned and look forward to the SRC being open in the fall with health and safety protocols put in place. 

  Parking fees for the fall semester are in discussion and are not yet determined.  

“We will be forced to do some sort of a charge on it in order to stay compliant with state guidelines,” Marty Williamson, CSUB Chief of Police, said. 

  “It’s going to be a transitional semester term for all of us,” Harper said.