MUSKEGON COUNTY, Mich. — Word spread on social media Wednesday that the Muskegon Community College Board of Trustees was considering requiring students and staff be vaccinated in advance of next week's first day of class.
But when the board meet Wednesday for its regularly scheduled board meeting nothing relating to the vaccine was on the board's agenda, and the vaccine wasn't even brought up for discussion by the college's board.
"We are not mandating vaccines," said Muskegon Community College Board of Trustees Chair Diana Osborn following the meeting. "Any rumors or social media posts to the contrary are not true."
Currently the college is only requiring masks for anyone inside buildings on campus. Signs posted around the campus also promote social distancing.
During the meeting Osborn addressed the issue by reading from a prepared statement which read in part, "The college presently does not require vaccines for students or employees."
A number of Muskegon County community members attended the meeting after reading an event invitation on the Muskegon GOP website. The page which was shared on Facebook read in part, "Stop Vaccine Mandates at Muskegon Community College."
The page listed the MCC board meeting as an event to speak out against efforts to mandate the vaccine to students and staff and the time and location of the meeting.
"We just wanted to let them know that the community doesn't want vaccine mandates," said Muskegon County Resident Michelle Mixa.
Mixa and a number of others Muskegon County residents who oppose vaccine passports and mandates attended the meeting to speak to the board during public comment. But since a vaccine mandate wasn't on the board's agenda they didn't get the chance to offer their opinion.
Mixa says she's attending public school board meetings in the county just in case a vaccine mandate is added to a school board agenda at the last minute and passed without taking input from those opposed to a vaccine mandate.
"We're happy with where they stand now and we're going to continue let them know where we stand," said Mixa.
Muskegon Community College will host five public COVID-19 vaccine clinics between Aug. 19 and Sept. 23. At each event the college will award twenty $25 gift cards to individuals who receive the vaccine.
The clinics, which take place either at the MCC Health and Wellness Center on the main campus or at the MCC Sturrus Technology Center in downtown Muskegon, are free and open to the public. Vaccines are available for those 12 years of age and older.
The schedule for the five vaccination clinics is as follows:
- Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021 – 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., MCC Health and Wellness Center
- Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021 – 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., MCC Health and Wellness Center
- Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021 – 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., MCC Sturrus Technology Center
- Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021 – 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., MCC Health and Wellness Center
- Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021 – 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., MCC Sturrus Technology
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