More than a hundred protestors gathered in front of the Sample Gates Thursday to protest Indiana University’s COVID-19 vaccine policy.
Earlier this month, IU decided against requiring students and staff to submit proof of vaccination, instead asking them to certify they have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Those who do not comply will be kicked out of school or fired.
“I still feel like there is something underlying that is not right, because I feel like this mandate is bypassing a freedom we as students should have,” said IU sophomore Jackson Pauwels of Fishers.
IU granted Pauwels a religious exemption from getting the vaccine.
The group IU Family for Choice Not Mandates organized the protest. Its leaders say denying someone a higher education because they will not be vaccinated is immoral and un-American.
IU already requires students to get vaccinated for measles, rubella and tetanus, among other shots.
The group also criticized Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and the IU board of trustees for not forcing the university to end the mandate.
