DeSales University to Encourage, Not Require, COVID-19 Vaccination for Fall Semester

DeSales University strongly urges, but will not require, students and employees who are eligible to obtain a COVID-19 vaccination before returning for the fall semester. 

“In the spirit of the University’s core value of Gentleness, we are choosing to firmly encourage rather than mandate,” says Father James Greenfield, OSFS ’84, University president. “This Salesian approach flows from the spirituality of our patron Saint Francis de Sales, who advises in his teachings to ‘do all through love, and nothing through force.’”  

Fr. Greenfield notes that while vaccination is not mandatory for members of the DeSales community, the more individuals who are vaccinated, the more relaxed campus restrictions may become.

DeSales also will be returning to its traditional academic calendar this fall, with classes beginning on August 25, 2021. However, campus calendars, policies, and protocols are subject to change as knowledge and understanding of COVID-19 evolves, and in accordance with guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.