The University of Michigan is planning to hold a fall semester mostly featuring a return to normalcy, including in-person instruction for small and medium size classes, on-campus housing and large crowds at sports games. This is largely due to the state of Michigan’s and the University’s progress in COVID-19 vaccinations. In a previous interview with The Michigan Daily, University President Mark Schlissel said vaccinations against COVID-19 are crucial to the University’s plans to open in the fall. “The greater fraction of people who are vaccinated, the more likely we are to have a semester in the fall that feels as close to normal as possible,” Schlissel said. “The best case scenario is that 95 or 98% of students and an overwhelming majority of faculty and staff are vaccinated.” Vaccination Updates Everybody over the age of 12 in Michigan is currently eligible to get vaccinated. At the time of publication, 58.1% of eligible Michigan residents have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. Washtenaw County has one of the highest rates of COVID-19 vaccination in Michigan, with 62.4% of those eligible receiving at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. Anybody 12 years or older can receive a COVID-19 vaccine at Michigan Medicine. The University urges vaccinated students to report their vaccination status to Wolverine Access. This information will be used to inform plans for the fall semester and will allow students to opt out of regular COVID-19 testing in the fall. LSA sophomore Ava Ben-David was impressed with how easy it is to access COVID-19 vaccines in Ann Arbor. “(I) think that vaccinations are very accessible, and that people are getting them,” Ben-David said. “Every single one of my friends is vaccinated, and I don’t really know anyone that isn’t vaccinated.” In an email to The Daily, University spokesperson Kim Broekhuizen said the University expects many students to get a COVID-19 vaccine without making it mandatory. “We remain confident that … we will have a sufficiently high percentage of our community vaccinated,” Broekhuizen wrote. “Encouragement may be more effective than a mandate to achieve the goal of maximizing vaccinations against COVID-19 in the months ahead. Any student who is in need of vaccination will have the opportunity to be vaccinated when they arrive in Ann Arbor.” Some faculty have grown frustrated with the lack of a vaccine mandate for students living on campus and attending classes during the upcoming fall semester. In early May, over 700 instructors signed on to a petition calling for a vaccine mandate. In the event that the administration refused to institute a mandate, the faculty members requested that instructors 2 Thursday, June 3, 2021 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com NEWS Vaccines are here. Here’s what you need to know about U-M’s fall semester The Ann Arbor Art Fair will be held after all this July, leaders of all three Ann Arbor Art Fairs (Ann Arbor Original Art Fair, The State Street Art Fair and the Summer Art Fair) announced in a joint statement released on Thursday. The move comes after the Art Fair was initially canceled on May 12 due to COVID-19 safety concerns and protocols limiting outdoor gatherings. In the statement, Art Fair Leaders wrote that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s May 20 announcement that all outdoor gathering restrictions would expire on June 1 paved the way for the Ann Arbor Art Fair to return in full swing. “In light of the recent announcement lifting the restrictions on outdoor events, the Fair Directors met with city officials and the local health department and decided that a safe and successful event could be achieved after all,” the organizers wrote. Due to the late timing of the decision, the Art Fair has been condensed from four to three days — July 15, 16 and 17. Additionally, the fair will be instituting stronger safety measures and protocols, organizers said. “This year’s event will include more space between booths to allow for social distancing, masks will be encouraged and hand sanitizing stations will be throughout the fair,” the organizers wrote. “Fair staff will also continue working closely with the health department to ensure the safety of the artists, fairgoers, staff and everyone involved.” Ann Arbor Art Fair Back on After Cancellation JUSTIN O’BEIRNE Daily Staff Reporter CHRISTIAN JULIANO Summer Managing News Editor 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com CALDER LEWIS Editor in Chief eic@michigandaily.com KATIE LYNGKLIP Business Manager business@michigandaily.com EDITORIAL STAFF Madison Gagne Managing Editor mbgagne@umich.edu Allison Engkvist Digital Managing Editor engkvist@umich.edu Christian Juliano and Shannon Stocking Managing News Editors news@michigandaily.com Josh Taubman and Max Wadley Managing Sports Editors sports@michigandaily.com Rosa Sofia Kaminski and Julian Wray Managing Arts Editors arts@michigandaily.com Becca Mahon and Dominick Sokotoff Managing Photo Editors photo@michigandaily.com Sarah Chung and Allison Yih Managing Design Editors design@michigandaily.com Ethan Patrick and Caroline Atkinson Managing Copy Editors copydesk@michigandaily.com Eliya Imtiaz and Lola Yang Managing Michigan in Color Editors michiganincolor@michigandaily.com Amelia Duffy and Zoe Storer Managing Social Media Editors socialmedia@michigandaily.com Mary Rolfes Editorial Page Editor opinion@michigandaily.com Margaret Rudnick Managing Video Editor video@michigandaily.com Samantha Cole Managing Statement Editor statement@michigandaily.com CONTACT INFORMATION News Tips tipline@michigandaily.com Corrections corrections@michigandaily.com Letters to the Editor tothedaily@michigandaily.com News section news@michigandaily.com Photo Department photo@michigandaily.com Arts Section arts@michigandaily.com Editorial Page opinion@michigandaily.com Sports Section sports@michigandaily.com Advertising wmg-contact@umich.edu The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office for $2 per issue. Subscriptions for September - April are $250, and year-long subscriptions are $275. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. Subscriptions must be prepaid. Design by Maggie Wiebe uncomfortable with teaching unvaccinated students be able to opt out of in person instruction. Studnts who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 will be required to undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. However, as of May 20, Broekhuizen said the University has verified more than 13,300 vaccinated students. In December 2020, shortly after the first Emergency Use Authorization of a COVID-19 vaccine in the United States, Michigan Medicine released the “Blue Queue Questionnaire.” All U-M and Michigan Medicine students, faculty, staff and employees were encouraged to fill out the Questionnaire. The Questionnaire asked participants about certain criteria, such as age and occupation, as well as interest level in getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Participants were emailed when they became eligible for a vaccine. On Tuesday, May 18, the Blue Queue sent an email writing that everybody who demonstrated interest in receiving a COVID-19 vaccine through the Blue Queue have been officially told that they are eligible for vaccination. “We have at this point been able to clear the ‘Queue,’” the email said. “All U-M Personnel who completed the Blue Queue questionnaire and indicated an interest in the COVID- 19 vaccine have been invited to schedule an appointment or received the vaccine elsewhere.” Residence Halls Residence halls are planning to open this fall at no more than 80% capacity. Students planning to live in on-campus housing are required to be vaccinated against COVID- 19 and need to report receiving the vaccine to Wolverine Access by 5 p.m. on July 16. The Michigan Housing website says any students unable to meet this deadline should contact MHousing. The University will accept any vaccines approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson/Jannsen vaccines, or the World Health Organization (WHO), including the AstraZeneca (Covishield) and Sinopharm vaccines. The University said it will help students get a vaccine if they arrive on campus unvaccinated, which has been of particular concern for some international students who come from countries that have not received many doses of the vaccine. According to the MHousing website, limited exceptions to the vaccination requirement will be allowed. Students may apply for a vaccine waiver no later than July 16. Students who receive a vaccine waiver will be required to undergo regular COVID-19 testing to live on-campus. Read more at michigandaily.com