Editor’s Note: According to Marisa Spatafore, the final number of students who did not upload vaccination proof to the Pyramed app was 69 students.

After a year and a half of campus being closed and classes being conducted virtually, De Anza College has partially reopened campus for some classes and select services such as the library and dining–so long as students and staff are fully vaccinated.

While some students have returned to campus with teachers conducting hybridized classes, some like Brian Malone, a professor in the English department, have chosen to stay online despite the safety precautions and vaccination requirement.

“Many students and faculty have unvaccinated children at home and, myself included, regularly interact with elderly and immunocompromised people,” Malone said. “And so personally, I believe that vaccinated people have an ethical imperative not to spread Delta to those people.”

Despite many students choosing to stay virtual again this fall quarter, some like Alexa Esparza, 19, a nursing major, are thankful for the policies De Anza has put into place to minimize transmission. De Anza is enforcing a mask and vaccine mandate as well as regular health check-ins and social distancing rules.

“I would love to attend class in-person, as it was a coincidence that all my classes this quarter are online. I haven’t seen campus yet,” Esparza said. “I would feel much more comfortable being on campus knowing there are such safety precautions.”

Some students like Rin Cao, 19, a medical assistance major, have mixed feelings about returning to campus in spite of the vaccine requirement because of the Delta variant rapidly spreading across the United States.

“I don’t quite agree [with returning to campus] since the new virus is hanging around and we’re having in-person classes, so it’s quite dangerous,” Cao said. “But then again, school is easier to access in-person since you can go to the library, bookstores and more since online processes can take a while.”

While there seems to be some anxiety regarding a return to school amongst the Delta variant, Malone is hopeful for an eventual full-time return during this academic year.

“I think that the processes and protocols that campus has in place are good,” Malone said. “And I think that we will, especially with lower transmission and higher vaccination, reach a point where it feels safe and it doesn’t feel like I’m putting anyone’s health at risk.”

If you have yet to receive a vaccination against COVID-19, you may schedule an appointment or find a drop-in clinic here.