A little over a year ago, all our lives changed. Children were being born into a life of mask-covered faces. Common goods were torn from store shelves, leaving everyone struggling financially, physically, and emotionally. For nearly a year, there was no answer to this problem; we were helpless in the face of a pandemic that seemed to never end. But now, there’s a glimmer of hope, a diamond in the rough. Vaccines have become available across the country, and the world, to change the way we live life amid a pandemic.

Humans have been taking vaccines for decades. We’ve eradicated diseases like Polio, Measles, Whooping cough, and Tuberculosis successfully by using different vaccinations. With a 95% effectiveness rate, why wouldn’t you have the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine administered to yourself for the chance to have a semi-normal life? Even if you don’t care about living a life like before the pandemic, as humans we must keep other humans safe. By receiving one of the vaccines, you are taking part in a global effort to keep those we love and care about healthy. You are protecting them against the harmful threat of COVID-19.

Keeping individuals safe isn’t up to one generation or group of people either. Whether you’re 18 or 80, if it’s safe for you to be vaccinated, you should be vaccinated as soon as possible. Colleges and universities across the country agree with this opinion, as more and more schools are requiring students to be vaccinated before returning for the start of the 2021-2022 academic year. Think of how good it would feel to forget about weekly testings, mandatory quarantining, contact tracing calls, and the creeping feeling of not knowing if you’re keeping your friends and family safe. All of these feelings and hardships that make our lives feel like a sci-fi movie could be over with two tiny shots.

We as students are required to have many vaccines and shots before we come to school. We have to have certain immunizations for diseases like Meningitis, Hepatitis, Rubella, etc. to be able to set foot on campus each fall. So what are two more shots? What is the cost of two more injections when the rewards of these shots have the potential to be so great?

Here at Union, we are considering these benefits of the vaccine administration in regards to reverting the college experience to normal. By offering access/ distribution of the shots, we as a community, are building a foundation for a campus revival; a rebirth of all the fun and academic comradery that exists within the student body.

Life throughout the past year has been difficult for everyone. Hundreds of thousands of people have died in the United States alone and many others had to endure long hospitalizations and daunting medical bills. But for the first time in over a year, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We have a chance at herd immunity for a virus that has wreaked havoc on all of our lives. We have a chance to make Union better, why not take that chance?