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New York to Require Vaccinations of University Students

FILE - A registered nurses fills a syringe with the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at a pop-up vaccination site at the Albanian Islamic Cultural Center in the Staten Island borough of New York, April 8, 2021.
FILE - A registered nurses fills a syringe with the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at a pop-up vaccination site at the Albanian Islamic Cultural Center in the Staten Island borough of New York, April 8, 2021.

Students at the State University of New York and the City University of New York must get vaccinated against the coronavirus to attend classes this fall, Governor Andrew Cuomo said Monday.

The requirement, affecting more than 435,000 full-time students, comes as Cuomo and other officials offer a slew of incentives aimed at encouraging people to get inoculated, as they see vaccine demand declining.

"So today, no excuses," Cuomo said at a briefing. "SUNY and CUNY boards will require vaccinations for all in-person students coming back to school in the fall."

Cuomo, who has ultimate authority over New York City's subways, also announced that riders will get free seven-day passes to the system for getting inoculated at station sites that will dispense Johnson & Johnson vaccine starting Wednesday.

The city's suburban commuter rail services, the Long Island Rail Road and Metro North, will offer two systemwide one-way passes for riders who receive a shot at their station site, he added.

FILE - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo gestures during a news conference on the coronavirus disease in New York City, New York, May 3, 2021.
FILE - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo gestures during a news conference on the coronavirus disease in New York City, New York, May 3, 2021.

"So, think about this," the governor said. "You are walking into the subway station anyway. You are walking past the vaccination site. It's a one-shot vaccination. Stop, take a few minutes, get the vaccine."

Cuomo, who last week announced a ticket-for-shot arrangement with the Yankees and the Mets, New York City’s two Major League Baseball teams, said half of the tickets for upcoming New York Islanders National Hockey League playoff games would be reserved for vaccinated fans.

The requirements and incentives come as New York showed huge progress against the virus since a January surge, with its COVID-19 hospitalizations down 75% and its positivity rate down 82% at 1.4%.

While more than 60% of the state's adult population has received at least one dose of a vaccine, Cuomo, who also chairs the National Governors Association, said the pace was declining in New York and across the country.

Earlier on Monday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that a range of city attractions, including Lincoln Center, the Bronx Zoo and the Staten Island Ferry, will offer free admission in exchange for getting coronavirus shots.

"It's true that the supply has finally gotten to a point that it exceeds the demand," de Blasio said.

The strategy for reaching the unvaccinated will include more incentives and making the inoculations more accessible with mobile units and pop-up sites, de Blasio said.

As of Sunday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 45.8% of the country's population and 58% of those ages 18 and older had received at least one shot.

See all News Updates of the Day

Many African students are experiencing US visa rejections

FILE - Students walk to and from classes on the Indiana University campus, Oct. 14, 2021, in Bloomington, Ind.
FILE - Students walk to and from classes on the Indiana University campus, Oct. 14, 2021, in Bloomington, Ind.

In 2022, 71% of student visa applications from Western Africa were rejected.

Visa agents are not happy – and are finding ways to help applicants with paperwork and the interview. Maina Wururu reports for The PIE News. (April 2024)

US college students face muted graduations amid Gaza war protests

US college students face muted graduations amid Gaza war protests
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Commencement ceremonies are being scaled back or canceled at U.S. universities because of security concerns over pro-Palestinian student protests. While some campus demonstrations have resulted in concessions, others have led to violent confrontations. VOA’s Tina Trinh has the story from New York.

update

Police arrest 33 at George Washington University protest encampment

In this photo taken from video, demonstrators protest the Israel-Hamas war at the George Washington University campus in Washington on May 8, 2024. Police say they arrested 33 people while clearing out an encampment on campus.
In this photo taken from video, demonstrators protest the Israel-Hamas war at the George Washington University campus in Washington on May 8, 2024. Police say they arrested 33 people while clearing out an encampment on campus.

Police in Washington cleared a pro-Palestinian protest encampment at George Washington University early Wednesday, arresting 33 people, authorities said.

Arrests were made on charges of assault on a police officer and unlawful entry, the District of Columbia's Metropolitan Police Department said.

A congressional committee canceled a hearing on the university encampment Wednesday. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Washington Police Chief Pamela Smith had been scheduled to testify about the city’s handling of the protest before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.

University parents and faculty members gathered Wednesday afternoon for a press conference to condemn the handling of the protests by police and school leaders.

Hala Amer, mother of a George Washington University student, speaks at a press conference with faculty and alumni to call on the university to negotiate with student protesters, May 8, 2024, in Washington. (Melos Ambaye/VOA)
Hala Amer, mother of a George Washington University student, speaks at a press conference with faculty and alumni to call on the university to negotiate with student protesters, May 8, 2024, in Washington. (Melos Ambaye/VOA)

“The university clearly does not value the students at all and has endangered the safety of our children by unleashing officers dressed in full riot gear to assault and spray our children in their eyes with pepper spray,” said Hala Amer, whose son participated in the campus protests.

Police said they dispersed demonstrators because "there has been a gradual escalation in the volatility of the protest."

American University professor Barbara Wien said she stayed in the encampment with GW students. She described the student protesters as democratic and peaceful.

Police started to shut down the tent encampment after dozens of protesters marched to GW President Ellen Granberg's on-campus home on Tuesday night. Police were called, but no arrests were made.

Speakers at the conference called for Granberg’s resignation because, they alleged, she refused to meet and negotiate with student protesters.

“You keep inciting violence and ignoring the students,” Amer said about Granberg in an interview with VOA after the conference. “It will just lead to more violence. You need to talk to your students.”

GW officials warned students that they could be suspended for engaging in protests at the school’s University Yard, an outdoor spot on the campus.

"While the university is committed to protecting students' rights to free expression, the encampment had evolved into an unlawful activity, with participants in direct violation of multiple university policies and city regulations," a GW statement said.

More than 2,600 people have been arrested at universities across the country in pro-Palestinian protests, according to The Associated Press.

Students are calling on their university administrations to divest investments from Israel or companies with ties to Israel. Demonstrators have gathered in at least 50 campuses since April 17, carrying signs that read "Free Palestine" and "Hands off Rafah."

Rafah is Gaza’s southernmost city, where most of the territory’s population has clustered. The area is also a corridor for bringing humanitarian aid into the Palestinian territory.

Israel seized the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing on Tuesday, while shutting off the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing, drawing criticism from humanitarian groups. Israel said Wednesday that it had reopened Kerem Shalom.

The nationwide campus protests started in response to Israel's offensive in Gaza that began after Hamas launched a terror attack on Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages.

More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's offensive, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel warned it could "deepen" its operation in Rafah if talks failed to secure the release of the hostages.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press.

What to ask on a college visit

FILE - Passers-by walk on the campus of Harvard University, Dec. 12, 2023, in Cambridge, Mass.
FILE - Passers-by walk on the campus of Harvard University, Dec. 12, 2023, in Cambridge, Mass.

Sarah Wood lists 32 questions for applicants to learn more during a campus visit. (April 2024)

US is now the most desirable country for international students

FILE - People take photographs near a John Harvard statue, Jan. 2, 2024, on the campus of Harvard University, in Cambridge, Mass.
FILE - People take photographs near a John Harvard statue, Jan. 2, 2024, on the campus of Harvard University, in Cambridge, Mass.

That’s according to this year’s Emerging Futures research survey, from education consultant IDP Connect. Other Western countries have slipped due to new visa restrictions and caps on international students. Read a summary of the research from ICEF Monitor. (April 30, 2024)

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