Since the moment COVID-19 vaccines became widely available to the American public, the potential for mandated vaccinations has lingered in the background.
While the federal government has yet to issue such a directive on the general population (not that they have such a power), institutions receiving federal funds have been quick to mandate that individuals get the jab at the behest of the Centers for Disease and Control (CDC) or face significant consequences for noncompliance.
The latest case study of such a scenario comes in the form of public universities.
Across the country, countless colleges are mandating that students receive the COVID-19 vaccine in order to return to campus in the fall.
Most recently, the university I attend here in Virginia issued such a mandate, requiring that students must receive the jab in order to gain access to campus for the upcoming semester.
While medical and religious exemptions are allowed, students who choose these routes are forced to undergo weekly COVID testing and are required to wear a facemask whenever on campus.
When confronting my university president about the mandate, I argued that the university forcing students to inject themselves with an experimental, non-FDA approved vaccine is irrational and not backed up by science, as we know that college-aged students are not at significant risk for COVID-19.
In his lengthy response, the president brought up that we don't know the long-term effects of COVID-19 and that vaccines offer the best chance to "return to normal."
While I agreed with his premise about the unknowns regarding the long-term effects of getting the virus, I then used his own logic in my response, asking him to explain how the university could mandate a vaccine of which we have no idea what the long-term effects will be on young, healthy people in the future.
Since sending that email, I have not received a response back.
While I'm fortunate enough to live in a state where exemptions exist that allow for students to opt out of the COVID vaccine, not every student in America is so lucky.
As we approach fall semester, students across the nation are being forced to choose between getting an education and their overall health.
Rather than make an independent decision and let individuals make their own choice as to whether to get the vaccine or not, universities are kowtowing to the federal government.
While federal agencies such as the CDC haven't issued any formal mandate that colleges require students to get the COVID vaccine, it's no secret that many of these universities are subsidized by the federal government.
The phrase "don't bite the hand that feeds you" could not be more applicable. I mean, why go against the will of the federal government when you could risk losing funding, am I right?
While several states have taken initiatives to outlaw these vaccine mandates, there's still much more that can be done.
Calling an Article V Convention of States offers both students and parents a great opportunity at fighting back against the tyranny in our colleges and universities.
Reining in the power of the federal bureaucracy would also mean slashing federal funding to universities so that they answer to the students that attend them and not the government.
Through a COS, Americans will finally be able to hold these institutions accountable and restore liberty to college campuses.
Shawn Fleetwood is the State Content Writer for Convention of States Virginia.