Minn. State Vaccine, Test Requirement to Impact Third of WSU Student Body

Winona State President Dr. Scott Olson. File photo

WINONA, Minn. (KWNO)-Roughly a third of Winona State’s student body will be affected by the Minn. State COVID-19 vaccine mandate when it takes effect on Oct. 4.  

That’s according to WSU President Dr. Scott Olson. He told KWNO the new requirement applies to roughly 1,900 students and explained those students will need to provide an attesting statement to the university regarding their vaccination status. 

“At this time there’s no requirement that they prove what they’re attesting to. They don’t have to prove by producing a CDC card or anything like that. They just have to attest to it,” Olson said.  

Olson said the university is working out the logistics for how WSU would obtain the attesting statements. As for if WSU would follow Saint Mary’s and other universities in Minnesota and require the vaccine for the entire student body, Olson said it would come from the Minn State system and not Winona State. 

“In terms of like a blanket requirement that everybody has to be vaccinated, we don’t have the authority to do that,” said Olson.  

Olson said WSU does have the authority to expand the vaccination requirement to some parts of student life. Two examples he gave were intermural sports, which he says isn’t different from college sports in terms of high contact with others, and choir groups where people are close together and not wearing masks while they’re singing.  

He said the expansion of the requirement to those groups is being discussed by WSU officials.