Sac State students react to updated vaccination policy upon homecoming football game
Attendees must prove vaccination or negative COVID-19 test results
On Monday Sacramento State announced that they will require proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test results 72 hours before kickoff from all guests attending football games starting with the homecoming game on Saturday. Students who do not show proof or test results prior to events will not be allowed to attend football games or any on-campus gathering with an attendance of 10,000 or more for the rest of the year or until further notice. (Photo in background taken by Shaun Holkko. Graphic made in Canva by Ayaana Williams.)
October 23, 2021
On Monday Sacramento State announced via Twitter that they will require proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test results 72 hours before kickoff from all guests attending football games starting with the homecoming game on Saturday.
There will be checkpoints in the parking lots, and staff will administer wristbands to guests before they enter Hornet Stadium.
At the beginning of the semester, students were given a similar ultimatum and were required to show proof of vaccination by Sept. 27 or they would be dropped from in-person classes.
It resulted in 4,306 students being denied access to campus and 88 students facing disenrollment.
If Sac State students are not vaccinated, they have the option to submit a negative COVID-19 test at one of the kiosk checkpoints at Hornet Stadium but it would have to be submitted three days prior to game day.
Economic major and Sac State senior Marisol Rodriguez said she does not agree with the policy update and that it was “intrusive for the school to tell me that I need to inject myself with a vaccine that’s still fairly new.”
“Personally, it would be inconvenient for me to take time out of my day, to go to a testing center and get tested to get negative results,” Rodriguez said. “To go to a football game that I chose to go to and place myself there willingly knowing all the risks, it just seems all too much.”
Whether students agree with the policy or not, players worry that it will affect the turnout for Saturday’s game.
Sac state football’s junior quarterback Jake Dunniway expressed that the team “definitely wants to pack out the crowd” and said he wants the fans to be able to engage with the team.
“We like to play in front of a lot of people and especially at home,” Dunniway said. “You know, that could make a difference in a game, and I got family that likes to come to all the games.”
Dunniway said that he encourages everybody to get vaccinated and do their part, and at the end of the day hopes for a good turnout and that the team puts together a good performance.
Head coach Troy Taylor took a similar stance and said that he just wants everyone to be safe.
“We like to have big crowds, but we also want people to be safe,” Taylor said. “We get our role. We don’t make the procedures, but we sure want everybody to be safe. We’d love to have a lot of people at the game.”
Students who did not get a certified negative test result in by Oct. 21 or without proof of vaccination will not be allowed to attend football games or any outdoor events on campus with an attendance of 10,000 or more for the rest of the year or until further notice.
