The Division II league requires all teams and subsequent staff must be vaccinated.
The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference has adopted a policy that emphasizes an aggressive COVID-19 policy for the upcoming season.
All SIAC student-athletes, athletic related staff, coaches, officials, and auxiliary groups (e.g., coaches, officials, marching bands, dance & cheer) participating in SIAC-sponsored sports are required to be fully vaccinated with a CDC-authorized COVID-19 vaccine in accordance with CDC guidelines, according to an official press release from the conference.
This affects longtime SIAC member Benedict College and newly approved member Allen University.
“Within the context of rising COVID-19 infection rates, student-athletes are a particularly vulnerable stakeholder group who, as a result of their athletic participation, are required to travel off-campus and compete against and interact with student-athletes on other campuses,” SIAC Commissioner Gregory Moore said in a statement.
“These athletic related activities not only increase the risk of exposure to our student-athletes, but also increase the risk of exposure to their classmates and other campus stakeholder once those athletes return to campus. The SIAC policy decision establishing vaccination as prerequisite to intercollegiate athletic competition participation is guided by the overarching interest to protect the health and safety of SIAC student-athletes, and was decided in the light of overwhelming data and evidence which has demonstrated the effectiveness of authorized COVID-19 vaccines combating coronavirus as well as its delta variant.”
In 2020, the SIAC cancelled all fall sports due to the pandemic.
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