While the list of American colleges and universities mandating COVID-19 vaccination continues to expand, the University System of Georgia (USG) has told its students, faculty, and staff that they don’t have to be vaccinated before returning to campus this fall. “Institutions are not responsible for assessing current COVID-19 vaccination rates for their institution,” reads the latest public health guidelines by the USG, which enrolled over 341,000 students in its 26 campuses across Georgia as of fall 2020. “We strongly encourage faculty, staff, students and visitors to get vaccinated and will continue to do so,” the guidelines state. “While the vaccines are safe and effective, it is an individual decision to receive one and will not be required to be a part of our campuses.” That being said, the USG also pledged to ensure vaccine availability to the campus community, either through vaccination opportunities on campus or in partnership with a …