Amid the surging cases of COVID-19, Stanford University and Occidental College will mandate booster shots for COVID-19 to all eligible students before returning to campus after the winter break. Stanford University announced Dec. 16 that classes in the first two weeks of the winter quarter will be held online and require all eligible students to provide documentation of a booster shot by Jan. 31. Students can apply for a religious or medical exemption. According to the university, the new vaccine policy is prompted by the unpredictability of the threat that the Omicron virus variant of COVID-19 poses to the public. “In coming back for the winter quarter, we want to minimize disruptions to students’ coursework and also provide as much predictability as possible for both students and instructors,” a Stanford University statement reads. Students are required to take a COVID-19 test before traveling back to school. The two weeks of …