An issue of concern within American governance and administration is the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination at Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) for staff and students as they resume this 2021 Fall. Although the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved the vaccines, the HBCU leadership demands approval of vaccination to students to ensure minimal spreading. The demand for vaccination is a significant issue following its contradiction with the American spirit of respect for human rights and dignity and equality of all people following the impact of blacks.
Although vaccination is a matter of community interest due to ease of infection, FDA has not confirmed the vaccine as fit for humans and free from fatal side effects. There have been reports of life-threatening impacts such as blood clots following the vaccines and indications that they might be unsafe. The unconfirmed safety of the vaccine raises the alarm on respect for human rights and dignity due to the known risked life while trying to save. Such demand on institutions of the blacks sends a message of discrimination on safety which is against public policies requiring equal treatment. Moreover, the US government is waiving legal protection for COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers such that people cannot sue or get compensation for any side effects (Sigalos, 2020). The waiver and forced vaccination on the blacks implies violation of quality and public protection laws within institutions and communities.
Despite the pandemic being global, the HBCU case of forced vaccination and related waived legal protection might manifest to the whole world as a plot to reduce, exploit and control black people. The historical mistreatment and discrimination of the black people is still fresh in the minds of the public across the world. Moreover, most of the institutions receive weak support from the government. For example, Howard University and Spellman College survive on alumni support while Delaware State and Lincoln universities depend on political goodwill. As a result, the whole world might see the current incidence as a continuation of US discrimination and control over the blacks.
The issue weakens the role of a public administrator of the institutions by limiting the ability to protect the community of black people through civil rights and laws. Public administrators oversee programs and policies which improve the community institutions serve through a network of stakeholders. In the HBCU’s case, the state is also a stakeholder that controls how public administrator implements civil rights and other law. A public administrator might be unable to serve the role following external forces from the government that support different agendas.
Article Summary
Weible et al. (2020) explore the role of medicine and health science in managing COVID-19 and other diseases to show the importance of policy science across all disciplines and institutions, organizations, and individuals. COVID-19 pandemic has extended its scale and impact to the extent of requiring contribution and participation of people at individual, government, and organizational levels. Such a situation that gets out of control massively requires policy science that is diverse on the effect and the affected communities to develop insights into the impact on all stakeholders and appropriate interventions. Weible et al. (2020) argue that the current conception of public administration and policy making requires reflection on societal values. Weible et al. (2020) show that other approaches to policies employed during the COVID-19, such as learning in the UK and negotiated agreement, have failed to manage the pandemic and serve all communities. Weible et al. (2020) demonstrate that policy science guides in identifying values and appropriate methods to incorporate them in regulations while considering all communities without compromise. Thus, policy science is a significant approach to serving people due to the application of evidence in assessing needs and developing regulations.
References
Sigalos, M. (2020). You can’t sue Pfizer or Moderna if you have severe Covid vaccine side effects. The government likely won’t compensate you for damages either. CNBC. Web.
Weible, C.M., Nohrstedt, D., Cairney, P., Carter, D.P., Crow, D.A., Durnová, A.P., Heikkila, T., Ingold, K., McConnell, A. and Stone, D. (2020). COVID-19 and the policy sciences: initial reactions and perspectives. Policy Sciences, 53(2), 225-241. Web.