On Tuesday, May 25th, the UCR School of Public Policy will hold a virtual debate on the question: “Should the federal government make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory?”

Two teams of UC Riverside public policy students will be debating the pros and cons of mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations. The debaters include:

• Zara Ali, Associated Students of UCR (ASUCR) Senator for the School of Public Policy (SPP)
• Arleth Flores Aparicio, Incoming ASUCR Senator for the SPP
• Brendan Rooks, Finance Director, Roosevelt Network at UCR
• Zeno Marganian, Dean’s Ambassador, UCR SPP

Joining the debaters are two guest judges who will provide feedback on the debate and the topic as a whole:

• Richard Carpiano (Professor of Public Policy and Sociology at UC Riverside)
• Kim Saruwatari (Director of Public Health for Riverside County)

“Having the COVID-19 vaccine be mandatory on a federal level is a hot topic which many Americans have discussed,” said fourth year public policy student Andrea Rayas. “I am excited to hear the arguments my peers have prepared for this topic.”

This event is open to the general public. Attendees must register to attend. Registrants will receive an email in advance of the event with a link to join. 

Since 2014, the UCR School of Public Policy Seminar Series has been bringing policy makers, practitioners, and researchers to campus to talk about various policy issues facing the region and beyond. During the shelter-in-place order for California, all events are being held online. For more information about the series, visit spp.ucr.edu/events.