Below is a letter and list of questions sent to the seven University Presidents and Chancellor Malhotra on September 1st regarding reopening and shutdown procedures.
The Fall 2020 semester is upon us and rather than feeling prepared and informed, students feel terrified. Terrified for our fellow students, our instructors, staff, and our communities. Terrified that we won’t be able to pay our bills or make rent. Terrified for our wellbeing. Terrified that we may get sick. Terrified that our decisions—your decisions—will mean life or death for someone on our campuses.
We assumed the summer was spent developing comprehensive plans for the Fall 2020 semester, including protocols for shutdowns and isolation and that those plans would receive broad student input and be ready and available before the semester began. We are concerned that some of our board members have not been made aware of these plans, let alone consulted on the policies and procedures that will inevitably have to be implemented.
When the pandemic began in the spring, the chaos of developing policies in real time and dealing with the daily ambiguity was understandable because the circumstances were entirely unpredictable and unprecedented. That is no longer the case.
We have had the whole summer to prepare comprehensive procedures for this semester and academic year with adequate student consultation. If there is guidance from the system, state, or federal level being waited on, there still could be student consultation on multiple drafted scenarios. It is now September and many students feel this has not happened. If these plans exist and student leaders have not been consulted on them or received them, that is unacceptable. If these plans exist but do not include details about partial or full shutdown procedures and policies, such as paid leave, absence policies, refunds, technology access, essential service access, unarmed enforcement of safety policies, etc., that is unacceptable. If these plans do not exist, that is a failure to adequately serve the students of your universities. For your convenience, we have attached a document with a list of questions that students want answered by their university’s administration.
Consultation with student leaders is critical to a functioning shared governance system. This year, Students United is excited to spend more time developing and engaging our student leaders to lean into their power and skills. We have reminded them all of board policy 2.3 and system procedure 2.3.1, which detail when and how student associations are to be consulted by their administration regarding campus decisions. Those are attached for your convenience and review.
If you have not already, we urge you to consult the Student Body Presidents on the campus safety and shutdown procedures as soon as possible, include the student associations in the development stages of these procedures, hear and implement students’ input, and have the plans be shared with your student senates, Students United, and the campus community at large.
Within days of reopening or just ahead of reopening, schools across the country and across Minnesota are already shutting down, delaying in-person instruction, and dealing with hundreds of cases. We are not surprised. And we know you are not either. Yet we feel it’s important to remind our leaders that, while some of these universities have placed the blame on individual students whose decisions are putting everyone at risk, those universities’ decisions put everyone at risk as well. Individual students and campus community members absolutely have an obligation to keep everyone around them safe but when our leadership knows that is simply not happening, what responsibility do they bare?
Doing too much and going the extra mile will never harm us. Not doing enough will. Please do not underestimate students’ response to these horrific circumstances.
Sincerely,
Jonathan McNicholes, State Chair
Absences Questions.
What will this semester’s/year’s absence policy be? Will students be punished for not showing up to class? Will students be expected to provide doctor’s notes for absences?
Transparency.
Will the university host any town hall-style events to address students’ questions and concerns?
Will procedures for shutdowns be made available to the whole campus community?
Housing Questions.
How many quarantine beds/rooms are available on our campus? Where are they? What percentage of your housing does it consist of?
Will there be any adjustments to the university’s refund policy when it comes to cancelling?
Will housing refunds be issued? If so, what are the specifics of those refunds?
Student Workers Questions.
If there is a mandated shutdown in the middle of the semester, will student workers be compensated for their remaining hours? Will this be contingent on whether they can continue their work remotely or not?
Will all workers, including international students, still be able to receive payments? Is that contingent on if they are working remotely or not?
Registration, Enrollment, and Payment.
Will students receive leniency on tuition payments?
Will there be a pause on academic probation?
Can students enroll in installment payments?
Will students receive any form of financial relief or refunds?
Health and Safety Guidelines Questions.
Will the campus be providing face masks? Where will masks be available on campus? What should a student do if the campus mask supply runs out?
What is the campus testing capacity, if any?
Who specifically is responsible for enforcing social distancing and mask-wearing on campus? How will this be enforced?
Will cleaning logs be posted in classrooms and offices to ensure that spaces have been properly cleaned?
What is the process for an individual hybrid/in-person course to be moved online in the event of exposure?
Shutdown Questions.
In the event of a shutdown, will students be forced to leave on-campus housing? How much of a heads-up can students expect before being vacated?
Will student employees in Housing be provided hazard pay?
In the event of a shutdown, will any students be allowed to stay on campus? Will there be a set of criteria for staying on campus? What would this criteria be? Will emergency housing options be available?
What are the parameters to be used to justify a shutdown of your campus? If you are waiting for state or system guidance on this, can you develop some scenarios pending these guidances?
In the event of a shutdown, will the refund date for withdrawing from classes be extended?
Will basic needs programs, such as food pantries and computer lab access, be available in the case of a shutdown?
Will parking permits be refunded in the event of a campus shutdown?
What kind of partnerships or processes are in place to ensure technology accessibility for students?
Student Services
Which services should students expect interruptions to? (e.g. dining, tutoring, mental health services, etc.)
Which services should students expect substantial changes to?
What campus services are designated “essential” and how will those be implemented in the event of a shutdown or stay at home order?