Discontent over reopening college campuses for in-person classes in the fall amid the COVID-19 pandemic is growing and more faculty and staff around the country are demanding that instruction be moved online for health and safety reasons.
More than 250 faculty and instructors at the University of Iowa have signed a pledge to move instruction online. Over 1,000 faculty, students and alumni of Kutztown University signed an open letter posted Monday criticizing reopening protocols. On Tuesday, close to a 100 Virginia Commonwealth University professors formally asked the institution to switch to a fully virtual fall semester. And a group of around 30 tenured faculty at the University of North Carolina (UNC) Chapel Hill has urged students to stay home this coming fall to protect their health and that of other students and staff.
“We recognize that some of you will have to live on campus this fall semester for financial or personal reasons, and we want to help ensure that campus is safe for you,” wrote UNC Chapel Hill faculty in an open letter published in The Charlotte Observer. “We implore the rest of you to stay home this fall. We believe that this will result in a better fall semester for most of you. It is also a tangible way for all of us to contribute to the health and safety of our loved ones and the Carolina community.”
In their letter, members of the Kutztown University community have demanded answers to specific safety protocol questions and threatened they will call for a vote of no confidence in the university leadership if their concerns are not addressed satisfactorily by Aug. 24.
In their letter headed “The Acceptable Number of Deaths is Zero,” university community members criticized “inadequate leadership” of the institution, citing poor communication and disinterest in addressing health concerns.
“Faculty have attempted to address their concerns through normal channels throughout this crisis,” they wrote. “Faculty have cited state and federal health standards in their requests for COVID-19 mitigation and a safe return to class this year. For the most part, these efforts have been unsuccessful.”
In their pledge, University of Iowa faculty said their institution has “failed to be a responsible community health partner” by not doing enough to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
