When speaking against the measures UO took to prepare for an in-person term over the summer, some members of the Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation (GTFF) and UO students found they weren’t being heard or acknowledged by administrators. To gather more support and input, four of these current and former UO students, who wish to remain anonymous, created the Instagram page @covid.campus. Their goal is to give students a platform “to call for and enact the changes they deem necessary,” they said in a statement to the Emerald.
The @covid.campus page posts anonymous user-submitted entries it receives from direct messages and an open Google form linked in its bio. Submissions range from students expressing general disdain for how safety procedures on campus are being followed to complaints about work conditions. This isn’t a phenomenon limited to UO — college students on campuses across the country, such as Washington State University, University of Michigan and University of New Hampshire, have started social media accounts aimed at blowing the whistle when admin or students violate COVID-19 protocols.
“It’s a good example of how people can reach out and find each other and accomplish something together,” said one of the students running the page. “Sharing these stories is the first step in changing how things are.”
The page seeks to educate students through infographics and breakdowns in its posts and story highlights. One of the most recent posts breaks down how Greek life has contributed the highest number of COVID-19 cases compared to the rest of the student population. The page moderators said since the creation of the page they have received countless DM’s thanking them for their posts, since students feel acknowledged in their concerns and relieved they are not alone.
Despite official university methods for reporting behavior and operations inquiries, the group believes that reporting to UO has been ineffective.
Early on, some posts expressed concern about safety for student workers in the Knight Library, students taking in-person human physiology labs and Greek life participants.
Student Workers in the Knight Library
The account posted two submissions concerning student library workers. Both claimed that the Knight Library was not a safe place due to the administration’s protocol and returning students’ behaviors.
Note: All student library workers spoke on the condition of anonymity, for fear their speaking to the press would impact their employment. They will be referred to using pseudonyms: Alex, Frankie and Taylor.
One student worker, Alex, who worked in-person from the beginning of the pandemic and through the summer, said they didn’t feel the communication to workers was sufficient or transparent enough.
“Realistically, opening the library was a financial move, so they could justify having students on campus,” said Frankie, who submitted one of the two library-related @covid.campus posts.
Taylor stated the shift to reopening was strange, because it was so sudden and that the “only difference is that they added the plexiglass barriers.”
Student workers expressed that despite only allowing students, staff and faculty in the facility, it was only students that were “disrespecting” the space. Taylor emphasized that students wouldn’t follow the required mask wearing protocol and that “the thing that’s gonna fix it is holding people accountable.”
All the student employees stated they would have preferred the library remained closed, not just for their own safety but for patrons. Frankie mentioned that if they got routine testing provided by administration, even without symptoms present, they would feel better about working.
“I feel like they owe it to us to keep us updated and informed as much as possible. Because [administrators] have offices in the back, but we’re in the front and walking around or having people come up to us. I’ve been disappointed in their response,” Alex said. “It doesn’t have anything to do with my direct staff — I feel like they do what they can, because they’re subject to library admin, their bosses.”
Library Administration Response
When library administrators caught wind of the page, they were shocked and concerned about safety, said Susan Breakenridge, assistant dean and library administrative services. Upon closer inspection, they found that although they appreciated the concerns expressed, “the reality of some of that is not actually correct.”
“I believe the confessions are real, of students and student employees — that doesn’t make them completely accurate in reality,” Breakenridge said.
“We read posts and contextualized them, and looked at what our operations are,” Mark Watson, interim library dean, said. “For example, students clean surfaces, and we think it’s a good idea for people to sanitize their area. It doesn’t mean that’s the only way we kept safe, but that’s what the post would imply. We would argue with every point addressed.”
The administrators said that they recently added laminated papers on each table to provide physical reminders about whether a table was cleaned or still dirty. There are also signs in and outside of the buildings to remind students to keep areas clean and masks on.
Breakenridge added that there is a third cleaning crew that goes through the library at night. Otherwise, high touch points are cleaned throughout the day.
Getting the same information through many communication channels during the pandemic has been challenging, Breakenridge said. She explained that after communicating with full-time employees, those supervisors are responsible for conveying that info to student employees.
Concerning students who may be hiding out in different areas of the library and not wearing their masks, Rick Stoddart, a library strategic coordinator, said the library staff have been monitoring behavior and moving furniture as more information is available.
Breakenridge emphasized that student workers are permitted to approach and remind students to put their masks on, but not expected to ─ only if they feel empowered to do so. Erin Stoddart, strategic projects and grants development librarian, added that anyone using the library or any other on-campus facilities needs to wear masks at all times, and that groups are not permitted.
Watson said he finds confessional sites problematic because they can spread misinformation and reinforce the assumption that UO admin aren’t doing anything.
“Individual conversations are better, because I don’t know how things get better when someone anonymously posts to a social media website when they could just as easily have spoken to any one of us and heard the info we’re telling you, to complain about problems which may or may not actually be real problems,” he said.
Human Physiology Labs
The account also published a couple posts concerning the human physiology department and requirement of in-person cadaver labs in early October. The cadaver lab is the only in-person section for human physiology students. Two anonymous posts, one by an individual and the second by a group of human physiology students, outlined fears of inability to social distance and of contracting COVID-19 from classmates.
The individual said they found it was unfair that they would be forced to take the lab or be late a year in obtaining their degree.
The anonymous group of students expressed concern about being unable to socially distance. The post said that “the professor explicitly stated in lecture that social distancing won’t be maintained at all time” and that the department had the ability to make the course online but wouldn’t.
When word of these posts got to the department head of human physiology Dr. John Halliwill, he expressed how he “wished they reached out directly for a dialogue.”
He said he was glad the page existed as an outlet for students to air their concerns, but regarding HPHY-specific worries, that it’s challenging to see that students are concerned without learning more about their perspective, especially because there can be a mass spread of misinformation.
Halliwill emphasized that after looking at historical data, feedback from alumni and informal feedback from student interactions, the majority of students disliked remote labs and wanted them in-person. Additionally, enrollment trends showed that not many students registered for remote classes.
“Students getting experience with cadavers in the lab are difficult to replicate with online resources,” he said. “It’s about important three-dimensional relationships, but it’s hard to demonstrate that with online options. We didn’t feel that we could put together a course with the resources available so we stuck with the in-person lab option.”
Concerning the individual post alleging the professor stated that social distancing will not be maintained, Halliwill said the student took the statement out of context.
“The times that are spent in close proximity is very limited and only meant to be purposefully pointing things out,” he said. “We’ve been working really hard in the last week to reiterate that sentiment, and adhering to that rule.”
Halliwill added that the lead instructor has been talking to learning assistants to reinforce instructions, while also reaching out to students to clarify those expectations.
The HPHY department also supplied students with masks and eye goggles with side sheets. It also bought a HEPA air scrubber, cut down on the amount of embalming fluid to reduce odor and invested in commercial disinfectant spray machines, Halliwill said.
Greek Life
Since the @covid.campus page started, one complaint has remained consistent: some fraternities and sororities have been blatantly ignoring COVID-19 restrictions and throwing parties.
Fraternities explicitly named in posts include Delta Sigma Phi, Pi Kappa Alpha, Sigma Phi Epsilon and Lambda Chi Alpha, the last of which is mentioned multiple times. Sororities Alpha Phi, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Delta, Delta Gamma and Tri Delta are also explicitly named. Submissions have called out these chapters for having parties in live outs, in-person bid day events and overall getting off without any reported consequences.
Subsequent posts from other Greek life students claim that not all organizations are being as reckless, and that they disapprove of other houses’ behaviors. However, all the posts mention that Fraternity and Sorority Life and chapter leadership should hold students more accountable.
No group responded for comment except for the fraternity Beta Theta Pi.
“I can’t speak for other fraternities, but we’re taking it very real and seriously, following the set guidelines by Lane County and the state,” Jonathan Hughey, fraternity president said. “Having spoken with other chapter presidents, we all understand this is a glaring issue as being responsible for our personal conduct. We’re just doing everything we can to plan for limiting spread, since this virus has the potential to go on for years.”
UO’s Fraternity and Sorority Life, Panhellenic Council and the Interfraternity Council deferred to the official statement released by UO media and communications manager Saul Hubbard. The statement said that while the administration is aware of the account, “many of the posts, after further investigation, either contain inaccurate information, lack important context, or result from people misunderstanding the UO’s or an individual unit’s policies or rules.”
In place of submitting to the page, Hubbard advised using the UO Operations Inquiries or Behavioral Concern reporting forms or speaking directly with the leaders to follow up.
