The University of Oregon is preparing to reintroduce in-person instruction in the upcoming fall term in accordance with statewide protocol, though UO faculty have expressed concerns that the details of those plans remain to be seen.
Four public health experts spoke with the Emerald about universities reopening in the fall, and the general consensus was that, while there is no risk-free way to reopen, there are measures universities can take to help minimize the possibility of spreading COVID-19.
Public health experts on the right (and wrong) approach
Melissa Graboyes, an associate professor of African and medical history at UO, described a lack of transparency from the university regarding its specific plans for testing, contact tracing and isolation systems during fall term.
“This is the kind of information that could be shared and should be shared,” she said. “It could build trust so that we could feel more confident in our university that they are taking the appropriate steps to safeguard the health, not just of the campus community, but also the wider Eugene community.”
Faculty have told their union that they would be willing to take pay cuts if the university will invest the money in measures that would help reopen campus safely, according to Kristin Yarris, an associate professor in Global Studies at UO and director of its Global Health Program. She said she also hopes that UO will supply janitorial and cleaning staff with personal protective equipment.
Lesley Jo Weaver, an associate professor in the university’s Department of International Studies, said she hopes to only see live instruction for courses in which social distancing can be maintained in the classrooms, as well as increased cleaning of offices and classrooms and consideration of alternative housing options that could maintain more social distance than dorms. She would also prefer that masks be required in some spaces, if possible.
Controls the university could take include having adequate ventilation, keeping chairs in classrooms six feet apart, holding classes in larger rooms, allowing faculty and students to work from home and having sufficient health services available for students to be tested, as well as a place for them to stay isolated, according to John Townes, a professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Disease and medical director of infection prevention and control at OHSU.
Townes recommended that universities have a protocol in place for screening asymptomatic people to determine if a COVID-19 test is warranted, and he said that UO’s Health Center should work in collaboration with Lane County Public Health to identify recent contacts.
The planning process
The university expects to reopen when Lane County is in phase two, which would limit in-person operations to some degree, UO Provost Patrick Phillips said.
Last week, UO provided a general outline of its plans for a potential return to campus in 2020. The webpage listed planning and safety measures but didn’t go into detail about specific protocols.
UO will abide by Gov. Kate Brown’s “strategy to reopen Oregon,” according to the webpage, and it will be informed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Oregon Health Authority and Lane County Public Health.
The university will explore a number of safety measures, including continued remote work, reducing density in campus facilities, enhanced cleaning, and COVID-19 testing and contact tracing for students and employees, according to the webpage.
When asked on May 21 about why the university has kept specific details of its reopening plans largely private, Phillips said, “There’s no conspiracy here and there’s no one in the backroom who has the giant list of plans that we’re passing through secret envelopes from person to person.”
UO cannot make specific plans until the OHA approves its general framework, he said, and its first official announcement will be a fall class schedule.
UO Chief Resilience Officer André Le Duc said in a statement, “The university and the [UO Incident Management Team] have put considerable effort into transparent communication throughout the outbreak,” through a regularly updated COVID-19 webpage, virtual town halls, daily campus-wide COVID-19 email updates and an online form for questions, concerns and suggestions.
“We’ve also communicated about many of our ongoing planning efforts before any decisions are made,” he said. “That includes information about our fall resumption planning, for example, or our long-term financial responses to COVID-19 with President Schill’s new joint task force.”
The university will release the fall course schedule and information about student registration priority on June 1, according to a statement from May 22.
“I can’t tell you how much work it has been to restructure the schedule of 3,000 courses after evaluating what the square footage of every single classroom is and so on and so forth,” Phillips said. “I think we’ll have a very good understanding of what the general framework looks like and what our plans are certainly before students leave for the summer.”
UO is also working to establish a certified testing facility on campus, according to an April 29 statement from Phillips.
Departments in the university will need to develop plans for operating remotely, on campus or in a hybrid form, according to a memo that Le Duc issued in a campus-wide email on May 26.
The IMT’s role is to assess options, make recommendations and implement policy, Le Duc told the Emerald, and it has included scientists from the university’s Environmental Health and Safety Department, medical professionals from the UO Health Center and research faculty “based on their expertise in this area.” The memo elaborates on the responsibilities of individual groups within the team.
The university is preparing for the Student Recreation Center to provide in-person services during fall term and is planning a phased resumption for the Erb Memorial Union, UO spokesperson Saul Hubbard said.
“We anticipate not allowing certain activities, per state mandate, that involve close contact and shared use equipment,” he said, and the university plans to have messaging at the Rec Center with instructions for following safety precautions.
Managing the risk
The university emailed faculty and graduate employees a survey on May 4 through which they could request to work 100% remotely in the fall, according to a statement from Human Resources, and UO is prioritizing those who meet the CDC’s criteria for being at higher risk.
Despite the May 14 deadline for the form, academic supervisors will soon reach out to faculty and GEs regarding their flexible work needs, and the university will seek feedback from UO employee groups, officers of administration and classified employees, Hubbard said.
In the event that a student living in UO residence halls tests positive for COVID-19, Director of Housing Michael Griffel said the isolation space for a student who tests positive during spring term “is in a residence hall that does not have other students residing there now,” and UO is designating spaces for fall term.
After an ill student is identified, they can walk to the room under detailed instructions or be driven in a van that UO Environmental Health and Safety dedicated to transporting a person who has tested positive for COVID-19, according to Griffel.
The student would go home if that is feasible and safe, he said. Otherwise, the student would stay in an isolation room in a residence hall where food would be delivered to them, and they would receive ongoing check-ins and support from UO Housing and Health Center staff.
Graboyes said that, while there are a number of aspects of UO’s planned safety protocol for which details could be provided, she hopes for clarity in three areas in particular.
“Tell us concretely, how is testing going to be done? Tell us concretely, what’s the plan for contact tracing? Tell us concretely about isolation,” she said. “Those are the big three, and I think sharing information about how is that realistically and feasibly going to be ready for mid-September, four months from now, would go a long way.”
Le Duc, in his memo, encouraged UO community members to submit questions, ideas or potential solutions regarding the university’s resumption plans on its COVID-19 web form.
