Fall 2020, COVID, and "Shared Responsibility"

[bento]

My U is in a hot-spot with COVID cases being placed in hospital halls.  No one knows what the fall will bring.

Yesterday several administrators and task forces held a virtual town hall to give short reports on planning and answer questions from campus and community.  The model they are promoting for F2020 instruction is "Hy-flex", f2f in divided classes socially distanced and masked, with recorded lectures for high-risk students who can't come to campus safely.

Their repeated phrase, almost mantra, was "shared responsibility".  Everyone is responsible for ensuring the safety of everyone else.  Questions that came up in the chat:

Will masks be provided?   No.

Who will enforce mask wearing in the classroom?  Faculty.

Will classrooms be cleaned between classes?   No, although faculty are free to sanitize surfaces as they see fit.

Who will decide/assist on extra accommodations?  Faculty are responsible for this.

Will there be technology in the classrooms to assist in recording?  No, this is a faculty responsibility.

Who will clean department office surfaces?   Department staff are responsible for this.

I'm thinking "shared responsibility" means "Ya'll are on your own and good luck not getting sick/dead/sued!  We just collect that sweet sweet tuition!   Ciao!"

Oh and it was also reported that our classroom HVAC systems, which we refer to as "freeze or broil", are 100% efficient at turning over air within a 24-hour period so all's well.

What are your universities doing in this area of F2020 planning?  I feel we are hung out to dry.

[Caracal]

My U is in a hot-spot with COVID cases being placed in hospital halls.  No one knows what the fall will bring.

Yesterday several administrators and task forces held a virtual town hall to give short reports on planning and answer questions from campus and community.  The model they are promoting for F2020 instruction is "Hy-flex", f2f in divided classes socially distanced and masked, with recorded lectures for high-risk students who can't come to campus safely.

Their repeated phrase, almost mantra, was "shared responsibility".  Everyone is responsible for ensuring the safety of everyone else.  Questions that came up in the chat:

Will masks be provided?   No.

Who will enforce mask wearing in the classroom?  Faculty.

Will classrooms be cleaned between classes?   No, although faculty are free to sanitize surfaces as they see fit.

Who will decide/assist on extra accommodations?  Faculty are responsible for this.

Will there be technology in the classrooms to assist in recording?  No, this is a faculty responsibility.

Who will clean department office surfaces?   Department staff are responsible for this.

I'm thinking "shared responsibility" means "Ya'll are on your own and good luck not getting sick/dead/sued!  We just collect that sweet sweet tuition!   Ciao!"

Oh and it was also reported that our classroom HVAC systems, which we refer to as "freeze or broil", are 100% efficient at turning over air within a 24-hour period so all's well.

What are your universities doing in this area of F2020 planning?  I feel we are hung out to dry.

My school is doing much better than that. The plan is that masks will be required, and provided to all students and also will be available in vending machines. Haven't heard about recording technology but I think that is already in place and I'm sure we will get assistance on using it. And everyone was given the option of choosing whether they were willing to teach face to face and in what format. There are apparently plans in the works to put up things like plexiglass dividers where needed. Doesn't solve all the problems, but I've actually been pleasantly surprised at the response. That kind of thing from your school seems inexcusable.

[polly_mer]

I'm thinking "shared responsibility" means "Ya'll are on your own and good luck not getting sick/dead/sued!  We just collect that sweet sweet tuition!   Ciao!"

<snip>

I feel we are hung out to dry.

You are being hung out to dry.  The institution will likely be sued by faculty, staff, and students when the entirely foreseeable happens.

[kaysixteen]

Indeed.  This sort of 'shared responsibility' plan sounds like the school is circling the drain financially and could not afford to do more.  This is definitely the sort of thing you can observe in businesses that are on the verge of bankruptcy.

[the_geneticist]

I'm thinking "shared responsibility" means "Ya'll are on your own and good luck not getting sick/dead/sued!  We just collect that sweet sweet tuition!   Ciao!"

<snip>

I feel we are hung out to dry.

You are being hung out to dry.  The institution will likely be sued by faculty, staff, and students when the entirely foreseeable happens.

As long as it's folks suing the university and not students trying to sue individual staff members.

[Parasaurolophus]

...wow.

I just heard from a friend that their university has been denying requests to teach online for faculty members with especially vulnerable spouses or children, on the grounds that it's not the faculty member who's especially vulnerable.


For my part, the university's plans are not at all clear yet, but we do know that the fall semester will be entirely online (with some few exceptions for courses that can't function online), and the winter semester will, in all probability, also be online. This is in a city that seems to have mostly managed its outbreak.

[polly_mer]

I'm thinking "shared responsibility" means "Ya'll are on your own and good luck not getting sick/dead/sued!  We just collect that sweet sweet tuition!   Ciao!"

<snip>

I feel we are hung out to dry.

You are being hung out to dry.  The institution will likely be sued by faculty, staff, and students when the entirely foreseeable happens.

As long as it's folks suing the university and not students trying to sue individual staff members.

There will be plenty of lawsuits all around.

A question to ask the administration now is to what extent the institution covers legal expenses for folks who are sued as a direct result of doing their job.  High ranking folks sometimes take out additional insurance for legal expenses because they can be sued as individuals alongside the institution.

[Larimar]

Wow, looks like I'm really lucky. OnlyGameInTown CC will be all online at least until mid-October, and possibly longer than that. Yes, they did rehire me for the Fall. I had thought there likely wouldn't be anything for adjuncts, but there was.


Larimar

[PScientist]

A question to ask the administration now is to what extent the institution covers legal expenses for folks who are sued as a direct result of doing their job.  High ranking folks sometimes take out additional insurance for legal expenses because they can be sued as individuals alongside the institution.

When I've asked this question in the past, the answer was that our university's policy is to indemnify managers for their managerial decisions.  I think that means normal faculty work is not covered at my institution.

Based on that answer, I did get an educator's professional liability insurance policy a few years ago.  Unfortunately, one of the specific exclusions in it is for any claims of exposure to viruses (or bacteria, or fungus, or dust).  Does anyone know of an insurance carrier that would actually cover Covid-19 claims?

[polly_mer]

Does anyone know of an insurance carrier that would actually cover Covid-19 claims?

I doubt you could buy a policy right now. Pandemic insurance was available to institutions, but few bought it early enough to collect now when they need it.

[pebbles116]

https://www.smudailycampus.com/opinion/faculty-senate-president-speaks-out-smu-does-not-believe-that-the-threat-of-covid-19-is-lethal

I'll just leave this here.......

(also hi I'm brand new here)

[mamselle]

My sister lives in Michigan and runs a small public library.

She was incensed that they dared to close her facility for health reasons.

She calls the governor "Her Highness."

So, not so surprising, albeit very regrettable...

M.