Penn State’s student government passes resolution asking for more COVID-19 testing, greater transparency
Penn State’s undergraduate student government — the University Park Undergraduate Association — joined a chorus of other groups Wednesday night in formally asking the university for greater transparency and more widespread COVID-19 testing, while stopping short of recommending a shutdown.
The UPUA overwhelmingly passed a resolution, largely a symbolic act, that centered on improving safety, student life and openness with the university during the pandemic. It passed with 32 yes votes, two no votes and four abstentions.
“We’re not condemning the university or saying, ‘You did something bad,’” said Annmarie Rounds-Sorensen, an at-large student representative and one of the resolution’s authors. “It’s just a note to draw awareness to the situation and a reason why some of the things we’re suggesting in the recommended course of action are necessary.”
Following the lead of the faculty-based group Coalition for a Just University, the UPUA recommended the university increase surveillance testing from 1% daily to 10% daily. With the rise in asymptomatic cases — meaning those who show no outward signs of infection — several representatives emphasized that the university’s own data appears to back their suggestion.
From Aug. 21-27, Penn State’s COVID-19 infection rate among surveillance testing was 0.45%. From Aug. 28-30, that jumped to 0.77%, which could mean a greater number of students might be unknowingly spreading the coronavirus.
The UPUA also asked for the university to publicly release its closing plans, echoing requests from both CJU/PSU and the Penn State chapter of the American Association of University Professors.
“Definitely, we need to know what the university’s criteria are,” said Brian Schultz, a representative of the College of Information Sciences and Technology.
According to Penn State’s COVID-19 dashboard, 69 students at University Park have now tested positive, as of data through Sunday. From Friday through Sunday, there were 32 positive cases.
Data from Monday through Thursday will be available this Friday.
Too late to shut down?
The most contentious part of the four-and-a-half hour meeting came during the discussion of potentially recommending a shutdown of the university.
That resolution failed with 28 no votes to 11 yes votes, as opinions and experiences varied wildly.
One student said she’s already been tested twice; another said she doesn’t know anyone who’s been tested. Some students claimed an overwhelming number of their constituents want to close; others said an overwhelming number want to remain open.
The preliminary results from a non-scientific poll, conducted by one representative in favor of remaining open, showed that more than half of the 621 students polled said their education would be “greatly harmed” by closing. Others simply stated it was too late to close, explaining that off-campus students who make up the majority would likely remain here anyway.
One at-large representative, Noah Robertson, said Penn State should’ve never reopened in the first place.
“It’s been proven instance after instance that putting socially starved 18-year-olds in dorms in East is not conducive to properly following CDC guidelines designed to mitigate the spread of COVID,” Robertson said. “Penn State is not unique from other institutions who have tried and failed to bring students back. And, honestly, it looks more like a money-grabbing technique from the university than anything else.”
More than 120 students joined the online Zoom meeting, while a majority of students who spoke opposed shutting down. The reasons were numerous: One student from Hawaii said the six-hour time difference makes attending asynchronous classes incredibly difficult, another international student from India said taking four connecting flights back to his home country would put him more at-risk for COVID-19 than simply staying put, and another student — who said several family members died from the virus — said she couldn’t return home out of fear of spreading it to her family.
Other students cited mental health, abusive households, reduced quality of education and finances (local part-time jobs) as reasons to stay put. Several others agreed that, for them and their own communities back home, it would be safer to remain in Happy Valley.
That last point echoed a Sunday report from Bloomberg, which showed a growing number of public health officials are starting to agree with that premise.
A spokesperson for the Infectious Diseases Society of America told Bloomberg that it’s easier to isolate sick students and contact trace if they stay close to campus. “Colleges need to take on the burden of having these students kept at their campus and taking care of them,” epidemiologist Ravina Kuller told the media outlet.
Other students acknowledged the UPUA’s recommendation could have a far-reaching impact.
“If you keep them here, you need need to be able to keep them accountable and really make them understand that there is a lot at stake not only for them — but for everyone living on campus and everyone in the community surrounding them,” said Sara Jimenez Rincon, a student who spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting. “Because we’re not in a bubble. We are within an entire town and affecting a lot more people than we think we are.”
Both CJU/PSU and AAUP have advocated for moving instruction online for at least two weeks. That option was not on the table Wednesday night for the UPUA.
Other UPUA recommendations
The UPUA resolution that passed Wednesday night was multifaceted and detailed, addressing seven issues while making about a dozen recommendations in all. Here’s a brief look at the other suggestions, besides increased testing and making closing plans public:
- Increased dashboard transparency: Penn State should update its COVID-19 dashboard daily, as opposed to twice a week. “The UPUA believes the university is currently operating neither transparently nor honestly by concealing cases for a number of days,” the resolution read.
- Develop public contingency plans in case of a shutdown: If the university closes prematurely, it should prorate on-campus housing costs and implement alternative grading options like in the spring. The university should also allowing housing-insecure students to stay on campus.
- Clarify academic policies on missing class due to COVID-19: Any student who’s infected with COVID-19 and misses schoolwork as a result should be allowed to make it up, including final exams.
- Record all Zoom classes: Some international students who are currently overseas have a difficult time attending class because of the time-zone difference. UPUA also believes attendance policies should not be calculated into final grades.
- Provide hazard pay to student workers: Hourly workers should be given at least a $2 hourly increase in wages while non-hourly workers such as resident assistants should see a $100 semester stipend increase from the usual $500.
- Facilitate unemployment benefits: Some students whose part-time university jobs were eliminated as a direct result of the pandemic still do not qualify for unemployment. Penn State should collaborate with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor.
- Expand access to mental health resources: With the increased stress of the pandemic, funding and staffing should be increased to the university’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).
- Transition Career Services online: Instead of face-to-face appointments, Penn State’s Career Services sessions and appointments should expand to become virtual.
- Amplify student voices: Put more students on the university’s COVID-19 task forces so they have a greater say in what goes on.
This story was originally published September 3, 2020 at 3:41 PM.
