The necessary normal: COVID-19, The Panther Plan and the road to an in-person fall semester
Campus News, Front Page, News September 11, 2020, Comments OffTo say 2020 has been a difficult year is an understatement. Upheaval is present at every level right now, from local communities to the world stage as nations grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic.
From cameras in classrooms to stacked chairs in the CX, Drury University has taken necessary measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 – and to keep students on campus for in-person classes. As the Panther Plan states, this has been “no mean feat,” but it is a challenge Drury faces head-on with the formation of their Student Health and Public Safety Committee.
FAQ with the Student Health and Public Safety Committee
“We needed to put together a more forward-looking plan”
David Hinson, Executive Vice President, elaborated on the goals of the committee.
“The purpose of the committee was to start tackling these hard decisions about whether we could come back to campus in-person or needed to be online,” Hinson said. “We determined that we could operate safely here on campus, but we realized that we needed to do a number of things to make that happen.”
Hinson described the various “baby-steps” Drury has taken to ensure the safety of everyone on campus. “We looked at what we needed to do: we needed cameras and physically distanced classrooms. If a section needs to go online for a period of time, we needed to make sure we had the right tools and materials to accommodate this possible scenario.”
Drury students are instructed to properly clean the desks, tables and chairs they use in each class.
“As we were looking for a solution for students to clean the desks with, we needed something that was not only CDC approved but was also effective quickly,” noted Dr. Beth Harville, Executive Vice President and Provost. “There are a lot of cleaning solutions, such as Clorox wipes, that are difficult to get ahold of in large quantities right now. One solution the CDC recommends is a six-percent bleach solution, which is safe and fast-acting. One downside is that it does lose efficacy over time, which is why we have the refill stations.”
“We are really open to making improvements on all of our processes.”
Although there are not currently refill stations available in every campus facility, Harville explained that Drury is currently in the process of increasing the number of stations.
Another topic the committee faced early-on was the issue of on-campus housing. Although Smith and Wallace Halls have double rooms, they were the only housing options that required an adjustment for single-room residence. Upperclassmen in these dorms were moved to other locations like College Park or Jefferson Park.
“We decided to go single occupancy in the case that students needed to isolate,” explained Hinson. “We wanted our students to remain here without going home and potentially spreading infection.”
In terms of attendance, Hinson stated that Drury is only down 3.5 to 4 percent from expectation. “We had done scenario planning for much worse. We are very happy to have all of our students back with us,” he clarified.
“We care for all of our colleagues, but it is part of the challenge we face.”
Another common concern regarding Drury’s Panther Plan was the issue of finances. “We had to prioritize where we spent our money. Instead of refreshing our computers this year, we took the technology spending budget to cover the costs of mitigation and housing accommodations,” Hinson said. “We received funding from the CARES Act and have spent almost the entirety of that money. Approximately, 1.2 million dollars of funds received from the CARES Act was available for the institution and 1.2 million available for students.”
The committee members also touched on the subject of recent staff positions that Drury has let go. “There were about 50 total positions affected; many were reduced to attrition,” Hinson explained. “It has been painful to say goodbye to friends.”
Drury has recently implemented community-based testing. The university contracted with a private lab largely due to the lack of availability of tests. “The decision on community testing is based on peer reviewed articles,” Harville noted.
Overall, the Student Health and Public Safety Committee claims to be striving towards making decisions best for the Drury community.
“As we learn new information about the virus, about spread, mitigation, and testing, we need to be responsive to that new info to make this a better and safer place,” Harville concluded.
The role of SGA in the Panther Plan
The Student Health and Public Safety Committee, founded during the end of April, consists of Drury faculty, staff and two SGA representatives. The committee meets three times a week.
Nick Rauscher, President of SGA, and Kate Hall, VP of Student Affairs, served as the students on the committee. They alternated their meeting attendance, with Rauscher attending two of the three meetings each week and Hall attending the third. Both representatives were given equal standing in the committee to speak and share opinions as staff and faculty.
Rauscher echoed the importance of working with and taking cues from the health department.
“There was a lot of work being done – and still is – with the Springfield, Greene County Health Department. I would say that’s the biggest partnership that we have,” Rauscher said. “They’re able to advise on what they think is best for this specific community.”
Different measures affect different types of cities and campuses. The relatively low number of active cases at Drury may come from an ability to enforce stricter social distancing and masking policies than at a school with a larger student body.
Rauscher consulted fellow SGA members on questions that arose on the committee – what if there was one less day of fall break? How do you think students would react? Could you reach out to other students and ask?
“It was much easier to ask people to reach around their circles and get some information rather than to necessarily do broad surveys all the time,” Rauscher said. Surveys were not conducted through the SGA side of the committee process.
Student questions popped up in the SGA inbox throughout the summer, and students continue to reach out to the organization with concerns and praise during the semester.
“If you have something you need to share, share it with us, is kind of what our message has been,” Rauscher said. “We are thinking of ways that we as senators and vice presidents can be good examples of what a good student, or a considerate student, looks like at Drury.”
As a part of this effort, SGA has utilized their social media to share videos that answer student questions, give safety tips and offer encouragement of an eventual return to the Drury we know.
“Until that point, there are certain situations we shouldn’t put ourselves into,” Rauscher said.
COVID in Springfield
The Springfield City Council issued a masking ordinance on July 16 that expires on Oct. 14 unless another ordinance amends the end date. As of Sept. 9, there are 2,098 active COVID-19 cases in Greene County and 38 confirmed COVID-19 deaths.
The Greene County Health Department and the CDC continue to recommend staying at home when possible, avoiding crowds, and wearing cloth face coverings to reduce the spread of the virus.
Mike Galindo, an ER physician and assistant medical director for CoxHealth, elaborated on the hospital response.
“As a health system, Cox has taken COVID-19 very seriously. They have made multiple changes to accommodate the patient increases that we have seen,” he said.
Cox has a dedicated floor to COVID-19 patients. The hospital currently has 63 COVID patients, with at least 25 in intensive care. Other health issues are not on pause, however, and both Cox and Mercy are feeling the strain.
“Even though COVID is a problem, people still have heart attacks, they still have strokes, they still get into car accidents,” Galindo said.
Constant sanitation and personal protective equipment (PPE) have contained the spread of the virus among the doctors at Cox. Only one doctor has tested positive for COVID-19.
“The point I am making with that, is that masking, sanitizing and distancing works. If it didn’t work, we would have thirty doctors with COVID-19,” stated Galindo.
Galindo pointed out that Springfield was taking the mask ordinance seriously despite misinformation about the effectiveness of masks. While it is true that cloth masks are not as effective as medical-grade ones, they are what is available to the public at this time and offer the best protection for when social distancing cannot be observed.
“The college students coming back into town have been shown to have a high rate of infection, but we have not seen many super sick students,” Galindo said. “But they have to know that when they come into contact with those that are over 50, they are putting those people at risk, so I ask that college students be mindful about wearing masks to protect the elderly or otherwise ill.”
“Exemplary,” a “decent job,” and “a bad job communicating”: the spectrum of student feelings
In a Twitter poll, Mirror staff asked for student opinions on Drury’s COVID response. The poll ran for two days and received 106 votes. The results are as follows:
17% (approx. 18 votes) – Mostly approve
40% (approx. 42 votes) – Mostly approve, concerned about Springfield response
35% (approx. 37 votes) – Mostly disapprove, concerned about Springfield response
8% (approx. 9 votes) – Mostly disapprove
A.J. Sharer replied to the poll, adding that “Overall, Drury’s planning and adaptation have been exemplary compared to many other universities. I understand their focus on in-person classes and the value added by making connections with professors.”
Another Drury student Tim Anzalone said in his repsonse to the poll, “I think Drury has done a decent job in terms of having policies in place. I can’t speak for other departments on campus, but I feel like the architecture school has done well with enforcing rules/having hybrid classes.” He continued, “I worry about other schools in Springfield not being able to monitor their students as closely as we are able to with our small campus.”
Another Twitter user commented, “For the most part, I think that they’ve done a good job. We’ve only had a handful of cases so far, so their efforts appear to be working well. Biggest concerns aren’t even Drury’s fault (Neighboring areas, what students do off-campus, etc).”
There are areas to improve, however.
“Though, not every professor has been zooming class when someone is gone,” Sharer included. This comment was echoed in other interviews and discussions with students.
Many students have turned to social media to discuss praise and concerns about the return to campus with their peers. One such student is Emily Schulze, a pre-health biology and chemistry senior. They work in the admissions department and served as an Orientation Leader for the last three years. They are also immunocompromised.
Pre-health students received an email inquiring if they would train to administer COVID tests that 20 percent of the students and faculty are randomly selected to receive each week. Students who agreed to work would receive professional training to perform throat swabs and a staff member would supervise throughout the testing period. The pay is $10.00/hour for students who accepted the position.
Schulze noted that the job offer was presented as a resume builder. “My reaction to it was that it was kind of gross and manipulative, taking advantage of people who want to enter the medical field. Framing it as a resume builder is…a slippery slope,” they said.
“If we’re in so need of testers to test on campus, I don’t think we should be here at all if we can’t hire actual professionals to do this,” Schulze continued.
Responses from other pre-health members were split, Schulze noted. Some saw it as a great chance to gain experience, while others matched Schulze’s outlook.
“It doesn’t seem like a good idea to have students who are asked to stop in between classes to test potentially positive people,” Schulze said. “It sounds like an accident waiting to happen, even though you would be properly trained and that you would be provided protective equipment like at any other testing site.”
Schulze used their Twitter platform to share their concerns about the university’s fall plan, and their comments have not gone unnoticed.
“Since the summer, I have been very vocal about everything that is going on,” they stated. Schulze noted that multiple Drury representatives had reached out to her through Twitter and emailed about her comments.
Schulze paraphrased an email they received from their job in admissions that reminded staff they were the face prospective Drury students saw; social media posts should place Drury in a good light. Problems with the university should not be shared on social media.
It was not just backlash, however. Questions that Schulze asked privately were often answered in school-wide emails the next day or within the week.
“It was more so they had done a bad job communicating about what they did, which would have answered questions before I had them,” Schulze explained.
Schulze had inquired about a universal absence policy, which was followed by a statement from Drury that – for the most part – left absences up to the discretion of professors.
“It doesn’t feel that they looked as far ahead as they should have,” Schulze said.
They pointed to measures Drury is taking, like sanitation stations and designated entrance and exit doors as “a wonderful start,” but they need better enforcement.
“It’s just frustrating, because you don’t feel like you have the power as a fellow peer to call people out,” said Schulze.
For more information concerning COVID-19 in the Drury and Springfield community, follow the links below.
Panther Plan Roadmap page: https://www.drury.edu/about/the-panther-plan-our-fall-2020-roadmap
Springfield COVID tracker: https://www.springfieldmo.gov/5068/Coronavirus
Mask Ordinance: https://www.springfieldmo.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/14780?fileID=203417
MSU Masking policy: https://www.missouristate.edu/Coronavirus/masking-policy.htm
MSU FAQ: https://www.missouristate.edu/Coronavirus/faqs-for-students-and-families.htm
Written by Madelynn Fristo, Delilah Gadd and Maclen Johnson
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