Are Campus Reopening Plans Realistic?

The University of Utah is slowly but surely rolling out more information about returning to campus for Fall 2020 at https://returntocampus.utah.edu/.  Unfortunately, these web pages aren't data and there isn't a clear traceable way to see updates, but it appears some additional information has been added recently. 

There are two changes that I see as an improvement.  First, language related to face coverings has been strengthened.  It now clearly says that students must wear face coverings in class.  Second, the the faculty and staff information page at https://returntocampus.utah.edu/faculty-staff-information/ states that on-campus office work is allowed but should be minimized, with remote work encouraged. 

Nevertheless, I think these plans, which state that "classes will resume — in a mixture of in-person and hybrid delivery — on campus on August 24" are overly optimistic and fail to face reality.  I favor an approach in which as many classes as possible are taught online and we do all possible to reduce risk for on-campus instruction of classes that cannot be effectively taught online including but not limited to lab and performance classes. 

The simple fact of the matter is that the United States and the State of Utah have failed to contain the coronavirus.  We've had months to reduce transmission, improve testing and tracing, educate the public on the importance of mask wearing and distancing, and reduce infections, and yet here we are with cases on the rise throughout the state.  The genie is out of the bottle and it is hard to put it back in.

The University of Utah has more than 24,000 undergraduate and 8,000 graduate students, plus faculty and staff.  Most commute daily to campus from all over the Salt Lake Valley, Wasatch Front, and surrounding region.  Parking is limited on campus.  Public transportation is essential, with distancing likely impossible at rush hour times. 

We can enforce distance and masking protocols all we want on campus, but the reality is that students are going to partake in risky behavior and bringing them together every day is a recipe for transmission.  It may be hard to believe, but I was a university student once and I can assure you I wasn't studying in the library 7 days a week.  As psychology professor Laurence Steinberg of Temple University wrote today in the New York Times, "Expecting Students to Play it Safe if Colleges Reopen Is a Fantasy."  He goes on to say that the safety plans being proposed are delusional and could lead to outbreaks of COVID-19.  I would have said will. 

There appears to be no organized method of providing comments to the University about the reopening plans.  I have been told to communicate via my department chair and college dean and encourage you to voice your opinions through those avenues as well.  It is clear that input from the faculty has resulted in some changes in plans over the past week or two.  I'm not sure how much student input has been solicited through this process, but it is important.  The "Project Marmalade" team that is putting together these plans is comprised almost entirely of administrators and has no student members.  They need to hear from everyone.