MADISON, WI (Wisconsin Radio Network-WSAU) UW Madison is facing criticism over the decision to bring students back on campus this semester amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Chancellor Rebecca Blank says that was what students wanted: “They all left last March, when we had no idea what we were facing. They went home and finished their semester, usually at their parents house. For many of them that was not a very satisfying experience. And they all planned to take up their housing contracts whether we were in-person or online. That became very clear by the middle of the summer.”
Will undergraduates home amid surging coronavirus cases, as requested by Dane County Executive Joe Parisi? Don’t bet on it happening soon. “This is not an issue that’s going to resolve itself by simply telling all students at the university to go home. This is their home. They’re paying rent, it’s where they are. And the more interactions we have with them, the more that we can work with them, I think in many ways the better off we are.”
Blank on Monday pushed back against the idea that UW was waiting until after the tuition reimbursement deadline to cancel in-person classes. She said the school is considering moving the cutoff of when students could request full reimbursement.
Blank says moving all classes online for two weeks and quarantining students in their dorms may bring the Coronavirus numbers down. If not, other options might be considered. “Certainly those who are quarantined, we do not want to go home unless they have pledged to continue their quarantine. There are some students who are opting to leave, and we are suggesting that they get tested before they go. If they were in quarantine we tell them they need to quarantine as they go home. But we’re on a two-week hiatus. I hope that we bring these numbers down, that we might see some changes.”
The UW faculty senate has suggested canceling spring break to discourage students from traveling. That measure is under consideration, but hasn’t been approved yet.
