Boston University graduate students rallying against reopening plan amid coronavirus

Boston University graduate students who don’t want to teach in-person this fall amid the coronavirus pandemic are demanding that BU’s administration reverse course before September.

The Boston University PhD Student Coalition is sounding the alarm against BU’s reopening plan, and has organized a protest for Thursday across campus.

The group’s top demand is that BU offers a remote-work option for any work that can be done from home.

“Being online is our ultimate goal,” said graduate student Nicole Correri, a PhD candidate in the Religion Department. “It’s safer for everyone, and it’s possible. We can keep students interested and engaged, while keeping everyone safe.”

Most of BU’s undergraduate and graduate students have the choice of attending in-person classes or taking remote classes under a hybrid format this fall. However, staff and graduate students have to teach in-person, unless they were able to get a workplace adjustment for the fall semester.

“We’re concerned for the health of our community, our colleagues, and our own families and friends we live with,” Correri said. “Being forced to teach in-person puts families at risk.”

One of her major concerns about being on-campus is ventilation in the buildings, she said.

The protest on Thursday afternoon around the BU campus will include people in cars, on bikes and on foot.

A BU spokesman, Colin Riley, said that people have a right to protest.

“The university has made an extraordinary effort to address all public health concerns,” Riley said. “We want the safest and healthiest environment for our students, faculty and staff.”

BU is implementing a testing program that requires all members of the campus community to get tested frequently, he said. The university is also improving ventilation in buildings, he said, adding that they’re increasing airflow and upgrading air filters.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh said he’s “especially concerned” about the return of college students in the coming weeks.

“I just want to remind people who travel from out of the state — you need to comply with requirements on testing and quarantine,” Walsh said. “I am especially concerned also about colleges bringing back students to campus from high-risk states.”

The mayor said he’s receiving plans from all the colleges over how they’re going to deal with students.

“We’ve asked colleges to share with us their plans for testing and quarantine and safety protocols,” Walsh said. “We want to see that they’re developing a mechanism to implement and enforce these requirements.”

 

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2DSD8A9