Early Monday morning, Western Carolina University’s Faculty Senate held an emergency meeting, called for by Senate Chair and professor in the College of Business, Dr. Kadence Otto. The senators discussed and passed a resolution that would set the body’s stance on the issue of a return to campus as one of extreme precaution, at least until a COVID-19 vaccine is ready for students to take. Senator Yancey Gulley, a Professor in the College of Education & Allied Professions, proposed in his resolution that the University “should not be operating in a residential and/or face-to-face capacity in the Fall semester of 2020.” Senator Gulley’s resolution came nearly two and a half months after Chancellor Kelli R. Brown announced classes would resume on campus starting Aug. 17.
Chancellor Brown was in attendance and gave an unprepared statement, stating that she appreciates the Senate’s voice but believes that when it comes to planning how this semester will look, “we’ve done an excellent job.” SGA President Dawson Spencer also spoke, and emphasized the importance of everyone wearing masks across campus in order to maintain the current in-person format.
The document postulates several key reasons why WCU should not allow students back on campus, citing hospitals reaching capacity, the population influx students bring to Jackson County (as well as the region’s lack of resources to handle that many individuals), and a lack of 6′ wide halls, sidewalks, and ramps. Additionally, Gulley states that “the University has proven that we can operate in an online format in effective ways that support our mission” and that the faculty “already took on the burden of a fast pivot to online learning in the middle of the Spring semester.”
That is a snippet of the comments on @barstool_wcu’s Instagram post concerning the announcement of Professor Gulley’s resolution. The message is more or less the same: we’ve paid for housing and dining already, we’re here to get our money’s worth. And it’s not hard to see why. The University announced that it would not issue refunds to students in the event they’re forced to leave due to COVID-19, stating that “the current uncertain economic environment and health outlook precludes us from making any definitive decisions or commitments now on future refunds.”
“If the UNC System institutions are able to offer financial relief to students — in the form of refunds or other measures — we would certainly like to do so.”
This issue was highlighted in the meeting by Senator David De Jong, one of the resolution’s strongest opponents. A psychology professor, De Jong expressed several aspects of concern regarding the resolution as a whole.
”I suggest we take a step back and ask ‘What are we trying to do here?’ This is a ship that sailed a long time ago.”
Senator Will Lehman voted in favor, but proposed an amendment due to several syntax issues, stating that the document “does not meet the standards that I would deem acceptable from my own students.” The amendment, which passed overwhelmingly, develops more arguments in the last paragraph of the resolution and shifts pressure to North Carolina’s State Legislature, calling upon them to further fund the UNC System so students could receive refunds in the event of another forced departure.
The document can be read in its entirety below:
