The heavy handed waivers are not the only problem facing faculty and students at colleges and universities right now. 1/

Despite surging Covid-19 throughout the country, universities and colleges are not retreating from full and “hybrid” reopenings that involve gathering students in dorms, classrooms, dining areas. 2/

Faculty having difficulty getting straight answers on what specific health measures are planned (e.g. how much testing, what PPE will be available, who is doing contact tracing) by universities. 3/

When specifics of health measures are shared, they sound unworkable and not in keeping with current science. For example, faculty at a DC university have been told air filtration in classrooms satisfactory even though filters cannot handle aerosol spread… 4/

…when pressed on this, administrator says that aerosol spread not a concern, contra what WHO and other scientists now saying. 5/

Many university administrators seem either confused or dishonest about the science around Covid-19 - or a mix of confused and dishonest. 6/

Faculty, students, staff have had some successes in the effort get fair and safe treatment from universities. In Georgia, they convinced regents to require masks on campus. 7/

My own institution is saying it will not use liability waivers (but we haven’t seen documents people coming to campus will be asked to sign; I worry about language that will be used to argue implied assumption of risk and as basis for contributory negligence arguments). 8/

Faculty - sometimes with students and staff - are working to push back against universities treating them like cattle to be forced into unnecessarily dangerous situations. The organizing itself counts as some success. 9/