Student government town hall raises COVID-19 questions
The Student Government Association hosted a town hall meeting Oct. 15 for students to discuss concerns regarding the return to campus. Panther Archives
The return to in-person, undergraduate classes generated a domino effect of separate conversations amongst the Chapman University student body. Hoping to address concerns, the Student Government Association (SGA) held a town hall to discuss the practicality and implications behind the CU Safely Back Plan.
The town hall Oct. 15 saw approximately 35 participants, and Marisa Quezada, a junior sociology major, was the first to speak and voice her concerns regarding the amount of COVID-19 testing required for students attending on-campus classes. President Struppa announced Oct. 13 that 25% of those regularly accessing campus facilities will be tested per week on a rotating basis.
“It is not in the best interest of students, staff, faculty and service workers on campus for everyone to only be tested once a month if people can contract the virus and spread it throughout that month,” Quezada wrote in an email to The Panther. “If Chapman wants to go back to in person learning, they must test students more frequently to ensure the health and safety of everyone.”
Quezada emphasized how the University of California, Irvine, announced Oct. 14 that it is requiring weekly testing for all students living in campus housing. Quezada asserted that Chapman administration should allocate additional funds to testing students more frequently.
Goodrich attended a meeting with President Daniele Struppa Friday afternoon to discuss the return to campus procedures and student concerns. When asked about announcing mandatory testing for all students returning to campus, Goodrich said Struppa was receptive to feedback.
“After our meeting, (Struppa) told me via email that all students returning will be required to be tested post-Thanksgiving break,” Goodrich wrote in an email to The Panther. “I am also working with Dean Price to identify other areas where testing can be improved.”
Valentyna Simon, a freshman psychology major who attended the SGA town hall, was quick to point to the free pop-up testing the Chapman Grand apartment complex offered Oct. 15 as a positive example of testing availability. This testing site, which operated via appointments from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., gave Chapman Grand residents the opportunity to get tested after Struppa reported Oct. 12 that six students living in The K Residence Hall had the coronavirus. Simon emphasized the pop-up model was a great resource, and Chapman should base more testing models around this method.
During an Oct. 13 open campus conversation, Dean of Students Jerry Price emphasized that any student can receive free COVID-19 testing at the Student Health Center if the student has health insurance. Students like Ricky King, a senior broadcast journalism and documentary major, also expressed worry about Chapman staff and whether they have the same ability to choose to remain remote.
“We brought up the concerns regarding the return of certain staff members (to Struppa),” Goodrich wrote. “Since this is not directly a student-related issue, I did not advocate for or against these policies, but I did acknowledge that this was a concern I have heard from multiple individuals.”
Near the end of the meeting, Quezada asked a question regarding the number of cases it would take for Chapman to reassess the coronavirus as an imminent threat and transition fully back to online learning. Both Goodrich and Struppa are looking for the answer to that question.
“I asked (Struppa) if there was a specific number of COVID-19 cases that would lead the university to move classes back to a remote format,” Goodrich wrote. “Struppa said that he would look into it.”