Pictured above: Faculty Senate Chair Tim Boaz (left) relayed faculty’s concerns about USF’s “disturbing” approach to COVID-19 health and safety during a Board of Trustees meeting last week. St. Petersburg Faculty Council Chair David Rosengrant (right) sees that it’s a no-win situation for both faculty and administration.
Courtesy of Tim Boaz and USF.
As COVID-19 numbers rise and USF enters its second week of in-person instruction, there appears to be no clear resolution for the ongoing struggle between concerned faculty and an administration that’s bound to a controversial Florida legislature.
But while administration argues there’s nothing it can do, some faculty insist something needs to change.
During USF’s Board of Trustees meeting on Aug. 24, Faculty Senate Chair Tim Boaz relayed the faculty’s “extreme disappointment” in the university’s “disturbing” approach to health and safety amid the resurgence of COVID-19.
Boaz argued that if USF administration was still following its 2020 COVID-19 safety plan, the university’s campuses would not be open.
“The USF Board of Trustees approved a plan for USF to respond to the coronavirus pandemic in June of 2020. This was a carefully designed plan that was informed by the tremendous expertise of our USF Health faculty, and prioritized the health, safety and welfare of the members of our USF community… but this plan has been tossed out the window,” Boaz said.
“Instead, we are charging ahead with a full slate of in-person classes, packed with students, an unknown number of whom are vaccinated and some not wearing masks.”
Board of Trustees Chair Will Weatherford said safety remains the board’s top priority. He also emphasized the legal constraints USF faces due to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order prohibiting public schools from establishing mask mandates.
For weeks, faculty members have pressured administration to fight the executive order. However, DeSantis threatened to revoke state funding from public universities that refuse to cooperate — which, for USF, would be detrimental.
The Tampa Bay Times reported 60 % of USF’s $718 million Education and General budget comes through state funding. Those funds support the general instruction, research and public service operations of the university.
“People have different opinions with regard to how we should be combating this,” Weatherford said. “I would agree with you that there are things we can and should be doing to adhere to the scientific data regarding how we can prevent the spread of this disease. And that is with vaccinations, which we are heavily encouraging both on campus and in this community, and wearing masks.”
St. Petersburg administrators declined to respond to The Crow’s Nest’s request for comment on Boaz’s remarks.
Carrie O’Brion, St. Petersburg director of communications and marketing, responded to The Crow’s Nest’s request stating, “Once the board chair speaks, there shouldn’t be a need for individual administrators to weigh in.”
In a message to The Crow’s Nest, St. Petersburg Faculty Council Chair David Rosengrant said that the university’s struggle with COVID-19 concerns “is a no-win situation.”
“Though I think there are things that could be happening differently with the start of the semester, I understand that administration is put in a difficult space when the threat of losing all state funding is placed over our leadership. The idea that if we were to enforce even a mask mandate we could lose all state funding, completely limits our ability to ensure our students’ safety,” Rosengrant wrote.
But despite rising cases, hospitalizations and deaths, Rosengrant said that, for administration, “going back to previous requirements is being seen as defeat.”
“So many individuals are quick to keep going on a path that, because we started to move in a positive direction, we must, under all circumstances, continue to move that way… Money and revenues drive us forward without being able to slow down or briefly turn around. Whether we want to or not, I do not see us changing our heading moving forward if the numbers continue to rise.”
Mask mandates and vaccine requirements aside, Rosengrant said many faculty feel unsupported by administration in making changes to class modality from in-person to online.
While he agrees faculty should not be permitted to unilaterally change how a course is delivered, Rosengrant said those who follow the guidelines for a hybrid model should not have to fear judgment from administration.
“When face-to-face courses are designed to be between 51% and 100% in person, and faculty, through using sound pedagogical strategies, can successfully move the first few classes to an online format, that is viewed as faculty being lazy, irresponsible or not wanting to do their job,” Rosengrant wrote. “Some faculty may have already planned this out, but now are being ostracized for their instructional methods.”
Now, the university is relying on students and parents to report professors who move their classes to an online model.
An Aug. 21 Facebook post from USF Parents and Family Engagement and USF Dean of Students outlines Provost Ralph Wilcox’s expectations for faculty, stating faculty may provide online course components for students who cannot attend in-person classes, but they must deliver in-person classes as scheduled.
The post encourages students and parents to monitor course instructors and to report any faculty who may not be adhering to class modality standards.
As a father of an at-risk child, Rosengrant fears what Florida law could mean for his exposure to the virus.
“How could I look at myself in the mirror if I brought something home and gave it to him and things do not turn out well this time? So, yes, I am angry,” Rosengrant wrote. “I am angry we cannot listen to what the data is showing us and be able to require something as simple as wearing a mask.”
Read St. Petersburg Faculty Council Chair David Rosengrant’s full statement below:
I want to start by saying I think of only the highest regards for Dr. Boaz and he has done many great things for this university. Though our faculty may not all know all that he has done for our community, they are lucky to have him.
I think the current state of affairs that we are in is a no-win situation on many accounts. Though I think there are things that could be happening differently with the start of the semester I understand that administration is put in a difficult space when the threat of losing all state funding is placed over our leadership. The idea that if we were to enforce even a mask mandate we could lose all state funding, completely limits our ability to ensure our students’ safety. Thus, we are left with the option of being a martyr and possibly lose state funding for mandating masks and vaccines for those who can have it or following what the legislatures are telling us what we can do. Considering how they already underfund us compared to other institutions, I believe if we would try to be a martyr, we would have repercussions for that and that loss of funding would be catastrophic for us. So we can only expect you to wear masks and have them available, we cannot force you to wear them.
So let us turn our attention to the numbers. We have more cases than ever with COVID-19. We have a variant that is much more contagious than the initial pandemic. Our hospitals are overrun with COVID-19 patients who mostly are not vaccinated. Those same hospitals are short on oxygen and ventilators are in high demand (one of our best friends here is a respiratory therapist in a local hospital dealing with COVID-19 patients). Yet so many individuals are quick to keep going on a path that because we started to move in a positive direction, we must, under all circumstances continue to move that way. For whatever reason, going back to previous requirements is being seen as defeat as opposed to what needs to be done. Had these numbers been at the start of the pandemic, there would be no doubt in my mind, that how we are handling the situation would be different and very similar to how we handled it last year. Money and revenues drive us forward without being able to slow down or briefly turn around. Whether we want to or not, I do not see us changing our heading moving forward if the numbers continue to rise.
So what toll does this put on our students and faculty? A severe one. I agree faculty should not be allowed to unilaterally change how a course is delivered for the entirety of the semester. There are several problems with this if faculty members do that; SACS accreditation, student expectations, etc. However, when face-to-face courses are designed to be between 51 and 100% in person and faculty, through using sound pedagogical strategies can successfully move the first few classes pivoted to an online format, that is viewed as faculty being lazy, irresponsible, or not wanting to do their job. Some faculty may have already planned this out, but now are being ostracized for their instructional methods. Yet, it is said that faculty may provide extra materials for students who do not want to come in or may do synchronous instruction working with both those students at home and in person if they wish. However, if a faculty cannot or will not do that, then we are seen as a bad or heartless professor. Personally, I will do that but I am in a lucky situation where I can. Last year, faculty felt they had more support as there were allowances for research extensions, and evaluation scores were not held as high when we were forced to pivot. Those same supports are no longer in place this year. Many of our faculty are feeling burnt out, over worked and stressed more than ever. Now, we find out, we have messages going out to parents of students telling them how to report faculty over class delivery methods. The threat of faculty being told by HR that they are failing to perform their job duties is putting a great mental stress on them causing them to feel that lack of support.
Now, there are times when administration will support changes in modality. I was allowed to switch my first class to a virtual environment because my daughter was exposed to someone who had tested positive for COVID-19 in her middle school. She was not allowed to get tested until after I would have taught my class. Thankfully, everyone tested negative today but rather than being allowed as a professor to do what I think is best for my students, I had to get permission (which I did) to move my class to a virtual format for just that first class. This is my daily fear as a parent. I have two young children and every day I wonder if they will get something at school or what if I get something and bring it to them. My son contracted a respiratory virus when he was a year and a half old. That virus was known to be fatal to young children with respiratory issues. He was a one and a half year old child with asthma. He was on a ventilator in a medically induced coma for 10 days and then spent another 5 days recovering in the hospital. During that first week, I did not know if it was a “when is he coming home” or if it was a “if he is coming home.” Those memories of seeing an 18 month old toddler hooked up to multiple machines, with tubes going in and out is something a parent should never have to see. It is something I never want to experience again. Now I am in a pandemic wondering what may happen to my now 8 year old son if he gets the virus. Is there damage to his lungs that we do not know about? How compromised might his system be? How much more at risk is he than his classmates? How could I look at myself in the mirror, if I brought something home and gave it to him and things do not turn out well this time. So yes, I am angry. I am angry we cannot listen to what the data is showing us and be able to require something as simple as wearing a mask.
Many events are going virtual, just not our classes. If the models are correct, we should be turning a corner and have a decline very soon. That is why many faculty feel that they are not in a safe and supportive environment because we just want to get over that hill. We want to be with our students. We thrive on that in class energy. There is a special bond that many faculty have with their students. I don’t think of my students as numbers, or a “which semester were you in,” but rather as a special individual that I get one chance to do the best job I can with. I want to do everything I can to see you succeed, but before I can do anything, I need you safe. I care about my students which includes their safety. So right now, I am worrying for all of you, and I cannot do what I know I feel I should be doing to ensure you are safe in my class while providing you with the education you deserve.
