Senate Hearings on Safe Reopening of Colleges

On June 4, 2020 the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held hearings on the safe reopening of colleges and universities. Witnesses included: Mitch Daniels, President of Purdue University; Dr. Christina Paxson, President of Brown University; Dr. Logan Hampton, President of Lane College an HBUC in Tennessee; and Georges Benjamin, Executive Director of American Public Health Assn.

My notable takeaways from listening to the hearing follow.

For the vast majority of colleges, the question is not if but how. Each college is pursuing development of plans to reopen. These plans take into account the safety of students, faculty and staff with an effort to address the needs of the most vulnerable. Safety measures we are all now familiar with (testing, social distancing, wearing masks, self-monitoring, reporting) as well as innumerable hybrid formats of delivering curriculum are all being considered. The realization is that there is a need to foster change in culture on campus. And as Daniels commented, there request is that if a family is not comfortable with and willing to support Purdue’s efforts, don’t come. Purdue has other online ways you can use rather than on-campus participation.

The role of government is primarily in providing increased financial aid dollars and to address colleges liability risks. This aid needs to go primarily to colleges with high proportions of students of color. The FAFSA is no longer an accurate reflection of many students’ financial situation. Though colleges will most likely win lawsuits under the current requirements that they behave responsibly, without specific requirements being set the cost of defending those suits will take away resources and focus.

Colleges should be under the assumption that there will be a case of COVID 19 on campus. CDC guidelines are the minimum, not the ideal, and currently the CDC has no guidance re: testing. Each college must have adequate testing capacity and each college is working on their own to develop strategies and protocols. Colleges without their own medical centers need partnerships in the community.

Undocumented students have been excluded from the CARES act. Same exclusion for veterans and others who have not filed a FAFSA. The three college president witnesses at the hearing agreed to support all students.

Currently no legislation is in front of Congress to assist colleges.