Citing layoffs and resignations related to the pandemic and the return of more students to classes on campus, UA employee groups on Tuesday shared concerns about reopening and getting more of a say in campus decisions.
The 700-plus person Coalition for Academic Justice at University of Arizona along with the recently formed campuswide union said Tuesday that they have a role in improving campus. Their concerns were spread across many topics regarding university operations. The common goal: “How do we come together and work together to address a lot of these issues?” said Lane Santa Cruz, Tucson’s Ward 1 councilmember and a UA alumni. “I know that we didn’t create them, but it’s going to take us to address them as well.”
The groups called for more shared governance to improve the decision-making processes at the UA. Under state law, university employees “shall participate in the governance of their respective Universities and shall actively participate in the development of University policy.”
“I’m representing the numerous members of our university community who were not consulted during the administration’s planning to reopen campus,” said Nick Halsey, a UA faculty member. “Yet we’re now dealing with the consequences of the admin’s irresponsible and unilateral decision made on April 13 with case counts rising since March. President (Robert) Robbins initially announced a plan to bring students back to campus this fall.”
There have been 331 layoffs and nonrenewals as well as 348 resignations this year on the campus, the groups said.
In response to the campus reopening, the coalition launched a tool to report unsafe “work, study and residential conditions,” the groups said. They promoted their site (cajuarizona.com/non-compliance) on Tuesday as the administration prepares to allow more students to attend in-person classes.
On Monday, Oct. 12, about 2,500 more students will join 6,200 of their peers who are already attending in-person classes. The classes will have 30 or fewer students enrolled, but have raised concerns about virus spread. There have been 2,376 confirmed coronavirus cases at the UA since Aug.4.
“University of Arizona is made possible by us, by the people working and studying here. We are the lifeblood of this university,” said Logan Phillips, a union member and graduate student. “The biggest problem is that before now, we haven’t had a way to take collective action to address our shared concerns.”
Members of Union Campus Workers of Arizona #7065, whose membership is “hundreds strong,” according to Phillips, will be pushing for a slow start to the spring semester in an effort to help prevent coronavirus outbreaks.
“Even in the case of all accounting metrics being at acceptable levels, the university should wait two to three weeks to proceed with reentry given the potential multiweek virus incubation period,” said Halsey, adding that UA should begin the spring semester with essential in-person classes as others remain online.
Photos: Medical students volunteer to help the homeless population
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Updated
Christian Bergman, 4th year University of Arizona medical student, checks on a patient outside the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Updated
Members of the homeless population social distance themselves while waiting for their to-go food outside of the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Updated
Eugene Inocencio sits by himself at an orange cone as he waits for to-go food outside of the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Updated
Christian Bergman, 4th year University of Arizona medical student, talks with a patient through a tent outside the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Updated
Eudoria Lee, 4th year University of Arizona medical student, passes out a drink with electrolytes to the homeless outside the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Updated
Lekha Chesnick, 1st year medical student at Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine, talks with a homeless man (whom choose to not give his name) outside of the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Updated
Christopher Vance, center, and Eudoria Lee, 4th year University of Arizona medical students, help a homeless man with a foot injury outside the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Updated
From left to right, Audrey Gentry, EMT, Andrew Good, 4th year A.T. Still University medical student, Lekha Chesnick, 1st year medical student at Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Eric Lu, University of Arizona undergrad, meet before heading to help the homeless outside of the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Updated
Christian Bergman, 4th year University of Arizona medical student, takes the temperature of a patient outside the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Updated
Eric Lu, University of Arizona undergrad, hands a mask to a homeless man outside the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Updated
Eudoria Lee, 4th year University of Arizona medical student, passes out to-go food to the homeless outside the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Updated
Eudoria Lee, 4th year University of Arizona medical student, picks up some to-go food from Lekha Chesnick, 1st year medical student at Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine, outside the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Updated
Christopher Vance, 4th year University of Arizona medical student, hands to-go food to a homeless man outside the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Updated
Allison Kath, graduate University of Arizona pre-med student, sanitizes tables after helping with the homeless outside the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Updated
Allison Kath, left, graduate University of Arizona pre-med student, and Eric Lu, University of Arizona undergrad, walk through a parking lot after helping with the homeless outside the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz., on April 19, 2020.
Medical students volunteer to help homeless
Updated
Medical staff and students gather outside the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave., in Tucson, Ariz., on April 19, 2020 after helping serve food to the homeless.
UA worried about increases in COVID-19 cases nationally, preparing for virus testing blitz
UpdatedUniversity of Arizona officials are concerned after seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases nationally and locally just before the holidays.
UA administrators are urging students to participate in a testing blitz between Nov. 9-15 to prevent the spread of the virus if they plan to travel home or meet with family and friends for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Students will be required to complete a survey outlining their travel plans before Thanksgiving to determine how many students will complete the semester online away from campus, how many plan to return to campus after traveling and how many students don’t plan to travel for Thanksgiving.
After Thanksgiving, all classes will be fully online through the end of the semester, the UA said.
Seven gatherings of more than 100 people were reported to the campus area response team last week, six more than the previous week, the university said.
The university reported a 1.1% positivity rate from Oct. 23 to Nov. 1, with 79 positive cases out of 7,122 tests.
On Nov. 1, the university reported five positive cases out of 132 tests, a 3.8% positivity rate.
UA President Robert C. Robbins said the university plans to start the spring semester where it left off in November, unless COVID-19 cases in the area rise. Robbins is also working on a plan to make testing mandatory for everyone returning to campus in the spring, not just students who live on campus.
Dr. Richard Carmona, campus reentry task force director, said the university may also move to online-only classes in the spring if the increase in cases continues nationally and locally.
Medical students from the University of Arizona and other universities volunteer to help the homeless population with the growing concerns of …
