Faculty Senate members raised issues with what additional measures could be done for COVID-19 on campus when it comes to students being sick.
Faculty Senator Deborah Throne was the first to ask this question, citing that many of her students are out sick.
“The student made no accommodation by getting vaccinated and now they are expecting that their instructors accommodate them when they need it,” Thorne said. “It is wearing thin.”
Teachers are not expected or required to do Zoom to accommodate students, but capability is limited for professors who may want to. Many classrooms aren’t set up to accommodate Zoom or are practical, Faculty Senator Erin Chapman said.
Thorne recommended the university have more vaccination clinics on campus, making access to the vaccine easier for students.
“It would weigh down valuable professionals for five days a week when they are needed elsewhere,” Torrey Lawrence, vice provost, said.
The University of Idaho has provided clinics in the past and continues to do so, but no longer on a daily basis like last semester.
During the meeting, Savannah Stroebel, academic affairs officer for ASUI, asked if UI would ever have it required to have a vaccine or a negative test to enter large events like football games.
Boise State University required students attending a football game at Albertson Stadium to provide proof of vaccination or a negative test. However, due to the limitation of testing, BSU would not require all ticket holders to provide a negative COVID-19 test.
“Where this becomes challenging is we cannot hinder access based on vaccination status,” Lawrence said.
Faculty Senate also agreed on a department name change of geography and geological sciences to earth and spatial sciences.
The goal of this name change is to have a shared identity among the two departments, while maintaining degrees and recognition of degrees without any effects.
“It doesn’t change our current offerings, it doesn’t change our degree programs,” Jerry Fairley, chair of the department, said. “It is really the identity of the department.”
Daniel V. Ramirez can be reached at [email protected] or Twitter @DVR_Tweets