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Serving The University Of Texas At Austin Community Since 1900 @thedailytexan | thedailytexan.com
Wednesday, August 26, 2020
NEWS
OPINION
SPORTS
Volume 121, Issue 12 LIFE&ARTS
UT updated and expanded Title IX requirements in accordance with new federal regulations.
UT must provide details on how isolation housing for COVID-19-positive students will function this fall.
The NCAA will grant an extra year of eligibility to all fall athletes who play or opt out.
Clear masks remove some communication barriers for Deaf and hard of hearing people.
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UNIVERSITY
ut enforces covid-19 rules on-campus
rocky higine / the daily texan staff
On-campus violations may result in suspension, but UT will not punish students for off-campus behavior. By Andrew Zhang @andrewczhang
T will enforce COVID-19 health guidelines on campus this fall through an online reporting process that could result in punishment from the University. However, off-campus violations will not be enforced by University staff or the UT Police Department. The University will require masks in campus buildings, ban on- and off-campus parties and forbid action that
“threatens the health and safety” of others, according to the Protect Texas and Office of the Dean of Students websites. On-campus violations can be reported by community members to the Office of the Dean of Students. Reports can be anonymous, but will be dismissed if they are too vague or lack credibility, according to the Office of the Dean of Students website. Anonymous reporters will not be contacted to answer clarifying questions. Health guidelines will be enforced for faculty and staff by the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost and University Human Resources, respectively, in accordance with
(Off-campus enforcement) is a little bit outside our role. We’re looking at confrontation issues, where someone is not willing to abide by the requirements.” SARA KENNEDY dean of students spokesperson
typical University procedures for discipline, according to the Protect Texas website. Sara Kennedy, director of strategic and executive communications for the Office of the Dean of Students, said University staff will give student violators a chance to correct their actions when a violation occurs on campus. For example, she said a student who does not wear a mask would be offered one by a staff member. “The issue is that someone is threatening the health and safety of the people who learn and work and live in our community,” Kennedy said. After a violation, Kennedy said a student will be referred to the
CAMPUS
VIOLATIONS
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COVID-19
Unlike other campuses, UT will not have COVID-19 case threshold to trigger shut down By Anna Canizales @annaleonorc
UT has not declared a set number of confirmed COVID-19 cases that would cause a campus shutdown, but it has declared student death as a potential shutdown trigger. University spokesperson J.B. Bird said UT could transition to fully online classes if the number of cases would create a public health threat to the UT community and overwhelm the University’s ability to test, trace and isolate. He said a committee has been set up to monitor UT’s case numbers and make changes as warranted. As of Aug. 24, UT has reported four student cases and 19 faculty and staff cases since July 29, and a total of 291 student cases and 188 staff and faculty cases since March. Some universities across the country, including Syracuse University and Liberty University, have declared a specific number of cases as their threshold for transitioning to online learning. A University of Georgia associate professor told the New York Times universities could reach their shutdown threshold days or weeks before those cases are reported because of the lag time between a person becoming infected and the time they
conduct reporting process and receive an email warning. If a student is reported for violating health guidelines again, they must attend a conduct hearing that will be scheduled within 24 hours, Kennedy said. Before the conduct meeting, Kennedy said the student will receive an “interim” punishment that would potentially restrict their access to campus. Kennedy said students may face suspension at the conduct meeting, but she did not provide further details about discipline for violating policies.
Students discuss reasoning to attend fall classes from home By Andrew Zhang @andrewczhang
steph sonik / the daily texan file develop symptoms and test positive. Susan Hochman, associate director of assessment, communication and data informatics for University Health Services, said the University’s capacity for rapid COVID-19 testing will help to stay on top of cases and avoid a testing lag.
“Our in-house testing strategy gives us an advantage here,” Hochman said. “Our contact tracing team can immediately act on a positive test result, allowing us to quickly interrupt further spread of the virus.” SHUT DOWN
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Derek Ji envisioned his senior year at UT as an idyllic “last hurrah” with his college friends — attending football games and absorbing the energy of being a Longhorn before starting a full-time job. Instead, he will spend the fall semester Zoom-ing into class from his childhood home in Plano, Texas. Almost half of UT students will take their classes fully online this fall, according to a University news release. Some students who, like Ji, decided to spend their fall semesters in their hometowns, say they made that choice because they were worried their peers would not follow COVID-19 health guidelines. “It’s a matter of priority,” said Ji, a management information systems senior. “It would be fun to go back (to Austin), but … I would probably be uncomfortable, even if I was having fun. There would always be that burden on my mind (of getting sick), and that stress isn’t worth it.” In the past week, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and
the University of Notre Dame both switched to being fully online after outbreaks of COVID-19, according to The Daily Tar Heel and NBC News. Ji said the recent transition of UNC verified his decision to stay home. University spokesperson J.B. Bird said UT is emphasizing remote learning, which will help safeguard the community’s health. He said the fall plan was made to meet students’ needs, not financial concerns. “Our academic planners, who worked with students throughout the process, had the students front and center in their minds as they went through scenario planning to explore a variety of different options for the fall,” Bird said in an email. Bassoon performance junior Davey Hiester, who plans to stay home in Philadelphia this fall, said he takes the risk of contracting COVID-19 very seriously, as his lungs power his aspirations of playing the bassoon for a living. “When tens of thousands of 18 to 22 year olds who haven’t seen each other in half a year all come back together, can you realistically expect CLASSES
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