‘We’re all scared.’ TCU faculty want more COVID protocols as delta surges in Fort Worth
Faculty at TCU are voicing their concerns about the university’s COVID-19 guidelines for the upcoming semester, saying the lack of concrete policies may endanger Tarrant County.
TCU is not requiring masks or proof of vaccinations, and there is no policy on whether faculty can require masks in their classrooms. Students are asked to to share their vaccination status on a survey.
North Texas is seeing a “dramatic spike” in cases as health care providers struggle to find staff. Last week, Tarrant County led the region in hospitalizations after seeing more than five times the number of new weekly cases compared to early June.
Students start moving in Aug. 14 and classes are set to begin Aug. 23.
A growing number of faculty are “deeply concerned with the administration’s inaction” to enact policies that protect the campus and the broader Fort Worth community, the TCU chapter of the American Association of University Professors said in a statement on Monday.
TCU responded to interview requests with a statement that said policy changes would be communicated directly to students, faculty and staff.
“Updates to COVID-19 protocols continue to evolve as we monitor conditions in our area,” the statement said.
The professors group suggests three safety protocol options: require vaccinations for students, faculty and staff; reinstate indoor mask mandates, social distancing and regular testing; or give faculty the option to require masks and distancing in their classrooms. Its preferred option is vaccinations for all.
“Taking any of the measures above helps to ensure the safety of the thousands of TCU workers and administrators, as well as thousands of students, and hundreds of thousands of Fort Worth residents,” the statement said.
Jason Helms, associate professor of rhetoric, said faculty members are exhausted by the pandemic and the university’s approach to it. Faculty and staff have died over the course of the last year, and he’s not sure that would have happened if the university was fully virtual. He said the past few years has eroded his trust for administration.
“We’re all scared, we’re all tired, we’re all angry,” he said.
Helms said he doesn’t think vaccinations will ever be required by the university and isn’t optimistic about the other two options.
Chip Stewart, chapter president and journalism professor, said he has received emails from faculty about their concerns, with many pointing out that the university isn’t even close to following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
He said faculty has also been kept in the dark regarding administrators’ decisions, saying that last summer there were a number of town halls and meetings for employees. He said now all communication is through email, and even that has been rare.
Stewart said faculty are concerned for student safety, their own classrooms and potentially spreading the virus to their families, but most of them are primarily worried about bringing together 11,000 students to campus and becoming responsible for an outbreak.
“It seems just foolish for an institution of higher education full of scientists and learned people not follow the best practices of scientists and health professionals,” he said.
Stewart and said he hopes to at least see the university follow CDC guidance for universities that do not require vaccines.
A representative of the university Faculty Senate was not immediately available for comment.
Other private universities in Texas are requiring preventative protocols for students and employees. Public universities are banned from requiring masks or proof of vaccinations because of an executive order by Gov. Greg Abbott blocking such measure for state-funded institutions.
Rice University in Houston will require masks indoors, is asking students and employees to share their vaccination status and will routinely test students based on their status. Trinity University in San Antonio is doing the same, and will limit capacities at events. St. Edward’s University in Austin will require vaccinations and masks indoors, with some exemptions.
Baylor University is not requiring masks, but will be conducting weekly COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated and non-exempt students, faculty and staff during the first part of the fall semester. Southern Methodist University in Dallas will not require masks or vaccinations, but will allow faculty to seek an exception to the campus no-mask policy in their classrooms.
This story was originally published August 9, 2021 at 6:01 PM.
