LETTER TO THE EDITOR: The university should be proactive sending students home, bringing them back
TO THE EDITOR:
Central Michigan University closes its doors on November 18 and does not return until January.19
When they close, more than 10,000 people took home new knowledge, experience and, potentially, a life-threatening virus. The question is whether CMU will act responsibly or just throw the dice with their health and those close to them.
CMU has not been proactive with how it's dealt with COVID-19; they did not require pre-testing before students arrived on campus, infected students placed into a COVID-dorm were allowed to leave to socialize, testing for the coronavirus was not available on campus until mid-September and they just started testing their waste for the virus.
To prevent endangering those close to students, the university should insist that everyone be tested before leaving. They should not send sick people home. They should shelter and care for anyone who would be a risk to others and anyone who would be placed at risk if they left.
CMU should take new precautions before they reopen. throwing together thousands of students, faculty, staff and all those in the community they come in contact with. They should require testing before people arrive. They cannot repeat August, when students were being isolated for COVID a week before classes had even started. CMU should be working with the members of #NOTFiredUpForFall, who have called for on-line classes and demonstrated a real concern for the community's health.
CMU should do all it can to protect the health of the community. If it does not, President Davies and the Board of Trustees should explain their decisions to those who suffer from their choices.
- Matt Mertz
