Faculty Senate > Recent Posts > Responses to Constituent Concerns > Questions surrounding return to face-to-face Instruction in the fall

Questions surrounding return to face-to-face Instruction in the fall

Anonymous constituent concern from 4/7/2021. These questions relate to all campuses.

  1. Who are the members of the WSU Testing, Attestation, and Contact Tracing (TACT) Committee, their departmental/campus affiliations, and how can members of the university community contact them with concerns or questions?
  2. We have learned that a 3-foot distancing requirement is to be implemented in classrooms in fall. Where is the data that supports this move? While the CDC has approved 3-foot distancing for K-12 students, their adult teachers are still supposed to remain 6 feet away from them, and from other adults (“CDC continues to recommend at least 6 feet of distance: Between adults in the school building and between adults and students.” – https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/p0319-new-evidence-classroom-physical-distance.html). Please provide the research or rationale for changing the distancing requirement to 3 feet.
  3. When will we find out whether vaccination will be required for the on-campus WSU community? We have learned that the expectation is that students will come to campus for classes coded as in-person, and that they may not attend remotely except with formal accommodation. If this is the case, and we are to use 3-foot distancing instead of the 6-foot CDC recommendation, it seems like requiring proof of vaccination is the bare minimum WSU can do to protect its staff, faculty, and students.

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1 comments on "Questions surrounding return to face-to-face Instruction in the fall"

  1. Question 1 response: The committee memberships are listed below. Note VP Kerr and VP DeWald are available to address any specific concerns.

    Testing, Attestation, and Contact Tracing (TACT) Committee Members

    • Daryll DeWald, Ph.D., Vice President for Health Sciences (Co-Chair)
    • Colleen Kerr, J.D., Vice President for External Affairs and Government Relations (Co-Chair)
    • Mary Jo Gonzales, Ph.D., Vice President for Student Affairs
    • Guy Palmer, DVM, Ph.D., Regents Professor of Pathology and Infectious Diseases
    • Pat Chun, Director of Athletics
    • Danielle Hess, J.D., Senior Assistant Attorney General
    • Chris Keane, Ph.D., Vice President for Research
    • Phil Weiler, Vice President for Marketing and Communications
    • Sasi Pillay, Ph.D., Vice President and Chief Information Officer
    • Craig Parks, Ph.D., Vice Provost for System Innovation and Policy
    • Vicki McCracken, Ph.D., Associate Dean and Director of Extension
    • Sharyl Kammerzell, J.D., Associate Vice President and Chief Compliance & Risk Officer
    • Ellen Taylor, Ph.D., Associate Vice President for Student Engagement
    • Bryan Blair, J.D., Deputy Director of Athletics & Chief Operating Officer
    • Anne McCoy, Deputy Director of Athletics & Senior Woman Administrator
    • Theresa Elliot-Cheslek, Associate Vice President & Chief Human Resource Officer
    • Holly Sitzmann, Executive Director of Strategic Communications
    • Joel Schwartzkopf, Executive Director of Cougar Health Services
    • Chris Mulick, Director of State Relations
    • Kendra Wilkins-Fontenot, Director of Disability Services and Labor Relations
    • Shawn Ringo, Assistant Director of Occupational Health & Safety
    • Hailey Rupp, Emergency Operations Project Manager for COVID-19
    • Connor Haggerty, Policy and Affairs Coordinator for State Relations (Staff)

    Scientific Advisory Subcommittee (SAS) To TACT Committee Members

    • Daryll DeWald, Ph.D., Vice President for Health Sciences (Co-Chair)
    • Colleen Kerr, J.D., Vice President for External Affairs and Government Relations (Co-Chair)
    • Guy Palmer, DVM, Ph.D., Regents Professor of Pathology and Infectious Diseases
    • Chris Keane, Ph.D., Vice President for Research
    • John Roll, Ph.D., Professor and Vice Dean for Research
    • Celestina Barbosa-Leiker, Ph.D., Health Sciences Vice Chancellor for Research
    • Tim Baszler, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory
    • Douglas Call, Ph.D., Regents Professor in the School for Global Animal Health
    • Elissa Schwartz, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the School of Biological Sciences
    • Eric Lofgren, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the School for Global Animal Health
    • Sterling McPherson, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the College of Medicine
    • Ofer Amram, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the College of Medicine
    • Laura Lewis, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Director of Food Systems Program
    • Jon Oatley, Ph.D., Professor and Associate Dean for Research
    • Sasi Pillay, Ph.D., Vice President and Chief Information Officer
    • Sharyl Kammerzell, J.D., Associate Vice President and Chief Compliance & Risk Officer
    • Sean Greene, Associate Vice President for Facilities and Operations
    • Geeta Dutta, Ph.D., Assistant Vice President for Research Advancement and Partnerships
    • Ben Stone, Whitman County Public Health
    • Holly Sitzmann, Executive Director of Strategic Communications
    • Scott Maloney, Director of Innovation in the College of Veterinary Medicine
    • Levi O’Loughlin, Ph.D., Associate Director & University Biosafety Officer
    • Shawn Ringo, Assistant Director of Occupational Health & Safety
    • Jason Sampson, Assistant Director of Environmental Services and Public Health
    • Hailey Rupp, Emergency Operations Project Manager for COVID-19
    • Connor Haggerty, Policy and Affairs Coordinator for State Relations (Staff)

    Question 2. Senate Exec met with the provost’s office this week where we discussed fall 2021. The rapidly changing (almost daily) state and federal guidance makes projecting to fall very difficult. With the new national target of opening vaccine eligibility on April 19, 2021, more data coming in detailing vaccine success, and several schools mandating vaccines for fall 2021, some of these concerns may be moot. We have asked that more regular updates be provided that outline these topics on the WSU COVID site.

    Question 3. See https://facsen.wsu.edu/2021/04/08/student-vaccination-requirement

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