FAMU's plan for spring face-to-face instruction could endanger faculty and staff

FAMU announced in October that it would be offering more face-to-face instruction in the spring semester, around the same time that Governor Ron DeSantis made his position clear; he doesn’t want schools and universities to close their doors despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 
 
“Whatever the future may hold, school closures should be off the table,” said Governor DeSantis.  

At the time, FAMU officials said slow COVID-19 numbers in students and faculty and campus mitigation measures were a major part of its decision to move toward more face-to-face instruction.  
 
In October, the daily new-case rate for COVID-19 nationwide was hovering between 60,000 and 70,00 nationwide.  Today, that number is approaching 200,000 new cases per day. Health experts warn that the country faces a prolonged surge. 
 
Florida’s total number of coronavirus cases is rapidly approaching the one million mark.  The state death toll as of Thursday afternoon had surpassed 17,000 people. Yesterday, the state exceeded more than 10,000 new-cases in a single day for the first-time since July.   
  
Given that the average age of FAMU’s instructional faculty is 53 years old, and many have underlying health conditions, and that Blacks are three times more likely than whites to get COVID-19 it is no wonder that many faculty have expressed concerned about going back into the classroom in the spring.
 
“Many students are not sticklers for social-distancing,” expressed one faculty member, on a Faculty Senate zoom call in October.  Several faculty members said the benefits of in-person teaching are not worth putting themselves, their families, and others at risk.
 
While the FL Board of Governors (BOG) has said, it is “strongly encouraging” state universities to resume as many face-to-face courses and activities “as they can safely do within CDC guidelines.”
 
The BOG’s views align with the views of Gov. DeSantis, who appointed them.  Many feel that the BOG is being pressured by the governor.
 
DeSantis has also said it’s “incredibly draconian” for institutions to consider expelling students who disobey campus COVID-19 safety rules and attend a party, and he has refused to issue a statewide mask mandate. He’s allowed bars, restaurants, and other businesses to reopen at full capacity, a move heavily criticized by public-health experts. 

FAMU has already cancelled its delayed fall football season which was schedule to be played in the spring due to COVID-19, now may be the time to make the health and safety of its faculty and staff a top priority and reconsider its plan for face-to-face instruction in the spring.