BGSU President Rodney K. Rogers and Provost Joe B. Whitehead Jr. have received a letter from BGSU history professor Dr. Andrew Schocket and Dr. Joseph Bak-Coleman, an ecology and biology post-doctoral fellow at the University of Washington, regarding their perspective on COVID-19 testing, reporting data and isolation and quarantine procedures. BGSU remains committed to following the science to slow the spread of COVID-19, and its chief health officer is working with other medical and public health experts across the state and nation, including epidemiologists, to inform the University’s decisions. BGSU is meeting the expectations and recommendations for higher education provided by the state of Ohio, and is also coordinating with other universities and colleges in the state regarding our response to COVID-19.
This requires BGSU to consider a wide range of health factors, including the availability of reliable and quick testing, as well as deploying this scarce resource to be most effective. In addition, we have de-densified our campus, and more than 25% of students are fully online and nearly 50% of faculty are teaching fully online. Every day, we learn more about this virus. However, we already know that the actions of BGSU students, faculty and staff make a difference. This includes wearing face coverings, physical distancing, self-health monitoring, washing and sanitizing hands, treating others as if they are potentially COVID-19 positive and holding one another accountable.
The University believes that higher education is not just a public good, but absolutely essential to society. We need to learn to live with this virus for months. To be clear, resuming in-person learning this fall was not a financial decision, but a stake in the ground, prioritizing safety and public health, but also continuing our service through education to BGSU students. We also recognize that not reopening would provide its own set of health implications. This global pandemic is something none of us have faced before. While it draws great interest within higher education, from historians, biologists and beyond, we recognize that we must remain focused and diligent, following the science and working with expert health professionals who have dedicated their careers to this work.
From the onset of this crisis, BGSU has provided choices, providing options for students, faculty and staff to study and work remotely where possible. We have and continue to make work and learning accommodations to those who do not believe it is in their best interest to be on our campuses. For example, like many others, Dr. Schocket is teaching and working fully virtual this fall. While these are certainly unprecedented times, the University will get to the other side of this crisis, and we will continue to work together to build a public university for the public good.
Submitted by Alex Solis
Deputy Chief of Staff
University Spokesperson
