UW-MADISON CHANCELLOR REBECCA
BLANK.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY.
>> THANK YOU.
I'M GLAD TO BE HERE.
>> DID ANY ELEMENT OF THIS
OUTBREAK OR THE NEED FOR A
QUARANTINE COME AS A SURPRISE TO
YOU?
>> SO, WE DID A LOT OF PLANNING
FOR THIS FALL, AND, YOU KNOW,
MUCH OF OUR PLANNING HAVE BEEN
EFFECTIVE.
WE HAD NO TRANSMISSIONS OF ANY
DISEASE IN THE CLASSROOM, NO
TRANSMISSION OF DISEASE IN THE
WORKPLACE.
THE HEALTH PROTOCOLS WE PUT IN
PLACE HAVE WORKED.
I THINK NONE OF US EXPECTED
QUITE THE MAGNITUDE OF RISE THAT
WE SAW AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF
THIS WEEK, WHICH REALLY LED US
TO TAKE ACTION.
WE KNEW THAT THERE WOULD BE SOME
SPIKES, STUDENTS WOULD COME,
THERE WOULD BE SOME PARTYING.
THE AMOUNT OF THAT RISE WAS
STEEPER AND FASTER THAN WE
EXPECTED AND STEEPER THAN SOME
OF OUR FELLOW SCHOOLS IN THE BIG
10 HAVE SEEN AS WELL.
SO WE ARE AT A POINT WHERE
CONSULTING WITH OUR MEDICAL
EXPERTS WE HAVE TO FLATTEN THAT
CURVE.
>> SO THE STEEPNESS WAS MORE
THAN YOU HAD PREPARED FOR OF
HOW FAST AND HOW HARD THE CASES
ROSE.
>> YES.
WHICH IS EXACTLY WHY WE TOOK THE
ACTIONS WE HAVE TAKEN, BASICALLY
PUTTING INTO SOME FORM OF
LOCKDOWN IN TWO OF OUR DORMS AND
RESTRICTING THE MOVEMENT OF ALL
OF OUR STUDENTS AND TAKING DOWN
IN-PERSON CLASSES FOR AT LEAST
THE NEXT TWO WEEKS SO THAT WE
CAN BASICALLY GET ON TOP OF THIS
VIRUS AND MAKE SURE THAT IT IS
SAFE FOR OUR STUDENTS TO BE WITH
EACH OTHER AND ON CAMPUS.
>> NOW, YOU HAD LIKE YOU TALKED
ABOUT THERE WERE A LOT OF
PREPARATIONS THROUGHOUT THE
SUMMER.
I'M ASSUMING THE POSSIBILITY OF
QUARANTINING DORMS WAS TALKED
ABOUT.
SO WHY DID STUDENTS FEEL LIKE
THAT THIS FELT VERY RUSHED FOR
THEM, THAT THE COMMUNICATION WAS
HAPPENING IN FITS AND SPURTS
WHEN IT ACTUALLY CAME DOWN JUST
TWO HOURS' NOTICE?
>> IF YOU HAVE TO QUARANTINE,
YOU WANT TO QUARANTINE FAST.
YOU DON'T WANT TO GIVE THEM A
DAY TO RUN ALL OVER TOWN AND GET
THINGS AND COME BACK IF YOU
THINK THERE'S A HEALTH ISSUE
THERE.
OUR DATA CAME IN ON TUESDAY.
WE TOOK SOME ACTIONS ABOUT
RESTRICTING MOVEMENTS.
THE DATA LOOKED EVEN WORSE ON
WEDNESDAY.
AND AT THAT POINT, PARTICULARLY
THE TWO DORMS THAT WE
QUARANTINED, THERE WAS A VERY
SUBSTANTIAL OUTBREAKS GOING ON
IN BOTH OF THOSE DORMS, MUCH
MORE SO THAN ANY OF THE OTHER
DORMS ON CAMPUS.
WE FELT WE HAD TO TAKE ACTION
WITH THOSE TWO DORMS.
>> HEALTH EXPERTS HAVE TALKED
QUITE A BIT ABOUT HOW THIS TYPE
OF SCENARIO IS NOT ADVISABLE,
BRINGING THIS MANY PEOPLE INTO
ONE SPACE WHERE THEY HAVE TO
SHERIFF A LOT OF FACILITIES.
WAS IT A MISTAKE TO ALLOW
STUDENTS TO RETURN TO CAMPUS AND
THE DORMS?
>> I THINK WE VERY STRONGLY
BELIEVE THAT THERE'S CERTAIN
THINGS YOU DO IN IN-PERSON
CLASSES YOU CANNOT DO ONLINE AND
VIA VIDEO.
THERE'S SOME CLASSES THAT YOU
ALMOST CAN'T HOLD BECAUSE THEY
REQUIRE SOME INTERACTIONS.
IT'S TRUE IN SOME OF OUR ARTS
CLASSES, LAB CLASSES,.
ALL OF US BELIEVE DEEPLY IN THAT
VALUE.
SO WE REALLY WANTED TO HAVE A
CHANCE PARTICULARLY FOR OUR
SMALLER CLASSES TO TRY TO MEET.
THE SECOND ISSUE HERE IS THAT
THE STUDENTS REALLY WANTED TO BE
HERE.
I HEARD FROM STUDENTS AND
PARENTS, YOU KNOW, FROM ACROSS
THE SPECTRUM.
IT BECAME VERY CLEAR TO US BY
THE MIDDLE OF THE SUMMER THAT
ALL OF OUR UPPER CLASSMEN WERE
GOING TO BE IN MADISON, ALMOST
ALL OF THEM, WHETHER WE HELD
CLASSES ONLINE OR IN PERSON.
THEY HAD ALL GONE HOME LAST
MARCH AND THEY DIDN'T LIKE THAT.
THEY WERE BACK IN THEIR OLD
BEDROOMS WITH THEIR PARENTS AND
THEY WANTED TO BE BACK IN
MADISON AND IN MANY CASES THEIR
PARENTS WANTED THEM TO BE BACK
IN MADISON.
SO THEY WERE GOING TO TAKE UP
THEIR HOUSING CONTRACTS IN ANY
CASE.
IF YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE 35,000
STUDENTS, FRESHMEN ASIDE, 35,000
STUDENTS IN MADISON, YOU KNOW,
YOU'RE MUCH BETTER OFF HAVING
SOME CONTROL OVER THEM AND
HAVING THEM ON CAMPUS, MESSAGING
TO THEM, DOING TESTING.
INDEED, IF WE ANNOUNCED TODAY
THAT WE'RE GOING ONLINE FOR THE
REST OF THE SEMESTER, I THINK
VERY FEW OF THOSE STUDENTS ARE
GOING HOME.
THOSE ARE EXACTLY THE
CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH WE
WANT TO HAVE CLOSER CONNECTIONS
RATHER THAN FURTHER CONNECTIONS.
NOW, WITH REGARD TO THE DORMS, I
WILL SAY THE VAST MAJORITY OF
OUR DORM STUDENTS ARE BEHAVING
VERY WELL.
WE'VE GOT A WHOLE NUMBER OF
DORMS WHERE THE INFECTION RATES
ARE 1% OR SO.
THAT'S PERFECTLY FINE.
THAT'S THE BASE RATE IN THE
POPULATION.
SO, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE MANY,
MANY STUDENTS DOING EXACTLY WHAT
THEY SHOULD BE DOING AND I'M
SORRY THAT THERE ARE A COUPLE OF
DORMS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE
RESTRICTING EVEN MORE.
BUT THE STUDENTS, THEY WANTED TO
BE HERE.
>> DANE COUNTY EXECUTIVE JOE
PARISI SAYS CONTACT TRACERS ARE
HAVING DIFFICULTY GETTING
ANSWERS OUT OF SOME STUDENTS.
IS THE FEAR OF PUNISHMENT
PREVENTING SOME STUDENTS FROM
COOPERATING?
>> I THINK STUDENTS DON'T WANT
TO TURN IN THEIR FRIENDS, AND
IT'S NOT THAT THE STUDENTS
AREN'T RESPONDING.
WE CAN FIND STUDENTS WHO TESTED
POSITIVE AND AREN'T RESPONDING.
AND INDEED WE ARE TAKING STEPS
TO DO THAT TO MAKE SURE THAT ANY
STUDENT WHO'S POSITIVE WE GET IN
TOUCH WITH AND MAKE SURE THEY GO
INTO ISOLATION.
THE BIGGER PROBLEM IS THE
CONTACT IDENTIFICATION, WHERE
STUDENTS DON'T WANT TO DO THAT
TO THEIR FRIENDS BECAUSE IT
MEANS THEIR FRIENDS ARE GOING TO
GO INTO QUARANTINE FOR THE NEXT
TWO WEEKS.
AND WE'RE LOOKING AT DIFFERENT
OPTIONS FOR THAT.
THERE ARE A VARIETY OF
TECHNOLOGICAL ACTS THAT TRY TO
TRACE WHERE PEOPLE ARE, WHO
THEY'RE CLOSE TO FOR EXTENDED
PERIODS OF TIME.
EVERYONE WHO'S USED THOSE HAS
NOT BEEN VERY SATISFIED WITH
THEM.
BUT THAT TECHNOLOGY IS IMPROVING
EVERY WEEK.
IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE
GOING TO BE LOOKING AT.
>> SOME STUDENTS WHO MAY BE
CONSIDERED POSITIVE IN THE DORMS
HAVE LEFT, GONE BACK TO THEIR
HOMETOWNS.
IS THIS THE BEGINNING OF A SUPER
SPREADER AROUND THE STATE OR
MIDWEST?
>> WE'VE BEEN VERY CLEAR THAT WE
DON'T RECOMMEND STUDENTS GO
HOME.
WE THINK THEY NEED TO COMPLETE
THEIR QUARANTINE.
AT THAT POINT IF THEY WISH TO GO
HOME, WE CERTAINLY AREN'T GOING
TO STOP THEM.
IF THEY DO GO HOME, THEY NEED TO
COMPLETE THEIR QUARANTINE AT
HOME AND I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT
THEIR FAMILIES WILL FOLLOW THAT
ADVICE.
>> BUSINESSES AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS
ARE CLOSED AND WHAT OUTBREAK
WON'T HELP THEM REOPEN.
WHAT OBLIGATION DOES THE
UNIVERSITY HAVE TO THE CITY AND
COUNTY TO KEEP STUDENTS ON
CAMPUS WHEN THEY HAVE THESE
OUTBREAKS?
>> OUR STUDENTS PAY RENT, THEY
HAVE HOUSING CONTRACTS WITH
LANDLORDS ALL OVER THE CITY AND
THEY WERE GOING TO BE HERE.
THIS IS THEIR HOME AND WHERE
THEY WANT TO BE.
I DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO SAY
TO STUDENTS GO LIVE IN ANOTHER
CITY.
AND NEITHER DOES ANYONE ELSE.
AND WE NEED TO WORK WITH THE
RESIDENTS WHO ARE HERE.
AND IT'S CERTAINLY OUR
RESPONSIBILITY TO WORK CLOSELY
WITH THOSE STUDENTS.
AND WE ARE.
AS I SAY, THE VAST MAJORITY OF
OUR STUDENTS ARE DOING EXACTLY
WHAT WE'VE ASKED THEM TO DO.
BUT THERE ARE SOME SMALL NUMBER
WHO ARE NOT.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, EVEN IF THEY
ARE NOT SYMPTOMATIC, THEY ARE
INFECTIOUS AND HAVE BEEN
SPREADING THIS, PARTICULARLY TO
OTHER STUDENTS.
AT THIS POINT, I THINK IT IS
MUCH MORE LIMITED TO WITHIN THE
STUDENTS.
WE'VE HAD VERY, VERY FEW
EMPLOYEES, NO FACULTY OR
INSTRUCTORS.
>> OKAY.
>> BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU
DON'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT IT.
>> CHANCELLOR