THE STATE ARE GEARED UP TO HOLD
IN-PERSON FALL SEMESTER CLASSES
WITH COVID PROTOCOLS IN PLACE.
THAT'S DESPITE PUSHBACK ON THE
SAFETY MEASURES FROM SOME
CORNERS OF THE REPUBLICAN
LEGISLATURE.
UW-MADISON IS AMONG THE SCHOOLS
WITH A PLAN.
WE SHOULD NOTE THAT PBS
WISCONSIN IS PART OF THE UW.
WE TALKED WITH CHANCELLOR
REBECCA BLANK LATE THIS WEEK AND
STARTED BY ASKING HER WHAT HESS
MESSAGE IS TO FAMILIES AND THEIR
STUDENTS ABOUT HOW THEIR SAFETY
IS BEING PROTECTED.
>> SO WE'RE TAKING A NUMBER OF
STEPS TO MAKE SURE WE OPEN S
AFELY AND I SHOULD SAY WE ARE
TRYING TO OPEN AS FULLY IN
PERSON AS POSSIBLE BUT WITH SOME
MODIFICATIONS.
THE FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT
THING IS TO SAY WE ARE A HIGHLY
VACCINATED COMMUNITY.
THE COMMUNITY AROUND US IS
HIGHLY VACCINATED IN DANE C
OUNTY.
BUT ON CAMPUS WE HAVE NOW OVER
-9D 0% -- 90% OF OUR FACULTY AND
STAFF VACCINATED.
AT LATEST REPORT WE WERE WELL
OVER 80% OF STUDENTS VACCINATED.
THAT WILL CONTINUE TO GO UP
BECAUSE NOT EVERYONE HAS
REPORTED IN.
IN THE DORMS AS WELL ABOVE 90%
AS WELL.
WE'RE IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE ON
THAT AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO
PUSH THAT WITH FREE VACCINATIONS
TO ANYONE.
BUT ON TOP OF THAT THERE ARE
OTHER MEASURES WE NEED TOIC AT
THAT.
WE HAVE AN INDOOR MASK MANDATE
LIKE DANE COUNTY AND THAT IS
IMPORTANT.
ALL OF OUR DORM RESIDENTS WHEN
THEY ARRIVED RIFE HAVE TO TEST
BEFORE THEY COME AND WILL BE
TESTED WEEKLY IF THEY ARE U
NVACCINATED ONCE THEY ARE HERE
IN THE DORMS.
WE LAST WEEK ANNOUNCED THAT ALL
UNVACCINATED COMMUNITY MEMBERS,
STUDENTS AND STAFF, NEED TO TEST
WEEKLY.
WE'RE GOING TO WATCH THESE
NUMBERS VERY CLOSELY.
IF THEY GO UP, WE'LL TALK ABOUT
OTHER MEASURES.
IF THEY GO DOWN, WE'LL
RECONSIDER WHAT WE'RE DOING.
WE'RE FOLLOWING THE DATA AND
SCIENCE AND DOING WHAT WE DID
LAST YEAR, WHEN WE WERE QUITE
SUCCESSFUL, INFECTIONS RATES
BELOW 1%.
>> WOULD OTHER MEASURES INCLUDE
GOING BACK TO ONLINE I
NSTRUCTION?
>> WE'RE TRYING VERY HARD NOT TO
DO THAT AND WITH I THINK WE NEED
TO BE IN A GREATER HEALTH
EMERGENCY THAN WE ARE RIGHT NOW.
OUR STUDENTS REALLY WANT TO BE
BACK IN PERSON FOR OBVIOUS
REASONS AFTER ALMOST A YEAR AND
A HALF MANY OF THEM BEING O
NLINE.
OUR FACULTY ARE EAGER TO BE BACK
WITH STUDENTS.
WE ARE TRYING TO DO EVERYTHING
WE CAN TO PRESERVE THAT COLLEGE
EXPERIENCE WHICH SO MANY OF OUR
STUDENTS HAVEN'T HAD FOR MORE
THAN A YEAR.
>> MEANWHILE, REPUBLICAN STATE
SENATOR NS STEVEN NAS SAYS HE
WILL SUE THE UW.
AS YOU KNOW, SYSTEM PRESIDENT
TOMMY THOMPSON IS NOT BACKING
DOWN ON THIS.
I STAND -- I TRUST YOU STAND
WITH PRESIDENT THOMPSON?
>> I APPRECIATE HIS STANCE.
IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE THAT THE
LEGISLATURE HAS CONTROL OVER
EVERY POLICY WE MAKE ON THIS
CAMPUS, PARTICULARLY OUR PUBLIC
HEALTH POLICIES.
THIS HAS TO BE AT THE DISCRETION
OF CHANCELLORS IN THE SYSTEM.
>> SENATOR NASS ALSO SAID, Q
UOTE, IT IS NOT PRIZING THAT
THE IVORY TOWERS ARE OPENLY D
EFYING STATE LAW TO ISSUE
COVID-19 MAN MANDATES TO CONTROL
EVERY ADULT THAT DARES TO WALK
ON THEIR CAMPUSES ON THE NOTABLE
EXEMPTION OF 70,000 FOOTBALL
FANS IN MADISON.
APPARENTLY THEY HAVE DISCOVERED
THAT REVENUE-GENERATING FOOTBALL
GAMES DON'T SPREAD COVID-19.
WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT?
>> THAT'S ACTUALLY NOT QUITE
TRUE.
OUR TICKET-PAYING FANS HAVE TO
MASK.
SO IF THEY'RE IN THE BATHROOMS
OR IN CLOSED ROOMS, AS DOES
EVERYONE ELSE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
THEY NEED TO BE MASKED.
OUTSIDE IN THE BOWL WE RECOMMEND
PEOPLE MASK, BUT IT IS OUTSIDE
AND THERE IS FAR LESS EVIDENCE
OF TRANSMISSION AMONG PEOPLE
OUTSIDE WITH THE WIND BLOWING
OUT IN THE OPEN AIR.
SO, AS I SAY, WE'RE GOING TO
FOLLOW WHAT'S HAPPENING.
BUT WE ARE FOLLOWING RULES THAT
I MIGHT NOTE VIRTUALLY EVERY
BOTH PROFESSIONAL TEAMS AND
OTHER COLLEGE TEAMS ARE
FOLLOWING THIS FALL.
>> WHAT ARE PROVISIONS FOR
STUDENTS WHO DO GET INFECTED
WITH COVID ON CAMPUS?
>> WELL, IF THEY'RE IN THE D
ORMS, WE WILL HELP THEM MOVE
INTO EITHER ISOLATION OR
QUARANTINE SPACE SO THEY CAN
RECOVER WITHOUT INFECTING OTHER
PEOPLE.
WE HAVE SOME OF THAT SPACE SET A
SIDE.
IF THEY'RE NOT IN THE DORMS, IT
WILL BE THE LAST PROCEDURE AS
LAST YEAR.
WE EXPECT THEM TO ISOLATE IN
THEIR APARTMENTS.
OUR STUDENT SERVICES STAYS IN
TOUCH WITH STUDENTS WHO TESTED
POSITIVE, CALL THEM REGULARLY,
MAKE SURE THINGS ARE GOOD, THAT
THEY DON'T NEED ADDITIONAL
ASSISTANCE, MENTAL HEALTH OR
PHYSICAL CARE.
>> WITH HOW MUCH TREPIDATION ARE
YOU BE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE
FALL SEE SEMESTER WITH THESE
RISING CASES.
>> IT FEELS LIKE WHERE WE WERE
BACK AUGUST, BUT THE RIGHT
ANSWER IS WE'RE IN A VERY
DIFFERENT PLACE THAN LAST
AUGUST.
WE HAVE AN EFFECTIVE AND SAFE
VACCINE.
EVEN THOSE WHO DO GET
BREAKTHROUGH INFECTIONS ARE NOT
GOING TO BE SERIOUSLY ILL GIVEN
EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT THE
EXPERIENCE WITH THIS VAKS
VACCINE.
AND THAT DOES MAKE THIS SEMESTER
FEEL BETTER AND SAFER.
WE'RE BETTER PREPARED FOR WHAT
WE ARE GOING TO GET IN TERMS OF
INFECTIONS.
AND THERE WILL BE SOME
INFECTIONS ON CAMPUS.
THAT'S JUST A GIVEN.
>> CHANCELLOR BLANK, THANKS VERY
MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> A FINAL NOTE ABOUT THE
UW-MADISON CAMPUS.
ON THURSDAY THE CAMPUS OFFICE OF
FINANCIAL AID REPORTED THAT IT
HAS CLEARED JUST UNDER $2
MILLION OF STUDENT FINANCIAL
DEBT USING FUNDS