The Daily Egyptian SERVING THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY SINCE 1916
WWW.DAILYEGYPTIAN.COM
VOL. 103, ISSUE 28
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2020
SIU Carbondale develops confidential SIU student COVID-19 reporting system for Fall 2020 Employment Brooke Buerck | @bbuerk25
Dustin Clark | @dustinclark.oof
Sara Wangler | @sara_wangler
SIU has developed an anonymous system for students to report suspected cases of COVID-19 to SIU’s Department of Public Safety. The reporting form was created as another way to keep the university safe, according to Chief of SIU’s Department of Public Safety Benjamin Newman. “We established that form and other resources to report potential exposures and issues relative to COVID-19 for our campus community,” Newman said. Newman said after each form is submitted, health officials are notified. “In the event you submit a form entry on yourself and indicate that you are positive, since you are a student who lives in Jackson County, we would notify the Jackson County Health Department and coordinate to help with contact tracing,” Newman said. On many occasions, the health department is already aware of a case, Newman said. “It allows us the opportunity to figure out where a person who has tested positive has been on campus and to ensure cleaning and notification protocols if needed,” Newman said. When filling out the form there are options available that specify whether or not one is reporting a student, supervisor, employee, instructor or other and whether or not you are reporting yourself, a student, an employee or someone else. The person filling out the form must specify why they are reporting someone and whether or not they are reporting someone who received a positive test result, a person who has symptoms and has not been tested or is waiting on test results, a person who has been exposed to someone who received a positive test result and an option called “unknown.” The form can be accessed on SIU’s website or found here. According to Newman the form could be abused. “With this being an online service the opportunity to abuse the form could arise, but we haven’t had any problems so far,” Newman said. SIU has adapted its student conduct code to include and specify student’s responsibilities during the pandemic. A recent press release about these changes said some of the new offenses include “failure to wear a face mask in public or in a university classroom, failure to social distance, attending,
Dining Hall Update Pg. 5
holding, or sponsoring a gathering with an attendance greater than permitted by law and university guidelines” and “failure to isolate or quarantine as ordered by a public health official or the university,” Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, Lori Stettler said. Depending on the situation, failure to abide by these rules may result in expulsion. Along with SIU, the city of Carbondale has implemented a fine for not wearing a mask; fines can reach upwards of $750. “Our goal is to make sure they know they are accountable for following through,” Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Lori Stettler said. “We have a range of options for students who are referred to our Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities, which oversees the disciplinary process. First and foremost, a student has a right to due process, when they can accept responsibility or opt for a hearing.” Stettler said after the from is completed, it goes to her and Newman. “The Chief works with the Jackson County Public Health Department to contract trace. I share the appropriate information with the Dean of Students who handles it from a Saluki Cares perspective,” Stettler said. Saluki cares will partner with the Student Health Center to determine students’ testing options, Stettler said. “The Student Health Center provides medical care to students who are symptomatic and those who have been diagnosed with COVID-19,” Stettler said. The form was designed to help students, not be punitive, Stettler said. “Each report that is filed by the student themselves or by someone who believes an exposure has occurred, will be evaluated individually. Given the seriousness of the virus, I would hope that no one would want to risk spreading the virus by refusing to be tested. We all share in the responsibility to conduct ourselves in ways that minimize the spread of the virus,” Stettler said. Students and alums took to the Daily Egyptian Facebook page to express their concerns about the process. “That seems like it could get out of hand very quickly, some people are going to jump the gun and make others’ lives a living hell,” Andrea Green a SIU alumnus said. Staff reporter Sara Wangler can be reached at swangler@ dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at @sara_Wangler.
Tips on Remote Learning Pg. 9
Employers across campus are dealing with the reality that the pandemic has taken away many student job opportunities. According to Heather RF Casner, the supervisor for SIU student employment, the university has seen a large decrease in the number of students employed compared to last year. As of Aug. 11, there are currently 738 student jobs that are filled, with 467 of them being new students working in new positions, Casner said, with more students to be added to this number once reactivated in the office of student employment’s system. In August of 2019, there were 961 new students added to work in new positions. Casner said the first six weeks, or three pay periods, following the start of the semester is the time frame in which many more students apply for and fill more positions on campus. Last year, by Sept. 21, 2019, 824 additional students were added to work in new positions. Casner said the number of students added to new jobs over the summer has decreased as well. “Last summer, most weeks were putting in on average 50 new applications every two weeks. This summer, [we added] an average of about two every two weeks,” Casner said. Handshake, the app that allows the office of student employment to post job offerings for students to view and apply for, has also seen about half of the usual amount of job postings available as well, Casner said. Benefits for student employees Back in March as the pandemic caused a statewide stay-at-home order, many students lost the opportunity to work and earn money as facilities and services across campus shut down or reduced operations. SIU, however, announced via SIU Alert email on March 19 that “students will be paid through the end of the spring semester regardless of whether their jobs are no longer needed due to a closure of a service or they are not returning to campus.” Casner said the funds came from federal sources. “[The university was] concerned about students [who] relied on the money and they don’t have it, so the Department of Education said [to] go ahead and pay [federal work study students],” Casner said. “And if we’re paying our federal work study students then, they decided they should go ahead and pay the other students also just for the end of the semester.” Casner said in the event of facilities and services closing down across campus once more this fall, students will not receive paychecks again if their job is no longer available. Please see STUDENT | 3
Delayed Movies
Pg. 11