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The Highlander
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE
For the week of Tuesday, February 1, 2022
VOL. 70, ISSUE 14
est. 1954
NEWS
UCR officially mandates COVID booster for students and staff BOOSTERS ARE NEEDED FOR IN-PERSON CLASSES. HARU CHANG Contributing Writer
COURTESY OF PEXELS
OPINIONS
Omicron shows further proof that teachers are overworked and underpaid EVEN THOUGH THE OMICRON VARIANT IS STARTING TO DROP FROM ITS PEAK, THE DAMAGE THAT IT HAS DONE TO SCHOOLS IN CALIFORNIA AND ABROAD IS DONE.
The national teacher shortage in the United States has been getting sharper and sharper in recent years. As COVID variants continue to make working and learning environments unstable at every level, teachers are continually left out in the cold in terms of benefits, and working with a stressed bunch of kids is no help. Teachers are leaving the profession in droves because of burnout from the pandemic and from parents who aren’t able to parent their children regularly under the circumstances. The result has been an even greater increase in teachers leaving the classroom for good, and those who still remain face meager payment in addition to students who might not even be there half the time because of COVID. The U.S. education system has unfortunately always been hostile for teachers, especially nowadays where 20% of the country’s teachers need to work a second job just to make ends meet. The pandemic has only shed even more light on these problems, showing the glaring discrepancies that teachers face in all levels of schooling. If America wants to prevent the educational future of its children from being in jeopardy, the country needs to wise up to the needs of teachers, and fast. Though not guilty like the UCs of a blatant lecturer churn that creates immense job instability for lecturers, the public school system does not make conditions easy for teachers ► SEE EDITORIAL PAGE 5
Provost Elizabeth Watkins announced a return to in-person classes on Jan. 31 corresponding with decisions made by other University of California campuses. UCR has reiterated the necessity of compliance with the booster mandate based on UC requirements. Students are asked to upload proof of a booster on their patient portal by Jan. 31. Students are also able to receive vaccinations through Student Health Services at UCR. In the past, failure to meet vaccine requirements resulted in holds on class registration. UCR has made a technical transition
into a new secure employee health record system called “MyChart.” Employees who have received any of their COVID-19 vaccines from UCR Health or the School of Medicine already have MyChart accounts and can upload their booster information there in order to meet the requirement. Others will receive an email in their UCR inbox that will help navigate their transition to MyChart. In tandem to the technical switch, the compliance mandate for employees has been extended to Feb. 25. Since Jan. 26, both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines and boosters have been offered in the Student Health Services. There has also been some confusion amongst students about the booster. Only those who are eligible to receive their
booster must update their vaccination status by this deadline. Being eligible means it has been six months since your last shot and you have not recently contracted COVID-19. The CDC recommends people who have recently contracted the virus should wait three months to be boosted. Students who are not eligible should consult Student Health Services at 951827-303. When on campus, the Daily Wellness Survey should also be completed to ensure proper safety protocols are being followed. In the United States, three COVID-19 vaccines are authorized for use to prevent COVID-19. According to the CDC, ► SEE BOOSTER PAGE 3
JOSHUA WANG / THE HIGHLANDER
NEWS
A PRESENTATION WAS GIVEN BY THE RIVERSIDE COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION.
Students upset over in-person instruction discuss concerns during ASUCR’s 12th meeting AMARAY ALVAREZ Assistant News Editor
On Wednesday, Jan. 26, the 12th Associated Students of UCR meeting took place remotely through Zoom. All senators were present, excluding CNASS senator Catelin La and SPP senator Arleth Flores-Aparicio who were excused. Motions to approve the current meeting’s agenda were called for by Executive Vice President Mufida Assaf with the addition of finance hearing minutes six and the addition of ECAB to the Executive Office reports. The previous meeting minutes were then opened and approved with a count of
15-0-0. Public forum followed with several students and community members speaking regarding in-person instruction that is set to begin on Jan. 31. UCR student Bryce Hills spoke first, stating that he has organized a group of over 200 students on Discord who are upset with the campus deciding to resume classes on campus. Hills stated that there has been a lack of communication from administration to students as well as a lack of accomodation for those who are, or live with individuals who are, immunocompromised. Many students have also told Hills that they do not ► SEE ASUCR PAGE 4
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