Ryan said that the University has already issued interim suspensions to multiple students who have not complied with public health guidelines and warned that the University will be “more vigilant moving forward.”
The Board is scheduled to discuss the historic landscape during Friday's full board meeting, as well as the Racial Equity Task Force report submitted to President Ryan in August.
Just over two weeks into the academic year, Ryan says he is “cautiously optimistic” that the University will not have to send students home mid-semester because of the University’s increased testing capacity and additional isolation and quarantine space.
The COVID-19 and safety-related demands include financial compensation and hazard pay, adequate personal protective equipment and risk reduction, revised and clearly articulated policing and COVID-19 guidelines, provisions for food security and housing stability and revised financial aid policies for resident staff.
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 through asymptomatic individuals, the University plans to notify anywhere from 50 to 150 students daily that they are required to provide samples.
As of Monday, there have been 47 reports of students violating COVID-19 restrictions, though there is significant overlap between the reports. 11 reports were from the University’s Just Report It portal, while 36 reports were made through the community portal.
University leadership cited several reasons for their decision in the email, including improving conditions locally and in Virginia, knowledge gained from other universities who have opened, and encouraging behavior from student athletes, graduate students, and other individuals in Charlottesville over the summer.
The total number of cases among students, faculty, staff and contract employees since Aug. 17 is now 67, not including pre-arrival testing, according to the University community tracker.
The message comes the weekend before classes begin, which typically marks annual Block Party celebrations.
UNC’s decision to pull the plug on in-person classes comes after clusters of cases popped up in three residence halls and a fraternity house — where students live in close proximity to each other — just days after the semester began Aug. 10.
Ryan plans to discuss the full report, which is available on the task force’s website, with the University Board of Visitors next week.
Seven different teams are working on different aspects of the return, from safety concerns to educational preparations.
The semester will still start Aug. 25 as originally planned, but President Jim Ryan and his executive team are urging students who plan to live off-Grounds to delay their return until in-person courses resume.
32 percent of arrests made by UPD in 2019 were of Black individuals, whereas the University's student body is roughly 6.5 percent Black and the City of Charlottesville is just under 20 percent Black.
Several photos shared online of the gatherings depict large gatherings of students — few of whom were wearing masks.
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