To: Chancellor@utk.edu
CC: aauputk@gmail.com
Dear Chancellor Plowman:
I am a _______ working/teaching in _________ department. I am concerned about Covid because _______. Therefore, I agree with the five requests put forth by the UTK Chapter of the AAUP in their letter to you on January 6, 2022.
1. We request that staff be allowed to work remotely, whenever possible, to decrease their likelihood of Covid infection and transmission;
2. We request that all staff who are required to work on campus be provided with 10 free N95 masks each month;
3. We request that UT pivot to virtual teaching modalities for all lecture courses in order to limit the number of students on campus and the number of students in crowded classrooms;
4. We request that UT follow the CDC’s guidance by instituting re-entry screening for students returning to campus and implement a universal ongoing screening testing strategy for students living on campus;
5. Finally, we request that university administrators, deans, and department heads model safe behavior by wearing N95 masks indoors or when outdoors in large groups.
Sincerely,
__________
