On Friday, the 5th of February, VCUarts students received an email from the Dean of the School of the Arts, Carmenita Higginbotham, regarding individuals using the Fine Arts Building with a positive COVID-19 case and individuals with close contact with a person with an active case of coronavirus. This email stated the immediate and indefinite closure of the Fine Arts Building as they disinfect and conduct an investigation on the level of infections through the Office of Safety and Risk Management. This event is the result of a severe lack of care for all Virginia Commonwealth University students, staff, and faculty, and gave no details that would allow students and staff to know if they were in contact with the virus or how to move forward if they are. Previously, On January 12th, President Rao sent out an email that stated all classes that were previously hybrid or in person would be moved online until March 8th due to the third wave of coronavirus cases impacting the safety of conducting classes as previously listed. This email did not stop many courses from continuing to have in-person classes when it was not safe to do so. Student Power at VCU is demanding that VCU makes immediate changes to its COVID-19 policy in order to ensure the safety of all VCU students, staff, faculty, and community members that interact with the VCU community.

Starting in December, the global community saw the emergence of new strains of the virus that are more infectious, and in the case of the British strain known as B.1.1.7, possibly more deadly. As scientists conduct research into the severity of these new strains, VCU has failed to alert the community about new precautionary measures that will limit the possibility of COVID transmission on campus and the surrounding area.

Due to the lack of adequate testing and public data through VCU, we have no accurate number of students and faculty that have gotten COVID this semester and this public health crisis will continue to worsen if VCU’s coronavirus policy does not change. VCU should be doing its part to keep the community safe by providing adequate testing alongside vaccines for immunocompromised individuals, adding extensive precautions in every VCU building, and guarantee that every student, staff, and faculty member wears appropriate and updated face coverings while on campus.

We strongly caution against the Fine Arts Building being opened at noon on February 10th. Students have not been adequately informed on whether or not they should isolate, and only students with insurance and a car can access the testing available to Walgreens since VCU has not administered tests to the students, staff, and faculty at the FAB. Opening early leaves a great risk for additional cases, and an even greater risk without installing additional ways to check that the individuals entering the building are healthy.

The students at VCU and the School of the Arts have listed demands for VCU Administration. These demands consider the concerns of students worried for the safety of themselves, their living mates, and the greater Richmond community while they attend classes.

Demands

Fine Arts Building
-We demand VCU release the information on what studios had individuals with positive COVID cases or contact with a positive case and what day they were in the building. This would include releasing the information on the exact number of positive cases that have been found from FAB students and staff.

-We demand VCU designate 15-30 minute time slots for individuals that have tested negative for coronavirus to access their studio space and clean out their needed materials. This would be done throughout the next week and a half and students would have to also wear either a double mask or a kn95 or equivalent.

-We demand VCU install a temperature check device that is required to be used while going in and out of the building, and install alcohol-based cleaning sprays in every studio to clean communal tools that cannot be cleaned by a water-based spray as they are made of metal.

-We demand VCU have all students and staff that have classes in the Fine Arts Building be given a test through the contact tracing system.

-We demand VCU keep the Fine Arts Building closed for two weeks, or until the daily percentage of positive tests in Richmond or the overall positivity rate for VCU reaches 5%.

General

-We demand VCU make COVID tests available for all students, regardless of living arrangements, and make them required weekly for those with in-person classes. Testing sites can be created in unused portions of buildings, including the Fine Arts Building which has ample unused exhibit space in the lobby.

-We demand VCU create a COVID-19 vaccine program for students and staff who are at higher risk of complications to gain access to the vaccine, regardless of age. The state of Virginia’s phase 1b of the vaccine rollout includes immunocompromised individuals. This would be an extension of the VCU Health vaccination program that is already running.

-We demand VCU increase transparency on COVID cases throughout the entire university, including a social media and email update on the new strains of the virus and how to properly keep yourself safe.

-We demand VCU add additional ways of reporting symptoms and coronavirus test results, due to the inefficiency of the phone hotline, sometimes taking hours to talk to someone. This additional way of submitting would be in the form of an online form that directs you to enter in your symptoms, positive test result, or interactions with individuals with symptoms and/or positive test result alongside where you have been in the past 14 days on campus and would direct the student or faculty member on what to do next.

We ask that you issue a public and private response by Wednesday, February 10th at 5 pm.

To contact members of Student Power at VCU, please email:
studentpowervcu@gmail.com