Ventilation Report, Mask Mandate, and Quick Survey

3/25/2022

Dear Members,

Many of you joined today's zoom meeting where two experts presented their findings on indoor air quality in Wheatley Hall.  If you missed their presentation, you can watch the recording online (Audio [60MB], Video [800MB], Captions file), the slides, and full report are also available online (and attached!).



What the report/presentation make clear is that there is plenty of evidence to conclude that ventilation is not adequate in many places in Wheatley, especially during a pandemic.  The problem is particularly acute on lower floors where most classes take place.  This also suggests that the university needs to test air flow throughout the campus and address problems where they exist.  There is no reason to think the issues are limited to Wheatley Hall.

This obviously has implications for the masking mandate, which the University is lifting as of Monday.  We have pasted below a letter that the campus unions sent the Chancellor this past Monday – which has not swayed the Administration to change course.   We are asking for your input on two important issues: whether the mask mandate should be lifted at UMB, and what steps individuals should be able to take if the mandate is lifted.  The survey is intended especially for staff and faculty, but students as well.   Please follow this link to take a brief (4 questions only!) survey:   (contact FSU or Steve Striffler for link information).

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Dear Chancellor Suárez-Orozco, 

The campus unions representing faculty, staff and graduate students write to urge you to keep the current mask mandate in place through the end of Spring semester. The mandate has been working, the UMass Boston community is used to it, and there is no real demand for it to be lifted. Removing the mandate in the middle the semester not only poses a health risk, but will be unnecessarily disruptive for employees and students who returned to campus this semester on the assumption that our community would be vaccinated and masked all semester.  There is no reason to lift the mandate prior to the end of the semester – something the unions have communicated to others in your Administration on multiple occasions. 

Sincerely,

Classified Staff Union

Department Chairs Union

Faculty Staff Union

Graduate Employees Organization

Professional Staff Union