Fall 2023 Letter to UW–Madison Leadership
Requests for basic COVID resources on campus for the fall semester: Testing, vaccination, mask distribution to improve campus accessibility and inclusion
Below is our letter to UW–Madison leadership requesting basic COVID resources on campus this fall. This letter will be distributed to the addressees today, 8/21/2023. Thank you to everyone who contributed to drafting this letter, and to all the signees. Please feel free to share, duplicate, or modify our letter to help you in any efforts for improving COVID advocacy.
As COVID increases in Dane County and nationally, it is even more important to continue to support our community by taking multilayered precautions to reduce the risk of COVID transmission. The start of the university academic year and the start of the K-12 school year are likely to expose our community members to an even high risk of COVID transmission.
If our group is new to you, check out our previous letters from fall 2022 and spring 2023, as well as additional advocacy for local COVID protections including supporting vaccination requirements in the Madison Metropolitan School District and our petition to reinstate masking at UW Health.
Please stay tuned for additional ways to protect yourself and advocate for improved COVID protections! Thank you for your ongoing support. 😷
August 21, 2023
Dear Chancellor Mnookin, Provost Isbell, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion LeVar Charleston, University Health Services leadership, and the UW COVID Response Team,
We hope you are doing well. This fall, COVID continues to have ongoing impacts in our campus community. After the end of the federal Public Health Emergency on May 11, 2023, many resources that used to support our campus and community are no longer available. As of August 17, 2023, Public Health Madison and Dane County recognizes that the Madison area is experiencing an increase in COVID wastewater levels. As concerned UW workers and community members, we ask you to implement or reinstate protections that will support the health and safety of UW students, employees, and our broader campus community. We would like to request an online meeting with you or a member of your office to discuss our concerns and requests below.
The lack of COVID protections are a barrier to equitable access to the university due to COVID’s disproportionate impacts on disabled people, members of BIPOC communities, socially/economically disadvantaged people, and other marginalized groups. An inadequate COVID response runs counter to UW’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. Effective COVID mitigation strategies are necessary to improve access to campus activities, creating a sense of inclusion and belonging for all people, including disabled people, those at high risk for COVID complications, those caring for people at high risk, and anyone who wants to avoid contracting and spreading a disease that has resulted in so much preventable death and disability.
Students and employees need resources to protect themselves from the ongoing risk of COVID infection on campus. To this end, we request that UW–Madison provide the following:
Testing. Both PCR and home rapid antigen tests are important tools for diagnosis as well as to help students and workers know when to isolate or seek treatment for COVID. Numerous students have shared that they use COVID tests and we urge UW Madison to reduce barriers to accessing such tests by providing them free of charge to the campus community.
Up-to-date vaccines. Vaccination on campus must continue to be free and should be made more convenient for students and staff, such as expanding the vaccination sites and times available. We recommend a strong education campaign targeted to students and staff, as was done by UW-Madison in the beginning of the pandemic.
Mask distribution at convenient locations. High quality masks (such as N95 and KN95 respirators) from reputable sources are a significant cost especially for students but are a minimal cost for the institution.
Broadly disseminated education campaigns addressing:
The importance of up-to-date vaccination for protecting individuals and the community.
The risk of Long COVID, including the increased risks with reinfection.
Guidelines and resources for isolation and recovery, especially for students living in campus housing.
Timely, science-based updates to campus COVID resource webpages and improved visibility and navigation.
Recognition of the historical and ongoing impact of the COVID pandemic on campus as part of the Public History Project https://publichistoryproject.wisc.edu/, including input from affected communities on campus.
The ongoing daily risks of COVID exposure on campus impact all of us, not just people with specific high risk conditions. COVID infection increases the risk of heart attacks in young people aged 25 to 44 by 30%. Additionally, COVID infection carries about a 10% risk of development of Long COVID, and the risk of both Long COVID and organ system damage increase with repeated infections. Timely testing access allows for Paxlovid treatment, which reduces the risk of severe disease in the short term and also reduces the risk of Long COVID by about 26%. In addition to older adults, people over age 12 with high risk medical conditions (including common conditions such as diabetes, depression, or being overweight) may be eligible for Paxlovid treatment.
Fatigue that interferes with daily life, along with difficulty thinking and concentrating are common symptoms of Long COVID, among a long list of symptoms across multiple organ systems. Recent estimates suggest that about 16 million Americans are experiencing Long COVID, and, of those, about 4 million people have a reduced ability to perform everyday tasks. Unfortunately, young people are not spared this impact. In addition to the personal impact of this illness, these symptoms can interfere with school and work, directly impeding the mission of the University. This recent opinion column in the Washington Post shares the story of life-altering long-term impacts of COVID. We urge both support for members of our campus community suffering from Long COVID and proactive measures to protect the community from acquiring Long COVID.
As the risk of Long COVID is increased in unvaccinated people (17% in unvaccinated people versus 9.7% in fully vaccinated people based on the NIH RECOVER study), all campus community members should be encouraged to get up-to-date on the latest boosters, including the XBB variant boosters when available. Previous UW efforts to encourage vaccination resulted in high levels of primary series vaccination on campus as of the end of the spring 2022 semester, with 93% of students and 96% of employees being fully vaccinated, a significant achievement. Although vaccination rates are no longer reported on campus, according to the DHS dashboard, only 15% of 18-24 year olds in Dane County have received an updated COVID-19 booster as of May 17, 2023. Specifically targeted campaigns may be needed to reach students effectively, as there is significant misinformation regarding the benefits of vaccination for young people. As COVID continues to spread within our campus community, vaccination should be offered at no cost and at times and locations that are safe and convenient for students and staff. Consideration should be given to offering vaccination to the broader campus community.
Reductions in access to COVID protections and healthcare that came with the end of the federal public health emergency disproportionately affect people of color, particularly those who are pregnant, further perpetuating systemic racism. Basic public health and healthcare protections should not depend on the ability to pay, which is why we are asking UW–Madison to provide the simple, low-cost protections listed above for students and staff. Well-fitting high-filtration masks (respirators such as N95s and KN95s) provide protection beyond COVID, including reducing the risk of health consequences from wildfire smoke.
We hope that you as UW–Madison leaders will fully support our requests above as effective COVID protections are an important component of creating a university where all can feel safe and thrive, consistent with UW's commitment to diversity and inclusion. We appreciate the previous and ongoing efforts by individuals who work to improve the health and safety of our campus community.
We look forward to the opportunity to meet with you to further discuss our concerns and requests.
Sincerely,
Members of the informal UW Workers’ COVID Response Working Group and other concerned members of the community
[Please note that those signing below are doing so as individual members of our community and not speaking on behalf of our departments, units or institutions.]
Kaitlin Sundling, M.D., Ph.D.
Melissa Marver, Ph.D., M.S.
Susan Nossal, Ph.D.
Karl Broman, Ph.D.
Hilary Habeck Hunt, M.S.
Harry Richardson, Retired UW worker
Barbara E. Smith, UW-Madison, ‘97
Lauren Altaweel, UW Class of 2020
Erin Jonaitis, Ph.D., M.S.
Jane Evered, Ph.D. RN
Sheila Mitchell, M.D.
Sami Schalk, Ph.D.
Michelle Fisher, University Staff & MA Student
Nathan Bollig, D.V.M., M.S.
Pamela Guthman, DNP, RN, former UW-Madison Clinical Assistant Public/Population Health Nursing Professor
Erica Case, UW-Madison, ‘92
Susan Fisk, MEd, MBA, Middleton resident
M. Russell, M.A.
John Rummel, Retired MMSD School Psychologist
Christina Cat Westport resident
Sara Gia Trongone, Teaching Assistant & PhD Student
Dan Fitch, UW-Madison research engineer
Jay Botsford, MPH, Academic Staff
Yasmin Schamiloglu, Long Covid patient, previously Academic Staff
Steve Burns, Madison College
Sawyer Johnson, University Staff
Suzanne Askey, past UW-Madison student
Lisa Ho, Ph.D., Teaching Faculty and Undergraduate Advisor at UW Madison
Sharad Chandarana, PhD, Retired Senior Lecturer
Crashton Warring, University Staff
Nicole Margenau, full-time staff member
Diane Farsetta, PhD
Monica Messina, PhD
Beth Rettenmund, Emeritus, UW Madison
Paula Gottlieb, Faculty
Katherine Charek Briggs, MA, MSIS, Academic Staff
Allison G Kaplan, Academic Staff, retired
Jane Jiumaleh, Academic Staff
Amihan Huesmann, PhD, UW alum and academic staff
Megan Massino, PhD, UW alum and academic staff
Peter Timbie, UW Faculty
Lee Yerkes, Class of 2013
Ankur Desai, Professor, UW Madison
Jess Draws, MSW, Academic Staff
Nola Walker, UW-Madison Class of 2013, academic staff
Emily M. Reynolds, UW-Madison academic staff
Paul Franz, UW-Madison academic staff