• President Michael H. Schill sent a message to all UO students inviting them to attend a virtual town hall on September 3, 2020, to provide an update on plans and campus operations for fall term 2020.
• As promised, I am writing today to provide you with information about plans for fall operations at the University of Oregon. Let me first hit the headlines and then I will provide more detail.
• While an on-campus experience is the goal, it is important to recognize that we do not control the coronavirus. Due to continually changing events we will almost certainly have to make some changes to our plans before the start of the term.
• I am writing to let you know that the University of Oregon is taking a lead role in working to protect international students and to block the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from revoking visas for international students whose studies may be entirely online this fall. Today, the UO joined with 20 research institutions, liberal arts colleges, and public universities in the West in filing a lawsuit in Eugene’s U.S. District Court that seeks a temporary restraining order against the proposed regulations.
• The federal government’s recent guidance forcing the immediate exit from the United States of international students enrolled entirely in online or remote classes is cruel, unfair, and misguided. This is a reversal of guidance issued at the onset of the pandemic that had created helpful flexibility for international students when universities rapidly adjusted curriculum delivery to respond to COVID-19.
• As we conclude this academic year and prepare for the next, we want to congratulate Vice President for Research and Innovation David Conover on his retirement and express our thanks for everything he has done to serve the University of Oregon.
• This past Saturday’s commencement was like none other. While we are immensely proud of all our graduates and were pleased to be able to offer a meaningful ceremony, albeit remote, we know we are all looking forward to the day when we can get back to in-person activities—both on and off-campus. And as we continue our planning for an eventual return, we wanted to take a moment to thank you for all your work, energy, creativity, and dedication to our students through this very difficult time.
• This has been quite a term! For many, many reasons, it wasn’t easy, but you made it. I am profoundly proud of each one of you for the way you responded in the face of unprecedented adversity and a rapidly changing and uncertain world. For those who are not graduating this weekend, we are excited about welcoming you back in Eugene in the fall.
• There is no question we are living in a moment when our nation is painfully coming to grips with the reality of systemic racism that has been woven into the fabric of our society for generations. Racism exists despite the bloody battles of the Civil War, despite protections guaranteed by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments, despite the hard-fought victories of the Civil Rights movement, and despite more recent efforts of individuals and institutions to consciously promote diversity and inclusion.
• The recent, tragic death of George Floyd at the hands of white policemen, coming soon after a spate of other senseless murders of black men and women, has refocused our attention on the racism that affects our black community. Racial disparities touch virtually all aspects of American life, from infant mortality rates, access to health care, residential and educational opportunities, incarceration rates, employment, and life expectancy.
