Update 2:10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 13, 2021: This story has been updated with responses from Penn State President Eric Barron and Board of Trustees leadership.
Penn State’s Faculty Senate voted Friday to pass a vote of no confidence in the university’s fall semester planning amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The organization’s vote of no confidence passed 109-57. A separate vote urging Penn State to take stronger action against COVID-19, including a vaccination mandate, passed 128-32. Both resolutions, which are non-binding, needed a simple majority to pass.
In a special meeting, senators said Penn State’s implemented measures fall short of faculty expectations and don’t “embody a sense of safety and confidence” among faculty, staff and students.
According to its agenda, the Faculty Senate’s main concerns surrounding Penn State’s lack of COVID-19 vaccination requirements. To date, more than 700 universities, including eight Big Ten schools, have mandated vaccines for faculty and staff.
The resolution also cited concerns surrounding Penn State’s COVID-19 testing and the absence of a contact tracing plan “that is reasonable.” At this time, only students who haven’t submitted proof of vaccination are required to undergo weekly testing and on-arrival testing.
In response, the Faculty Senate said Penn State should implement a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all eligible students and employees and until full vaccination occurs should require twice-weekly testing for all individuals who haven’t submitted proof of vaccination.
Ira Saltz, an economics professor at Penn State Shenango, argued unvaccinated individuals should need to pay for weekly COVID-19 testing. A motion to include such a policy in Friday’s presented resolution failed 121 (reject) to 46 (in favor).
Senators also argued faculty and staff should have the option to teach and work remotely, noting Penn State’s plans don’t account for family members at home who aren’t eligible for vaccination. The Faculty Senate called on Penn State to give instructors flexibility in determining course deliveries, plus remote options for office hours, exams, meetings, and more.
“This is not a request that we’re making lightly. This is not something that faculty would turn to because they want to stay home in their pajamas,” Michele Stine, associate professor of biobehavioral health, said. “This is the best and safest way for all of us to have that autonomy to run our classrooms in the safest way possible and still move our students forward.”
Although Penn State recently required indoor masking on campus, the new policy was not negotiated for unionized employees. The Faculty Senate called for universal masking mandates and strict adherence to Centers for Disease Control recommendations.
Additionally, the Faculty Senate’s resolution says Penn State didn’t engage with senators when planning for the fall.
“The planning process was not transparent, and decisions were made by an exclusive administrative group without satisfactory explanation,” the resolution reads.
The resolution calls for Penn State to include “significant and diverse faculty representation” on any committees, groups and task forces involved in fall COVID-19-related planning.
Penn State President Eric Barron and Board of Trustees leadership issued responses after the meeting, noting the complexity of responding to the pandemic and committing to ongoing dialogue with faculty.
“We understand there have been strong feelings expressed by members of the Faculty Senate, and appreciate the importance of faculty input,” Barron wrote. “We are all aligned on the health and safety goals of achieving high vaccination and safety compliance rates, but differ with the Faculty Senate resolutions on the approach in some critical areas.”
He cited a letter to the university community on Thursday night in which he explained the university’s vaccinations, testing, monitoring and enforcement and the progress toward the university’s goal of achieving high vaccination rates.
“The efforts our University has undertaken to date have been extraordinary in scope and complexity, fast-moving, and ever-changing in some cases due to the nature of the pandemic,” Barron wrote.
“We will consider the matters raised in the resolutions (and discussion) recognizing the continuously changing circumstances that we are facing. I reiterate: We have the same health and safety goals as expressed today.”
Board Chair Matthew Schuyler and Vice-Chair David Kleppinger said the trustees are unified in having “full confidence in President Barron and the administration’s approach to address the evolving pandemic.”
They added that the administration has listened to a wide variety of viewpoints in developing its plans.
“Penn State is a large and complex enterprise. We understand that there are strong feelings about how the University has responded and is responding to the pandemic, and there are differing opinions,” they wrote. “Nevertheless, we believe it’s important to acknowledge the complexity and unprecedented nature of the pandemic, and the fact that there are no easy solutions. An ongoing dialogue, with mutual appreciation for these challenges, is the most productive way to address any concerns with the planned approach.”
Friday’s approved resolution essentially gave Penn State a one-month timetable to reconsider fall semester planning before the Faculty Senate’s Sept. 14 meeting. Up to then, the senate reserves the right to reconsider the vote of no confidence.
More than 2,800 Penn State faculty, staff, students and community members already signed a petition demanding stronger action against COVID-19, including a vaccine mandate.
The Coalition for a Just University held a rally on Friday afternoon outside Old Main to deliver the letter to administrators.
The Faculty Senate previously called on Penn State to enact a vaccine mandate, as have the University Park Undergraduate Association and State College Borough Council.
StateCollege.com’s Geoff Rushton contributed to this story.