Campus situation w/ COVID-19

[ST_Lawson]

I've heard (from multiple sources) that McDonough District Hospital has partnered with WIU to be able to use some of the rooms in the "offline" dorms as quarantine/bed areas if they end up needing them. It's a good use of resources that would otherwise be sitting empty/unused.

[Tere North]

I've heard (from multiple sources) that McDonough District Hospital has partnered with WIU to be able to use some of the rooms in the "offline" dorms as quarantine/bed areas if they end up needing them. It's a good use of resources that would otherwise be sitting empty/unused.

The lack of private restrooms is problematic. That is a critical concern, and one Chicago is resolving by using hotel space. Plus, it gives some room rental income back to the hotels how have really been hurting.

[ST_Lawson]

I've heard (from multiple sources) that McDonough District Hospital has partnered with WIU to be able to use some of the rooms in the "offline" dorms as quarantine/bed areas if they end up needing them. It's a good use of resources that would otherwise be sitting empty/unused.

The lack of private restrooms is problematic. That is a critical concern, and one Chicago is resolving by using hotel space. Plus, it gives some room rental income back to the hotels how have really been hurting.

I haven't heard exactly how it might be set up. I'm sure they're thinking about that situation and how best to make it work. Considering NY City is having to set up curtain-separated "rooms" for a 1,000 bed temporary "hospital" at the Javits Center (convention center), I would think that dorm rooms would be at least a step better than that.

[wiu712]

WIU BOT to hold special meeting.
From the McDonough County Voice:
https://www.mcdonoughvoice.com/news/202 ... al-meeting

Census efforts in university towns are being challenged by Covid-19.

At the University of Illinois Springfield, classes are being taught remotely, but many students are no longer in the campus dorms, townhouses, or apartments. UIS will include those students in the count they provide to the Census Bureau, UIS spokesman Derek Schnapp said. And students are being told that even if they are off campus on the official Census Day, April 1 — they should report their residence as where they live and sleep most of the time - at school.

Census officials are contacting all universities across the country to ensure student populations can be counted.

[sealhall74]

WIU BOT to hold special meeting.
From the McDonough County Voice:
https://www.mcdonoughvoice.com/news/202 ... al-meeting

Census efforts in university towns are being challenged by Covid-19.

At the University of Illinois Springfield, classes are being taught remotely, but many students are no longer in the campus dorms, townhouses, or apartments. UIS will include those students in the count they provide to the Census Bureau, UIS spokesman Derek Schnapp said. And students are being told that even if they are off campus on the official Census Day, April 1 — they should report their residence as where they live and sleep most of the time - at school.

Census officials are contacting all universities across the country to ensure student populations can be counted.

Someday we will all have an RFID ID card which contains or can provide everything important about us, including where we happen to be when the Census taker comes a knockin'. I want the patent rights to it.

[wiu712]

WIU cancels BOT meeting.
From the McDonough County Voice:
https://www.mcdonoughvoice.com/news/202 ... ot-meeting

Southern Illinois University students who have not lived on campus since spring break will receive either a credit or reimbursement of up to 50% of their room and board costs, the university announced Monday. This announcement came shortly after the Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees voted to provide broad authority to President Daniel Mahony to reimburse students for services they are no longer using.

[ST_Lawson]

Last weekend, some of the uTech hardware/networking people were putting in hours getting extra lines and equipment run to Western Hall. I've heard that the plan is that they're going to use Western Hall as another facility. Something along the lines of possibly having "regular" hospital patients on campus, and having the hospital itself specifically for COVID patients...or maybe the other way around, not sure. I just heard that was a plan that they were thinking of (to separate COVID from non-COVID patients).

[wiu712]

The Macomb School Board had an Emergency Meeting tonight.

The Macomb Board of Education voted to temporarily transfer the board’s powers to superintendent Patrick M. Twomey while the COVID-19 pandemic is going on in Illinois.

The superintendent said that some of the ways school resources could be used in case COVID-19 hit McDonough County include using the schools as field hospitals and feeding people in the county. He said that those types of decisions would have to made quickly for the logistics group to even start their planning.

Western dorms Bayliss and Henninger could also be used for emergency purposes. There is a cafeteria there that could be used for food service.

[Neckfansince71]

ST, you indicated that the request to give Dr. Abraham the legal power to deal with this whole problem caused a bit of a stir? Can you give us a better picture of what people were concerned about. As 712 has noted, SIU took actions and I think EIU did also? Is this interference from Springfield or from another source at WIU?

[ST_Lawson]

ST, you indicated that the request to give Dr. Abraham the legal power to deal with this whole problem caused a bit of a stir? Can you give us a better picture of what people were concerned about. As 712 has noted, SIU took actions and I think EIU did also? Is this interference from Springfield or from another source at WIU?

I think it was just that it was putting too much power in one person's hands, as well as setting a bad precedent. This is what was sent to UPI members on Saturday: http://wiu.edu/users/wat100/0_NEWSLETTE ... 8_2020.pdf