Going Back to College Safely — Congressional Record, Senate, June 4, 2020
Summary
A page of the Congressional Record, Senate, dated June 4, 2020, beginning at page S2721, under Going Back to College Safely. Mr. Alexander recounts that Scott of South Carolina, one of three African-American Members of the U.S. Senate, was stopped 7 times in his hometown, then says about 70 to 75 million American families are asking whether students will go back to college and school. He argues that colleges can be among the safest places because campuses are young and have unused space, that testing will rise from about 10 million a month to 40 or 50 million tests a month, and that the Federal Government should advise while campuses decide. The page closes with a letter on higher education losses, a quotation from the president of the University of California System, and remarks on the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
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“Going Back to College Safely — Congressional Record, Senate, June 4, 2020.”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-06-04-crec-2020-06-04-pt1-pgs2721-1001673adc/
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June 4, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2721
SCOTT of South Carolina, who is one of President Paxson of Brown—a different ting to the Federal Government a plan
three African-American Members of kind of institution in the Northeast, each month about their testing needs.
the U.S. Senate. He told us a couple of different from Purdue—they both de- The Federal Government is helping fill
years ago in a private Bible study—and cided it is their obligation to open up in any gaps. Over the next 2, 3 months,
I asked him later if I could mention and to create a safe environment for the number of tests will go from about
it—that he was stopped 7 times—an Af- the students to come back. 10 million a month to 40 or 50 million
rican-American man—in his hometown, There are several reasons for this. tests a month. That is a lot of tests. We
Charleston, SC, for being a Black man There is some health risk in coming are already testing more than any
in the wrong place, even while he was back. Of course, wise leadership can ad- country in the world.
the vice mayor of his hometown. dress that. But I think, as all of us My guess is that colleges and univer-
I asked him about that again this have looked at our colleges, wise lead- sities—even though there are 6,000 of
week. He said: Yes, it happened again ership can make colleges among the them, 127 different institutions in Ten-
last month. I think most of us don’t safest communities to live and work in nessee—if they will be in touch with
know that. We don’t think about that— America over the next year because their Governor and be a part of the
those of us who aren’t African Amer- colleges have certain advantages. In State testing plan, they can have ade-
ican, aren’t Black. To think about the first place, most of the campus quate tests, not only to contain the
that, I think, helps us begin the proc- community is young. While we can’t be disease and isolate those who should be
ess of understanding the feelings that cavalier about the effect of COVID–19 isolated but to give peace of mind to
are going on in the country right now, on young people, as Dr. Fauci has other students and faculty and mem-
most of which can’t be solved by laws. warned us, the fact is that COVID–19 bers of the community who come on-
They will have to be changed by atti- seems to hurt the young much less. board.
tudes. The second reason it would be easier Finally, we talked a little bit about
f to go back to college is that there is a the role of the Federal Government. We
lot of space in colleges that isn’t used. have a classic discussion about that
GOING BACK TO COLLEGE SAFELY Colleges are the most notorious wast- here. Some want to say Washington
Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I ers of space in our society. It is rare should do it; some want to say the
come to the floor today to make com- that a class is taught in the early State should do it. Generally, our
ments on two other subjects. The first morning or late evening or on Satur- friends on the Democratic side trust
is about a subject that is concerning days or in the summers. There is plen- Washington, DC; generally, we on the
about 70, 75 million American families; ty of time and plenty of space to spread Republican side trust the States. But
that is, going back to college and going out on most college campuses. there is a role for both. The Federal
back to school. The question is on the As we learn more and more about Government, through the Centers for
minds of many Americans: Will we be COVID–19, it looks like there are three Disease Control, can provide advice.
going back to college? Will our chil- things we really need to do: Keep 6 feet The Federal Government, as it is doing
dren be going back to school? apart, wash our hands, and wear a through the Shark Tank, as we call it,
We finished a hearing today—the mask. Do those three things, and we at the National Institutes of Health,
Presiding Officer was present; the Sen- can probably go back to school, back to can accelerate the number of rapid
ator from Alaska was present—on work, out to eat, and do most of the tests that are available at a low cost
going back to college safely. The ques- things we would like to do. for campuses.
tion is not whether we are going back At a college, as President Daniels The Federal Government can provide
to college in the United States of says, he intends to develop a culture of additional funding for campuses, as we
America; the question is how to go masks. Vanderbilt University is going did in the CARES Act. Those are some
back safely. We all understand that to require a mask to be worn in all in- of the things we can do from here. But
when 70, 75 million students go back to door situations. Then they are taking a the things we ought not to try to do
college and go back to school, that is number of other steps. Concerts and from here are to order California to
the surest sign that American life is re- parties and large gatherings are out. open its campuses if California doesn’t
gaining its rhythm—not just for the Flu shots and grab-and-go meals are in. want to or to tell Purdue and Notre
students themselves but, especially There will be systematic testing, and Dame and Brown and the University of
with the children, for their parents, testing will be done in different ways. Tennessee and Vanderbilt that they
most of whom work outside the home. The president of Brown would like to cannot open their campuses if they do
Today’s subject was about college. test every student, she said in an arti- want to and think they can do it safe-
We had excellent witnesses. We had cle in the New York Times a few weeks ly. We should not be trying to tell each
Mitch Daniels, the president of Purdue ago. of those campuses exactly how many
University. He was introduced by the The president of Purdue said: Well, tests they have, what kind of tests
Senator from Indiana. We had the maybe systematic testing. There will they have, any more than we try to tell
president of Brown University, Chris- be different strategies for testing, but them what the faculty ought to be paid
tina Paxson. We had Logan Hampton, the goal of testing is two things. One is or what student admissions policies
who was president of a small histori- containing the disease; that is, identi- ought to be or what the curriculum
cally Black college in Jackson, TN, fying the sick and the exposed so that ought to be.
Lane College. And we had the Presi- they can be quarantined so the rest of While the Federal Government needs
dent of American Public Health Asso- us don’t have to be, and the other is to to create an umbrella in which indi-
ciation, Dr. Benjamin. They talked build confidence. vidual campuses can go back to school
with us about the various strategies I know that when I took a test last safely, we need to be careful about tell-
and concerns that existed. week after I was exposed to COVID–19, ing everybody exactly what to do.
I will, in a few minutes, ask consent I went home for 2 weeks of self-isola- We had a very big event here 4, 5
to put my opening statement in the tion, as the attending physician said I years ago when we fixed No Child Left
RECORD, but if I can summarize it, it should do. That should have been it, Behind. Everybody wanted it fixed—
would be this. Most of our 6,000 public but I went to my local public health Democrats, Republicans, labor unions,
colleges and universities—some public, department and took a test, which Governors, teachers. Why? Because
some private, some church schools— turned out to be negative, for peace of after a while, everybody got tired of
will be open in August for in-person mind. It gave me more confidence to go Washington, DC, telling 100,000 public
students but not all of them. The Uni- back home and be with my family. schools exactly what to do, what teach-
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versity of California State system has The anticipation is that there will be ers to hire, what curriculum to have—
said so far that it expects only to offer plenty of testing. Admiral Giroir, the all of these things. The same is true
online courses. But at Purdue, for ex- Assistant Secretary of Public Health, with our colleges.
ample—an institution of 55,000 stu- has told our committee, we are, in the Our system of colleges and univer-
dents—President Daniels has decided, United States, doing about 10 million sities is the best in the world. Every-
with the approval of his board, and tests a month now. States are submit- one concedes that. It has not gotten
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S2722 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 4, 2020
there by Washington ordering what it have already lost tens of billions of dollars Colleges and Universities, Association of
should do, and Washington shouldn’t via diminished revenues and increased costs Public and Land-grant Universities, Associa-
order what it should do about this dis- in the current academic year. Surveys and tion of Research Libraries, Coalition of
data indicate that the next academic year Urban and Metropolitan Universities, Col-
ease. It should advise; it should help; it
will be far worse. In addition, some states lege and University Professional Association
can help send money. But the auton- have already substantially cut funding to for Human Resources, Council for Advance-
omy of each campus ought to be re- public universities and to student grant pro- ment and Support of Education, Council for
spected. grams at all institutions, while for others, Christian Colleges & Universities, Council
One other thing about the colleges the cuts are looming. for Higher Education Accreditation,
and universities have asked for from us Understandably, implementing widespread EDUCAUSE, Higher Learning Commission,
is liability protection. testing, contact tracing, and quarantine and Hispanic Association of Colleges and Univer-
I ask unanimous consent to have treatment facilities will impose substantial sities.
printed in the RECORD following my re- ongoing expenses, beyond the already sizable NASPA—Student Affairs Administrators
marks a letter from the American challenges in procuring and providing the ex- in Higher Education, National Association of
Council on Education, with a number tensive amounts of physical protective College and University Business Officers, Na-
equipment and making the physical modi- tional Association of Independent Colleges
of things in it they ask of Congress. fications to campus buildings that will be and Universities, National Association of
This is the umbrella organization for necessary to ensure the health and safety of Student Financial Aid Administrators, Na-
hiring education, and it includes liabil- our students, staff, and visitors. We are tional Association of System Heads, New
ity protection. happy to share with the committee a list ex- England Commission of Higher Education,
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without amples of individual institutional losses, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Uni-
objection, it is so ordered. based on public reports, demonstrating the versities, Rebuilding America’s Middle Class,
There being no objection, the mate- enormous range and variations in cir- Southern Association of Colleges and
rial was ordered to be printed in the cumstances that will dramatically com- Schools Commission on Colleges, State High-
RECORD, as follows: plicate the ability of many campuses to re- er Education Executive Officers Association,
open. Institutions are not asking for the fed- TMCF, UNCF (United Negro College Fund,
AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EDUCATION, Inc.).
eral government to make them whole, but
June 3, 2020.
they need support if they are to have any There being no objection, the mate-
Hon. LAMAR ALEXANDER,
chance at returning to something resembling
Chairman, Committee on Health, Education, rial was ordered to be printed in the
normal operations.
Labor and Pensions, U.S. Senate, Wash-
While institutions will be taking extensive RECORD, as follows:
ington, DC. OPENING STATEMENT
measures such as those noted above in com-
Hon. PATTY MURRAY,
bination with campus-specific public health COVID–19: GOING BACK TO COLLEGE SAFELY—
Ranking Member, Committee on Health, Edu-
education programs and outreach—encour- THURSDAY, JUNE 4 AT 10 A.M.
cation, Labor and Pensions, U.S. Senate,
aging safety measures such as the wearing of Introduction
Washington, DC.
masks, hand washing, and social distancing
DEAR CHAIRMAN ALEXANDER AND RANKING The question for administrators of 6,000
and expecting shared responsibility for be-
MEMBER MURRAY: On behalf of the American colleges and universities is not whether to
havior—it will be impossible to completely
Council on Education and the undersigned reopen in August, but how to do it safely.
eliminate the transmission of this highly
higher education associations, I am writing Most are working overtime to get ready for
contagious virus. It is not only possible, but
to thank you for holding today’s hearing ex- one of the surest signs that American life is
perhaps even likely, that any campus re-
amining the important issue of how U.S. col- regaining its rhythm: 20 million students
opening will result in some COVID–19 infec-
leges and universities can reopen their phys- going back to college
tions within the campus community. Our witnesses today are here to tell us
ical campuses in the fall as the nation seeks
As a result, institutions are facing enor- their strategies for reopening safely:
to recover from the COVID–19 pandemic and
mous uncertainty about COVID–19-related Mitch Daniels, President of Purdue Univer-
begin returning to normal.
The issues involved with safely welcoming standards of care and corresponding fears of sity, West Lafayette, IN
students, faculty, and staff back to campuses possible litigation, even when they have em- Christina Paxson, President of Brown Uni-
are complicated; there is no one-size-fits-all ployed reasonable decision-making and done versity, Providence, RI
solution. Every institution is developing everything within their power to keep stu- Logan Hampton, President of Lane Col-
plans appropriate for their own cir- dents, employees, and visitors as safe as pos- lege, Jackson, TN
cumstances and the needs of their campus sible. In addition to providing critical finan- Georges Benjamin, MD, Executive Director
community, based on the guidance and re- cial support for institutions that have been of American Public Health Association,
sources available from federal, state, and hard-hit during this crisis, we believe Con- Washington, DC
local public health officials. For example, gress should pass legislation providing a
timely, temporary, and targeted federal safe College best health practices
while residential campuses need to carefully
harbor from liability for illness or the spread Purdue University, the University of South
consider protocols to minimize the risks for
of illness when good faith efforts are made to Carolina, Rice University, Creighton Univer-
students living in close proximity to one an-
comply with applicable local, state, and fed- sity, and The University of Notre Dame will
other, commuter campuses must be cog-
eral public health standards. These protec- finish in-person classes before Thanksgiving
nizant of students who move between cam-
tions should preserve recourse for those to avoid further spread of COVID–19 during
pus, home, and work on a daily basis—and
harmed by truly bad actors who engage in flu season
some campuses must address both sets of
egregious misconduct or gross negligence. Vanderbilt will require face masks in
issues. Every campus wants to offer as full a
Thank you again for your willingness to classrooms.
range as possible of academic, housing, so-
examine these important issues during to- To make social distancing easier, colleges
cial, athletic, and other programs and serv-
day’s hearing. We look forward to working are rescheduling classrooms usually empty
ices, and to do so in a way that ensures as
with you and your colleagues on this urgent in early mornings, evenings, weekends and
best as possible the safety and health of stu-
matter. summer. Concerts and parties are out. Grab
dents and all other members of the campus
Sincerely, and go meal options, flu shots and tempera-
and surrounding community. In addition to
TED MITCHELL, ture checks are in. Campuses will offer more
these challenges, we know that students will
President. online courses.
be coming back to campus with significant
I recently was on a phone call with about
financial challenges as they and their fami- On behalf of:
90 presidents of Tennessee’s 127 institutions
lies are not immune from the broader eco- Accrediting Commission for Community
of higher education, and almost all of them
nomic conditions facing our nation. Colleges and Junior Colleges, ACPA—College Student
are planning to resume in-person classes in
and universities, while under financial strain Educators International, American Associa-
the Fall, but they want governments to cre-
themselves, will redouble their efforts to tion of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions
ate liability protection against being sued if
support students who are most in need. Officers, American Association of Commu-
a student becomes sick.
Effectively and safely reopening campuses nity Colleges, American Association of State
Bucking the trend, California’s state uni-
is constrained by the large revenue losses Colleges and Universities, American College
versity system will offer most of its courses
and significant new expenses that colleges Health Association, American Council on
only online.
and universities have already experienced Education, American Dental Education As-
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and will continue to face. These expenses in- sociation, American Indian Higher Edu- College testing strategies
clude the costs associated with moving in- cation Consortium, Association of American All roads back to college lead through test-
struction online, serving students remotely, Universities, Association of Catholic Col- ing.
and implementing new health protections leges and Universities, Association of Com- The availability of widespread testing will
and safety precautions. Estimates by ACE munity College Trustees. allow colleges to track and isolate students
and other organizations have repeatedly con- Association of Governing Boards of Univer- who have the virus or have been exposed to
cluded that institutions of higher education sities and Colleges, Association of Jesuit it, so the rest of the student body doesn’t
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June 4, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2723
have to be quarantined. Campuses are ex- Second: Colleges are notorious wasters of The United States is home to 6,000 colleges
ploring using mobile phone apps for tracking space. As I wrote for Newsweek in 2009 to en- and universities—arguably the best system
and creating isolation dormitories to isolate courage colleges to embrace 3-year degrees: of higher education in the world because in-
students who have the virus or have been ex- Former George Washington University presi- stitutions have maximum autonomy and
posed, as UT-Knoxville is doing. dent Stephen J. Trachtenberg estimates that minimum direction from Washington on ev-
Widespread testing not only helps contain a typical college uses its facilities for aca- erything from their curriculum, tuition, ad-
the disease; it builds confidence that the demic purposes a little more than half the mission policies, health care plans for stu-
campus is safe. Fortunately, U.S. Assistant calendar year. ‘‘While college facilities sit dents, and compensation for faculty. They
Secretary for Health Admiral Brett Giroir idle, they continue to generate maintenance, determine what their policies will be for stu-
says there will be 40–50 million tests avail- energy, and debt-service expenses that con- dent behavior and conduct, housing, safety,
able per month by September. That is 4–5 tribute to the high cost of running a col- and a host of other things.
times today’s number—and today’s number lege,’’ he has written. So I would suggest we honor that same tra-
is twice as many as any other country. Keeping students six feet apart will be a dition now: President Trump and Congress
Dr. Francis Collins, who led the Human lot easier if colleges embrace a new effi- should not be telling the California State
Genome Project, now leads a competitive ciency and use more of their classrooms and University System that it has to open its
‘‘shark tank’’ enterprise at the National In- spaces throughout the day and throughout classes in person, or telling Notre Dame it
stitutes of Health to discover new ways to the year. cannot—or telling UT that it must test ev-
conduct tens of millions of additional accu- Maybe that’s a lesson that will last beyond eryone on the campus or telling Brown Uni-
rate tests with quick results. this virus crisis. versity that it cannot. Colleges themselves,
Should everyone on campus be tested? On Third, tracking and tracing the virus will not Washington DC, should make those deci-
a webinar for institutes of higher education be easier to do at colleges—we know what sions.
on Friday, May 29, Centers for Disease Con- classes students attend, and what dorms Conclusion
trol and Prevention officials said that they they live in. If colleges take it a step further
are not recommending that at this time and and, for example, assign seats in class, infec- We know that a single lost year of college
encouraged campuses to work with their tions will be even easier to track. can lead to a student not graduating from
state and local health officials. Fourth, a college can require students to college and set back career goals.
However, that does not take into account wear masks. Campuses can make mask-wear- Already, disruption of university research
testing for peace of mind. Some schools may ing part of the student culture. projects has erased much of the progress
want to test everyone before they come back But college environments pose a couple of that was being made with the record levels
to campus. challenges as well. of research funding Congress has provided
Schools may want to think about testing First, we know that 19 and 20-year-olds over the past five years. Many American col-
randomly to detect asymptomatic cases and don’t always choose to do what’s healthiest. leges—overall considered the best in the
have the ability to test everyone in certain For example, the 2018 National Survey on world—will be permanently damaged or even
categories: health care, food service, and Drug Use and Health found that a third of closed if they remain, in witness Christina
cleaning workers; older faculty; students college students admitted to binge drinking Paxson’s words, ‘‘ghost towns.’’
with medical conditions or who are arriving in the past month. So a social-distanced, Two thirds of college students want to re-
from virus hot spots; all students in a class mask-wearing culture in class may not al- turn to campus, according to an Axios sur-
or dormitory where a person tests positive ways extend into the evenings and weekends. vey. At Purdue, tuition deposits by incoming
for the virus. And second, 86 percent of undergraduate freshmen broke last year’s record. Colleges
Administrators ask: Where will I find students are not living on campus, according and universities are microcities. College
tests? The answer is, consult your local to the National Center for Education Statis- presidents and administrators can make
health department and your governor. Each tics. That statistic includes big variations: them among the safest small communities in
state submits a monthly plan to the federal 40 percent of students at private 4-year col- which to live and work during this next year.
government outlining testing supplies and leges live on campus; 26 percent at public 4- In doing so, they will help our country take
needs. Admiral Giroir’s team then helps fill year institutions, 2 percent live on campus its surest step toward normalcy.
the gaps. at community colleges. Nearly half of under- Mr. ALEXANDER. Next week in our
My recommendation: you want your graduates live within 10 miles of campus. committee we will take a look at going
school’s testing needs to be in your state That means many students will leave and re- back to school safely, K–12. That is a
plan. A school can also contract directly turn, potentially exposing themselves and lot more families—20 million college
with laboratories who conduct tests, review others to the virus—making social students, 75 million children in K–12.
the Food and Drug Administration list of au- distancing and CDC-recommended health And in every one of those families, in
thorized tests, or ask for help from a nearby status checks all the more important.
large university or hospital that has created
every one of those homes, I can tell
Federalism you those families are worried about
its own test.
What should the federal government’s role whether those children can go back to
COVID–19 plans should last for at least the
be in helping colleges and universities safely school and whether they can go safely.
full school year. The government is pursuing
reopen?
vaccines at warp speed, but no one expects
Providing advice from the CDC about best
I believe they can, and all across the
one by August. In the second semester there country, Governors, classroom teach-
practices
should be more tests, more treatments, bet- ers, mayors, principals are working,
Funding for innovation, such as the shark
ter contact tracing and vaccines—amidst the just as we heard today from the college
tank I mentioned, so there’s an ample supply
flu season and the return of COVID–19. It will
be the Fall of 2021 before school life ap-
of rapid tests for colleges presidents, to make sure they go back
Encouraging colleges and universities to safely.
proaches normal.
work with states and get included in their
But students returning in the Fall and
testing plans, and then help states get sup- f
their families will want and need to have
plies they need for testing GREAT AMERICAN OUTDOORS ACT
peace of mind that they, and their loved
Funding, such as the nearly $14 billion in
ones, are heading back into a safe environ- Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, if I
CARES Act to address lost revenue due to
ment. Testing is the key to providing this may switch gears to another subject,
COVID–19 and help students disrupted by the
peace of mind. briefly—on Monday, the Senate will be
crisis
College Environment—the Good and Bad Federal government can provide liability casting the most important vote on
There are several reasons colleges have an protections conservation legislation, outdoors leg-
advantage in providing a safe environment Beyond that, decisions should be left to the islation, that we have had in 50 years.
for students and faculty: individual campuses. From small technical
That is quite a statement to make be-
The first reason is that younger people institutes like Lincoln College of Tech-
have been less hurt by COVID–19. nology to research institutions like the Mas- cause we do lots of legislation in the
For example: In Tennessee, nursing homes sachusetts Institute of Technology. From U.S. Senate. I am not exaggerating
account for around 5 percent of cases of community colleges to tuition-free, four- when I say that. This is a piece of legis-
COVID–19 infections but 36 percent of year institutions like Berea College in Ken- lation that will do more for our public
COVID–19 deaths. tucky. Federal lands—our national parks, our
Compare that with Tennesseans under the When I became a university president in fish and wildlife lands, our Bureau of
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age of 30, who have accounted for around 30 1988, I asked the president of the University Reclamation Lands, the lands that
percent of cases of infection, but less than 1 of California System, David Gardner, what
hunters and fishermen use—than any
percent of deaths. made that university so good. His first an-
Still, there is much we are still learning swer was autonomy—that the government piece of legislation we have passed in
about the virus, and Dr. Anthony Fauci has provides students with funds that follow at least 60 years. In addition, it will
warned against ‘‘cavalierly’’ assuming that them to the school of their choice and then create permanent funding for the Land
young people are not at risk. allows the institutions to run themselves. and Water Conservation Fund, which
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