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Not Wearing A Mask On W.Va. Campuses This Fall Could Lead To Probation, Expulsion

Updated on Aug. 12, 2020 at 9:50 a.m.

All of West Virginia’s higher education institutions have varying return-to-campus plans in place for the fall 2020 semester. But how will plans be enforced? And what consequences exist if students refuse to comply?

As early as next week, some schools in West Virginia, such as Concord University and West Virginia University, will begin fall 2020 semesters, with others like Marshall and Shepherd University starting on Aug. 24.

All of West Virginia’s higher education institutions have protective protocols in place to combat the coronavirus, such as mask-wearing and social distancing.

Like their counterparts across the nation, most colleges and universities in the state are offering a mix of in-person, virtual and hybrid courses. Dormitories, in many cases, are single-occupancy rooms and will no longer allow visitors. And all institutions have greatly increased cleaning efforts.

Many schools, such as Shepherd, have signs all over campus that read, “Please keep your face coverings on!”

Gov. Jim Justice is asking that all public and private colleges and universities in West Virginia require coronavirus testing of all students who come to campuses.

At WVU, students and staff not wearing face coverings on campus could receive a written warning, be removed from class, put on probation, or even face suspension or expulsion, according to the school’s website.

Similarly, at Shepherd, if a student refuses to wear a mask, the situation will be “treated as a conduct issue by Students Affairs and Residence Life,” the university advised in an email to West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

At Marshall, students and staff who wish to report incidents anonymously can do so through an online form. Those in violation would be “subject to the rules of the student judicial system and Board of Governors Policy No. SA-1, Student Rights and Responsibilities,” according to guidance posted on the school’s website.

“[A] formal warning comes first, followed by conduct probation, [which] limits participation in extracurricular activities and student privileges, then probationary suspension, suspension, and finally expulsion,” said Leah Payne, Marshall University’s director of University Communications.

The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission has provided a page on its website with links to all of West Virginia’s 4-year, 2-year and private institutions’ return-to-campus guidelines, which continue to be updated as schools sort out safety policies as they begin the fall semester.

Recently, Justice provided $2.5 million dispersed among West Virginia’s colleges and universities to support COVID-19 testing on campus.

West Virginia HEPC Chancellor Sarah Armstrong Tucker said this funding will help institutions ramp up testing and reopen safely.

“This accelerated testing, combined with the far-reaching health and safety protocols schools have already activated, will allow students to continue their education – which is critical to their futures and the future of our state – with greater peace of mind,” Tucker said.

**Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story said Shepherd and Marshall would require coronavirus testing of all students living in residence halls as well as student-athletes, newly arrived international students or students coming from hot-spot areas in the U.S. This is in fact a request by Gov. Jim Justice for all students attending the state’s public and private colleges and universities.

'Nothing Concrete' As Colleges, Universities Prepare For Fall Reopening

There have been a lot of questions about what public schooling in West Virginia will look like in the fall, but there’s also quite a few questions about higher education.

Colleges and universities have been releasing updates on their websites in recent months about what they’re doing to prepare for a return to campuses in the fall – but uncertainty remains.

At Shepherd University, Jenny Lind plays two roles – accounting student and a lead campus service worker in Shepherd University’s facilities department. As part of facilities, she and her team are responsible for keeping all buildings, classrooms, dormitories – basically the entire campus – clean.

For workers like Lind, the coronavirus pandemic presented challenges.

“We had numerous discussions, and because there was so much uncertainty, especially at first, we didn’t know how it could be killed,” Lind said. “If it was chemicals or if it was light, UV; we had to understand actually how the virus spread and what we needed to do to actually kill the virus.”

While her cleaning regimen hasn’t really changed much, what has changed is Lind and her team are cleaning more often. And she said when students return in the fall, that frequency will ramp up even more.

Typically, cleaning staff work after-hours. They do their work once people have left a building, but Lind said that won’t be the norm anymore, and her team will be making extra efforts to be seen.

Knowing how much they’re doing, she said it makes her feel safe to return to her own classes.

“I personally know that everything has been sanitized,” she explained. “I know that the classrooms have been sanitized. I know that the bathrooms have been sanitized; all the touch points, so yes, I am more confident that it’s safe.”

But not everyone feels as safe to return to college this fall.

In fact, one online petition, hosted on Change.org, has received more than 1,200 signatures, and continues to climb, calling on West Virginia University to cancel all in-person classes this fall and reduce tuition if the school goes entirely online.

Across West Virginia, colleges and universities have produced contingency plans to prepare for a return to in-person classes, according to the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission.

In all schools, face masks will be required of students, faculty, staff and visitors. Dormitories, in many cases, will now be single occupancy rooms instead of sharing with another classmate. There will be more grab-and-go style meals with more outdoor dining areas.

Staff and students will be required to take their temperature every day, and class sizes will be reduced, desks spaced out, and many courses are now hybrids, where some instruction will be done in-person, while some of it will be remote.

And many classes will just be online.

But there’s still concern whether this is enough for students to feel safe enough to return to campuses.

“I’m worried that we’re going to have a year where our best minds are not going to college because of fears of the coronavirus,” said Sarah Armstrong Tucker, chancellor of the Community and Technical College System of West Virginia and the interim chancellor of the Higher Education Policy Commission.

“We have real fears about enrollment for the fall,” Tucker said. “Are families going to feel safe sending their children to college? Are adults going to feel safe returning to school when you’re in an environment where you’re not supposed to be with a group of more than 25 people?”

The enrollment concern is a big one for colleges and universities, because if there aren’t enough students paying tuition and fees, it’s more challenging to meet financial bottom lines.

Tucker said it’s been a constant collaborative effort with education officials, local health departments and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources to prepare for any scenario and make sure campuses are as safe as possible.

“We’re having discussions about all of it,” she said. “I think we’re probably at about plan S, right now, for the fall.”

Colleges and universities have increased how often they clean campuses to combat the coronavirus.

According to the HEPC, many of West Virginia’s higher education institutions, both two and four-years, are experiencing a varying level of lower enrollment for the fall – especially in the case of students at 4-year institutions who would typically be looking to live in on-campus housing.

Both Marshall University and WVU told West Virginia Public Broadcasting that compared to last year, they’re seeing a slight decline so far in fall enrollment numbers.

WVU said, while it’s too soon to tell what next year will look like, projections are not as low as the school had predicted they might be when the pandemic started.

But it won’t be known until later in the year what those enrollment numbers will actually look like for West Virginia’s higher education institutions or which schools will feel the most impact from enrollment numbers.

“One of the most frustrating things about the coronavirus and this pandemic is that there is absolutely nothing concrete,” said Holly Morgan Frye, vice president for student affairs and the director of community relations at Shepherd University. “Every time we make a plan, something changes, and we have to make another plan.”

Frye also leads the health task force at Shepherd, which formed in response to the pandemic.

“The majority of our students really want to be back on campus, and we want to be able to do that,” she said. “So, we’re taking a look at every aspect of the university. Everything from what supplies are needed, how we can de-densify our classrooms, how we can create pedestrian traffic flows to reduce contact, how we can enforce the policies that we are creating.”

Some colleges and universities, according to the HEPC, will also be requiring coronavirus testing of students, while others are looking at at-risk student testing and screening of specific populations.

At Shepherd, Frye said they are considering target testing, such as testing all the athletes if there was an outbreak, or an entire dormitory if there was an outbreak there.

This week, Gov. Jim Justice met with the state’s higher education officials to share his specific requests for a safe return to campus in the fall.

Justice is calling on all colleges and universities to test out-of-state students for the coronavirus upon returning to campus.

He also said he will provide any additional resources for a safe reopening, such as access to support from the National Guard and the West Virginia DHHR.

How COVID-19 Is Changing The Job Landscape For New College Grads

Unemployment across the nation is at an all-time high with millions of Americans out of work. In West Virginia, more than 160,000 residents have filed for unemployment since mid-March, according to state officials on May 14.

This has many new college graduates concerned as they try to navigate a now limited job market. While there may be valuable lessons new grads can learn through the pandemic, it will also be a challenging road ahead for some.

When 22-year-old Lucas Shaver graduated from West Liberty University in December with a degree in visual communication design, he had a clear vision of how he wanted life to go.

“I would move back home, and I would work for about a year or two; build up some money with the help of my family, and I would be actually moving out of home,” Shaver said.

Shaver, who’s a friend of WVPB reporter Corey Knollinger, planned to build up his graphic design resume before moving out of state. He even had a potential job lined up after graduation at a shop in Parkersburg.

“We touched base back in like, late January, early February, and I was recommended through a friend of a friend, and they said they really liked my work, and … we were having a really good relationship, and it was really looking up, and then COVID happened, and we’ve basically dropped everything until further notice,” he said.

When Gov. Jim Justice issued his stay-at-home order on March 24, all businesses other than “essential” work, like health care, first responders, grocery stores and banks, were mandated to close temporarily to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Justice has since begun easing the stay-at-home order for West Virginia, allowing some businesses to reopen if they can comply with certain restrictions, but Shaver said he still hasn’t heard from the Parkersburg company. He has applied for several other jobs without any luck and feels frustrated and worried about the future.

“My main concern is just that whole uncertainty, you know, like, when is it going to happen?”

An Evolving Economic Landscape And How We Do Business

Many new college graduates are feeling this way.

“It’s definitely an uncertain time,” said Melissa Markey, a career advisor at Shepherd University. “And you kind of feel helpless sometimes when students are like, what do I do, I want to move to Texas. What’s the job market gonna be like over there?”

Markey helps guide college seniors through their final year, such as how to write a proper resume and sort out a career path once they graduate. She said her students have felt concerned about the prospects of getting a job given the economic uncertainty across the country.

“The job market’s kind of changing in that we’re going more into … technology, rather than the brick and mortar office buildings. There’s going to be more telecommuting and working from home than there is actually going into the office space, which could be an advantage or disadvantage depending on what you’re looking for in an employment opportunity,” she said.

Markey said new grads will likely have job interviews over video conferencing programs like Zoom or Skype, a trend she predicts may continue even after the pandemic ends.

She also said those first jobs for 2020 grads may not be in their field, but they can provide valuable skills like communication, teamwork and organization that will transfer into their next job.

“The class of 2020 was supposed to come out in probably the best economy in a very long time, with the lowest jobless unemployment rate since 1969,” said economist Dr. Avinandan Mukherjee, Dean of the Lewis College of Business at Marshall University. “And the reality ended up to be exactly the opposite.”

What’s happening to our economy now is sometimes compared to 2008 with the Great Recession, but Mukherjee said one of the biggest differences between the two is that now, the jobs still exist — they may just be out of reach until the pandemic is over.

“Because it is an external shock, so it’s much more akin to … a major hurricane or a major earthquake or major natural disaster, it’s something like that, something that has taken out a lot of businesses and therefore jobs, but it has the potential of coming back,” he said.

But Mukherjee said what work looks like will undoubtedly change. Location will no longer matter when pursuing a job and new graduates will benefit from advancements in technology — but only if they have reliable access to broadband.

“[West Virginia] needs a much higher level of investment in broadband technologies and capabilities right now to be able to cater to the new economy, and it has never been clearer than now that there is no alternative to that,” Mukherjee explained.

If West Virginia can prioritize broadband access, Muhkerjee said, it will result in more companies locating to the state and in a variety of different sectors.

But recessions can also have permanent impacts on the long-term earning power of new graduates, Muhkerjee said.

He points to one study that found that for every 1 percent increase in the unemployment rate, new college graduates suffer a 3 percent income loss as they get their first job.

“And this effect fades out over 10 to 15 years,” he said.

In West Virginia, the unemployment rate in January 2020 was at 5 percent. The governor’s office said it was the lowest unemployment rate in more than a decade. But three months later, and the jobless rate in the state increased to 15.2 percent, according to WorkForce West Virginia.

“This is definitely a black swan event, this is going to redefine the marketplace,” Muhkerjee said, referring to how unanticipated events can have far-reaching and long-lasting impacts. “And the challenge for our students right now that are graduating is how do they make this to their advantage.”

Mukherjee encourages 2020 college graduates to focus on making connections, honing video interviewing skills, and keeping an open mind while looking for job opportunities in the era of COVID-19.

But for Shaver, while he said it’s comforting to know jobs could still be there when the pandemic is over, he said the uncertainty of the situation still has him worried.

“You know, I want to have a job,” he said. “I want to be able to put money up and move out and do all the things I wanted to do.”

With A Little Help From Technology, W.Va. Is Stepping Up To Produce Critical Protective Gear

As the coronavirus continues to spread in West Virginia, the need for personal protective equipment, or PPE, has increased as well. But more than two dozen organizations across West Virginia are working to provide this critical equipment to frontline workers.

3D Printing Personal Protective Equipment

For nearly a month, Shepherd University’s Fine Arts, Science, Technology, Engineering, Educational Resource (FASTEnER) lab has been 3D printing face shields for frontline emergency and medical workers in the Eastern Panhandle. And since the start of April, the lab has also been printing N95 respirator masks for the West Virginia National Guard to distribute across the state.

“The need has been overwhelming, so I’ve been trying to come in as much as possible to fill these orders,” said Kay Dartt, Shepherd University’s 3D fabrication manager.

Dartt and just two other volunteers have been working almost every day to produce face shields and N95 masks. Dartt said she keeps the team small to limit how many people are in and out of the lab and to follow social distancing guidelines.

“When I get in in the morning, the first thing I do is I go around and collect all the prints that printed overnight,” she said. “And usually those are things that will take a little bit longer to print.”

The lab has more than 30 3D printers. Most were loaned from Berkeley and Jefferson County Schools to help meet the need.

Kay Dartt monitors a 3D printer at Shepherd University.

During the day, Dartt typically prints face shields since they don’t take as long to make. But overnight, she has the printers making N95 masks, which can take up to eight hours to print two on a single printer.

3D printers work by following a model that was built in a computer aided drawing program. The program creates a path for the printer to follow as it brings the model to life.

“And it needs that path because what the 3D printer is doing is it is extruding a very thin line of plastic as it travels along that path,” she said.

The printer traces back and forth, layering plastic one tiny line at a time until the object begins to materialize. Dartt said her lab can comfortably produce 400 to 500 face shields and about 60 N95 masks a week.

To date, Dartt said they’ve printed more than 2,000 face shields for the local area and 120 N95 masks for the West Virginia National Guard.

3D Printing To Silicone Molds

But in the past week, Kay Dartt’s efforts at Shepherd University to 3D print N95 masks has evolved. A recent design made at the school exceeded “the standards of an N95 mask,” according to Maj. Gen. Jim Hoyer, Adjutant General of the West Virginia National Guard in a recent press conference.

Shepherd is no longer 3D printing N95 masks but is instead now casting them, based on that design. These N95 masks are made from a 2-part urethane plastic that is poured into a form that hardens into its final shape. The school is providing training to members of the National Guard so they can produce their own.

Dartt said in a press release from the university that using molds allows production of up to 70 or 100 masks per hour, depending on how many molds and equipment are available.

The school is now only using its 3D printers to produce face shields for the local community.

Groups Across W.Va. Come Together To Produce PPE

Shepherd University is one of at least 27 schools, organizations and private entities across West Virginia working with the West Virginia National Guard to 3D print personal protective equipment.

“There’s not just a national shortage of PPE. There’s a global shortage of PPE,” said Maj. Gen. Hoyer.

Hoyer said the initiative to produce PPE is being paid for through the state’s contingency fund. He said West Virginia is not experiencing the high level of shortages that some other states are, but he said we have to be prepared.

“I think right now with the great work that people are doing in West Virginia, we’re breaking that curve,” he said. “But we’ve got to be prepared for the worst, and we’ve got to be prepared if a second wave hits us harder than the first wave, like in some places around the world. We’ve got to be prepared for that.”

Right now, the United States is in its first round of coronavirus cases, but a second surge of cases could be possible, if social distancing guidelines and stay-at-home orders are not adhered to and lifted too soon. Some countries in Asia that tried to relax social distancing guidelines after getting on top of the virus are now experiencing a second influx of cases. That has concerned public health officials.

But Shepherd University, West Virginia University, Marshall, West Virginia State and more, including several community and technical colleges are using this partnership with the National Guard to 3D print N95 masks to try and stay ahead of a possible second surge. Even the Boys and Girls Club of Parkersburg is helping out.

Some of the more than 30 3D printers at Shepherd University.

Hoyer said once these entities create the masks, they’re picked up by the Guard and sent to a facility in Charleston to be fitted with filters and sanitized.

Hoyer said the Guard can sanitize up to 1,500 N95 masks a week, while Charleston Area Medical Center, which has also partnered for the initiative, can sanitize 4,300 per day. Hoyer said the 3D printed masks are quality controlled, have been tested and are 99 percent as effective as traditional ones.

For Hoyer, getting the state involved in producing PPE goes beyond supplying critical protective gear to frontline workers, though. He said it’s also about manufacturing these items locally rather than overseas.

“Not only does that help West Virginia, but we can push that out to the rest of the country and the world, and it’s an example of people finally understanding that West Virginia is a pretty damn good place to be. We’re pretty innovative. We’re pretty creative,” he said.

And there’s more than 3D printed N95 masks being made.

Hoyer said the National Guard is also partnering with several other entities across the state to make other protective gear, including reusable surgical masks and gowns, full body suits and boots. Additionally, he said there’s work happening in West Virginia to create a ventilator that could support two individuals instead of one.

W.Va. Universities Use 3D Printers To Make Face Shields, Masks

At least two universities in the Mountain State are using 3D printing technology to make much-needed personal protective gear for first responders and healthcare professionals on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

Labs at both Shepherd University in the Eastern Panhandle and Marshall University located in Huntington are printing N95 masks and shields that are then being distributed by the West Virginia National Guard, according to press releases from both institutions.

Shepherd University’s Fine Arts, Science, Technology, Engineering, Educational Resource lab, or FASTEnER,is producing N95 masks with the help from more than 30 3D printers. The printers were loaned by Jefferson and Berkeley County Schools and various departments on Shepherd’s campus.

An N95 mask is a type of respirator that removes particulates from the air through a filter.

The masks will be distributed statewide by the West Virginia National Guard to first responders and medical professionals. Shepherd’s lab is working with the Guard to develop a prototype reusable N95 mask that can be made on 3D printers.

Last month, the lab began 3D printing face shields that have been distributed locally to fire and police departments, emergency management agencies, and medical professionals in Jefferson, Berkeley and Morgan Counties.

As of April 1, more than 250 face shields have been distributed locally.

Kay Dartt, the lab’s 3D fabrication manager, has been organizing the project. She said in a news release they’ll continue to make face shields and N95 masks as long as there’s a need and they have the materials to make them.

Additionally, Marshall University’s Robert C. Byrd Institute has been 3D printing face shields and N95 masks and shipping the devices to the West Virginia National Guard in Charleston.

Technicians in Charleston and Huntington are manufacturing the devices using RCBI’s 3D printers and laser cutting technology, including one of the largest 3D printers in the state, according to a press release from Marshall.

The release said N95 masks filter at least 95 percent of particles as small as 0.3 microns in size.

Shepherd University Students To Finish Semester Online

Shepherd University President Mary Hendrix announced Wednesday that the remainder of the 2020 spring semester will be taught completely online.

President Hendrix made the announcement through a video message posted on the school’s website Wednesday.

Hendrix explained that the school’s leadership, faculty and staff have been preparing a remote learning solution as the United States responds to coronavirus. Social distancing has been promoted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a way to help lower the number of new infections from the disease.

In the message, Hendrix said Shepherd students for whom Shepherd is their only residence will be allowed to remain on campus in residence halls. Same goes for students who hold a visa, have refugee status, or other non-citizenship status.

This exception also affects students who live a significant distance from campus and feel it’s safer to stay at Shepherd. It also affects students who don’t have reliable internet at home.

Hendrix says at this time, the school continues its administrative functions and operations, but is following guidelines proposed by the CDC.