Faculty and staff at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb will be allowed to pivot to remote instruction for students if on-campus COVID-19 rates hit or exceed 8% this fall, union officials said Tuesday.
The new agreement was forged after NIU faculty and staff staged a rally last week demanding a more robust health and safety plan for university employees. It also includes a stipulation allowing faculty members to teach students remotely if they or a family member are immunocompromised, officials with the Illinois Federation of Teachers said in a Tuesday statement.
In addition, the agreement calls for an indoor mask-wearing requirement for NIU students and faculty in all instructional spaces, including the library, when fall classes begin Aug. 23, officials said.
Earlier this week, the COVID-19 positivity rate in DeKalb County was 5.2%, with around 45% of the population fully vaccinated, according to the DeKalb County Health Department website.
The positivity rate on campus will be based on the results of weekly testing of students, faculty and staff who are not vaccinated and others who choose to participate. Because NIU requires students be vaccinated, the university expects the vaccination rate will be higher than that of the surrounding community, which NIU believes will translate to a lower incidence of COVID-19 on campus than elsewhere. Testing will begin next week.
“Faculty are so excited to begin the fall semester in-person with our students, and we certainly hope to stay that way,” said Keith Nyquist, instructor of business communications and president of the non-tenured faculty union. “But in the event the surging delta variant makes that too dangerous, we believe the agreement our union bargained will help ensure the greatest level of safety possible for our students, our families, and our neighbors.”
Other campus safety measures include a student vaccination requirement, regular testing of students and faculty, and the use of air purifiers with HEPA filters, union officials said. There is no vaccine requirement for university employees.
University spokesman Joe King said in a statement that safety has been “of paramount importance” as the school prepares to resume classes next week.
“That concern guided us when we made the decision to require that students get vaccinated and as we worked with local health officials to create protocols that will help minimize chances for transmission of the virus,” he said. “This latest agreement with the University Professionals of Illinois builds upon those efforts and will enhance our ability to keep the campus community safe.”
After a two-week shift to remote learning last fall, officials at NIU restarted in-person classes by late September after seeing a drop in COVID-19 cases among students and finding that no infections were linked to classroom instruction.
Twitter @kcullotta