UWM Institutes Pandemic Restrictions
Despite Republican objections, requires testing for unvaccinated and masks indoors for all.
UWM. Photo by Dave Reid.
Hours after state Sen. Steve Nass (R-Whitewater) introduced a proposed rule to prevent Wisconsin’s public universities from instituting measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, UW-Milwaukee officials announced they are instituting those measures anyway on the second largest campus in the state.
In an email, university officials announced that everyone will be required to wear masks while indoors on campus starting Aug. 4. Additionally, unvaccinated students, faculty and staff will be required to take a COVID-19 test weekly.
The university is encouraging students and employees to get vaccinated and is holding vaccine clinics on campus, but is not mandating the shot.
On Thursday, Nass announced that the Legislature’s Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules (JCRAR) would be voting remotely next Tuesday on a rule that would require university officials to get legislative approval before mandating vaccines, masks or testing. If passed, the rule would mean the Republican-held committee would have control over the public health measures used to protect the state’s thousands of public university students and the communities in which they live.
Nass proposed the rule as the contagious delta variant of the virus spreads rapidly through Wisconsin and university systems across the country are moving to require vaccination.
So far, UW-Milwaukee is the only school in the UW System to institute mask and testing requirements after Nass announced his proposed rule. UW System interim President Tommy Thompson said in a statement after Nass’ announcement that the rule threatened the return of full in-person classes in the fall.
A spokesperson for UWM said she couldn’t comment on the legal issues of the mask and testing requirements and Nass’ proposed rule.
Classes at UWM are set to begin on campus on Sept. 2.
UW-Milwaukee institutes COVID measures in the face of Republican objections was originally published by the Wisconsin Examiner.
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Vaccinated students should be required to take a weekly COVID test, too.
Why would you allow COVID positive vaccinated students to run around the UWM campus, infecting thousands of other students?
This is the correct response to the idiocy of nASS. The UW already has a 2-year budget in place, and Evers won’t allow the dopes in the Legislature to cut it in retaliation.
Tommy and the rest of UW Admin should laugh in the GOP’s face and dare them to sue the university (at taxpayer expense) for increasing the safety on their campus.
The bullies need to be smacked in the face once in a while, and this is one of those times.
Way to go, UWM University Officials—stand strong!!!
I am an MPS teacher who works exclusively with Latino students. Some of my students are siblings/children/family members of your UWM students. This is a way to get Milwaukee households literally “fully” vaccinated.
Thank you for supporting science!