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As cases are on the rise in Easton and Pennsylvania more broadly and Lafayette College is facing its first COVID outbreak right here on campus in which 13 students (6.4%) have tested positive for COVID-19, President Alison Byerly and the Lafayette College administration decided that this would be the correct moment to publish their vague plan for an option to return to campus this January.

This plan states that any students that want to return to college hill in January may make this decision and that "testing protocols", "contact tracing", and "restricted safety protocols" will be in place. As to how frequently students will be tested, how movement will be restricted, what dining halls will look like, which classes will be offered in person and what they will look like, what enforcement measures will be put in place to punish students who do not care about the "the community spirit behind the rules and regulations that are needed to keep our community safe" and inevitably refuse to adhere to school policies, no details have been provided. Refusing to outline the full safety measures before students must financially commit to returning to campus is unfair to all students, particularly those who are immunocompromised. This lack of consideration for the immunocompromised members of our community is blatantly ableist. Clearly Lafayette College has not had enough time to develop these specificities of their plan just yet and students should not be expected to make this major decision without the answers to each of these questions and more.

Students have been given until November 2nd to make this decision and those who are currently on a leave of absence have only been given until October 30th. This two week time period we have been given in which stresses are high around midterms, suddenly dramatically worsening trends locally, the fear of a global second wave, economic uncertainties, and the final countdown to the most important and terrifying election in our lifetime is simply not enough. The result of the election on November 3rd cannot be understated in terms of what it could mean for the future of coronavirus in the US in terms of both policies surrounding capacity limits, distancing, and shutdowns of workplaces and schools as well as those surrounding economic relief such as a second/continuing stimulus package(s). These final two weeks before the election are incredibly stressful as for many students in our Lafayette community our basic human rights and our futures are on the ballot. Its incredibly tone deaf and privileged of the Lafayette College administration to not take this into account in setting this cruel deadline.

Students are attempting to juggle this terrifying election, extreme financial uncertainty and insecurity, and fears around worsening trends all while dedicating every last bit of our time and energy into succeeding at online school during this incredibly stressful and challenging semester. Almost all students have likely been touched in some way by a family member or friend who contracted COVID-19 and many are mourning losses. At a time when we haven't even seen yet how Lafayette College will handle its first COVID outbreak, it is ridiculous to expect students to place trust in Lafayette's abilities to provide an environment that will keep us safe. Not only have we not seen Lafayette demonstrate its abilities to keep its own students safe, but since COVID has only just recently started trending negatively as a second wave is hitting the East Coast, we have no clear picture of what the next few months will bring. The implications of the financial commitment that returning to college hill and paying room and board takes cannot be overlooked. Students and families need more than 14 days to make major decisions surrounding paying tuition, room, and board at a time when income for many families cannot be guaranteed. For international students, there are added obstacles even on top of these when taking into account plane tickets, travel restrictions, etc that are impossible to anticipate within the next two weeks.

It is clear that in order for students to make an informed decision about what our lives will look like for the next semester we will need time to process, to discuss with our families, and to see how COVID is playing out in Pennsylvania and globally. This simply cannot happen in the next two weeks. It is clear to see that Alison Byerly and the Lafayette College administration see that trends are worsening all of a sudden instead of getting better as we had all hoped and have decided that if they don't announce their plan now and set an extremely immediate deadline, they will not be able to bring in as much money. This is an extremely poorly disguised financial decision that is being made with no regard for student life or well-being. President Byerly is counting on our extreme anticipation to return to normalcy and see our friends again to make her money, but she knows that she has to play her cards right. She knows that giving us only a two week window will lead to a knee-jerk, instinctual reaction whereas allowing us to have until the end of the semester to think this through, see how coronavirus is playing out, and discuss with our families will lead to more informed decisions and thus less revenue for the college.

Since winter break is two months long this year, there is absolutely no justification for why this decision needs to be made right now besides for monetary reasons. Those two months as well as all of the time they've had thus far will be plenty. We, the students, staff, and family members of the Lafayette College community, demand we have until the end of final exams (12/7) to make this incredibly difficult and major personal decision for both current students and those who are currently on a leave of absence.