Dear EOC Members,

I hope this email finds you well. By way of introduction, I am Erin Shang, a senior at ND. I am writing to petition you and the university to consider shifting to remote teaching as soon as possible. I have many fellow students and faculty members who share similar concerns about the situation. 

I am sure you’re highly aware that as of this morning of March 10, there are a total of 6 cases confirmed in Indiana. Most importantly and urgently, a faculty member of a local South Bend school might have been exposed to Coronavirus too. With spring break this week, students traveled to destinations all across the US and even internationally that are seriously affected by the virus. I personally have friends who will: travel to LA, New York or Seattle; go on a cruise in South America; travel to Europe where though not considered level 3 advisory but still dangerous. 

We are concerned about campus safety after spring break, and we are sure you all share the similar concerns as well. With people coming back from all of these places, it’s fairly probable that someone will carry the virus and bring it back to campus. Dining halls, health centers, Duncan student center - all of these places could be the first point of transmission for the virus. Even though we are exposed at a lower risk, we feel that we should be responsible for other members of our community who have weaker immune systems. We saw so many elderly workers and professors on campus. Many professors have newborns at home. 

We doubt that the medical centers here in South Bend will have the capacity to take in a large number of patients. We hope an outbreak will never happen, but we believe that the worst situation should also be addressed. 

Additionally, speaking as a member of the international student community, we feel less empowered by the healthcare services here. We cannot guarantee that treatments could be affordable by all. We have less support at hand since most of our family members are overseas and cannot reach us immediately in the case of a potential negative escalation of the situation. 

We appreciate every effort and the prompt updates the University has given students. However, we strongly petition the university to consider shifting all classes online for at least 14 days right after break. We understand this must not be an easy decision to make and the potential hindrance and inconveniences. Yet in confrontation with this global crisis, we believe people will be eventually beyond grateful for a decision like this. 

Thank you, and we hope we can hear from you soon.

All the best,

Erin Shang, on behalf of those concerned