We, the undersigned students, staff, faculty, family members and University System of Georgia communities, call upon the Board of Regents to set policies that allow a safer and more equitable return to campus during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.  We are all committed to educational excellence and the policies below allow us to achieve that.  

• Masks will be provided and required for all of the campus community.  Faculty, staff and students will collaborate on COVID-19 prevention enforcement procedures without involvement of the campus police.  Given the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 as well as policing on communities of color, especially Black communities, this policy is a bare minimum to make the verbal commitment to diversity and equity on our campuses concrete.
• No staff, student, or faculty member will be compelled to be face to face.  There will be no penalty, either subtle or overt, for requesting online-only engagement in the Fall.  This includes supervisor evaluations for faculty and staff and attendance grades for students.  No medical documentation will be required.
• Free, frequent and accurate COVID-19 testing will be available for the entire campus community.  The single most effective pandemic control is isolation of those who are contagious.  The Board of Regents will take the safety of our students, staff, faculty and their loved ones as a prerequisite for the learning and working environment we deserve.  

With almost 390 thousand members of the campus communities and hundreds of thousands more loved ones and community members health's at stake, we urge the nineteen members of the Georgia Board of Regents to understand the profound impact of their policies and ensure a safer and more equitable return to campus.

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United Campus Workers of Georgia knows this petition is a crucial step, but only one step of many, to ensuring the kind of campuses that students, staff and faulty deserve.  We encourage people to join in our campaigns (https://forms.gle/ofmADy6Qrkis9Cce8) and organization (www.ucwga.com/join).