On July 24, 2020, VCU released their plan for reopening in the fall semester. Upon reading this document, various problems immediately became apparent. As a member of the vulnerable population (my mother is immunocompromised and I am Black (considering black people are disproportionately affected by COVID-19), I feel the responsibility to protect my peers and teachers.

We demand that VCU mandates teachers to provide an online option for all courses within all departments, as well as reverses policies that require students to be on-campus at any point in time. Although we are not directly demanding for the requirement of remote learning for every student, it should be an option that allows students equal opportunity during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

VCU's current reliability on self-accountability on a student per student basis is dangerous and putting both outside and inside population of VCU at risk, in congruence with how overwhelmed health services will inevitably be. Current policy also has loopholes that are easily weaponizable by those who choose not to abide by the safety guidelines.

A more detailed version of our issues with VCU's current reopening plan is available at this link: https://kami.app/gKPya6bUJMpO