UNH: Students must sign COVID consent agreement or go home

Only students who sign an informed consent agreement will be allowed back on University of New Hampshire campuses this fall, according to new information from college officials.

An email sent out to staff at UNH Durham on Monday clarified many of the questions posed to the administration, particularly surrounding an informed consent agreement that asks students to agree to “assume the risks associated with being at the University of New Hampshire including the risk of exposure to COVID-19.”

Students and legal experts have criticized the form, claiming it acts as a liability waiver that could absolve the university of legal fault if a student contracts COVID-19 during a return to campus. In June, students at the UNH School of Law compiled a six-page document of their 122 questions on various topics, including the agreement.

Students asked questions like “Given the necessity of lab courses for students ... how is signing the agreement voluntary?” and “How does acknowledging that ‘UNH cannot guarantee my health’ not constitute a waiver?” All of the questions under the “informed consent agreement” remain unanswered by the university.

Some students were especially confused by the three options in response to the consent form; “Yes, I agree to the terms to be on campus,” “No, I do not agree and wish to take all classes online,” or “Skip for now.” It was unclear at the time if skipping the form would bar them from returning to campus.

University Provost Wayne Jones and President James Dean Jr. confirmed that only students who responded “yes” to the form will be allowed back on campus. They said the option to “skip” has been removed and the university will reach out to the 11% of students who answered the form with that response. They will also reach out to students who said they would prefer to not be on campus.

The university created a new group that will issue guidance on expectations for students. Andrew Coppens, chair of the faculty senate student affairs committee, and Kate Ziemer, the senior vice provost for academic affairs, will lead that group. Another new committee, responsible for the software and guidelines surrounding online testing, will be headed by Michel Charpentier, the chair of the faculty senate IT committee, and Terri Winters from academic technology.

The email also clarified the procedure for testing students and staff for the virus. The university’s current plan is to test students every four days and on-campus faculty and staff once a week when the semester starts. If one of the tests is positive, the university will notify any close contacts and the state Department of Health and Human Services.

Within a few weeks, UNH expects to open a coronavirus testing lab with a 12-hour turnaround time, according to Todd Leach, the chancellor of the University System of New Hampshire.

The new lab will be able to process thousands of samples a day, not just from the UNH campus in Durham but from Plymouth State University and Keene State College, Leach said.

“That will ensure no matter how busy things get around the country, we’ll have a turnaround time that’s fairly tight,” Leach said.

The university on Monday moved from “limited” operation to “restricted” operation, which indicates COVID-19 cases are limited and frequent testing is available. The new designation allows labs and art studios to open for in-person instruction and dining services to open for some students. It will also allow about half of the faculty and staff to return to campus.

Dean sent out a video emphasizing the university’s expectations for students coming back to campus— including social distancing, wearing masks, and avoiding large gatherings.

“Whether we can do this or whether we will need to shut down again mid-semester depends on all of us doing what the health experts have told us that we need to do,” he said in the video.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.

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