AN OPEN LETTER 
 
 
Dear Chancellor St. John, Members of the UA Board of Trustees, President Bell, Dr. Friend, UA 
System Health and Safety Task Force, Dean Selwyn Vickers, and Dr. Mike Saag: 
 
 
After reading the UA System Press Release of September 2, 2020, posted on the UA System 
COVID -19 Dashboard, I learned that UA administrators, with the explicit endorsement of the 
Health and Safety Task Force and the implied support of Drs Vickers and Saag, have decided 
that the best thing to do at this point is to keep students and faculty on campus despite the 
high-community-spread level and danger for anyone in Tuscaloosa. This shows that those of 
you addressed above are negligent, irresponsible, and unethical. It shows your lack of genuine 
concern in the wellbeing of UA students, employees, their families, the residents of Alabama, 
and those of every student home community throughout the United States. 
 
 
As late as last Friday, Dr. Friend and UA administrators boasted of the fact that the vast 
majority of students who tested positive went home allowing for more isolation capacity on 
campus despite the over 1,000 positive cases. He did not point out, though that it is UA policy 
for off-campus, COVID positive students to fend for themselves and isolate off-campus. Emails 
to the UA campus community by senior leadership encouraged anyone who was uncomfortable 
in Tuscaloosa to go home and learn all-online. The media and concerned faculty pointed out the 
fact that already allowing over 700 students infected with COVID-19 was irresponsible and 
negligent on the part. Instead of pivoting to a workable solution in the best health and safety of 
those in harm’s way, you have “doubled-down,” suddenly learning of the “new” research that 
traveling while positive-or suspected to be positive- with COVID-19 is a bad idea. That is how 
the press release reads. This leads me to believe that you are either not telling the truth and 
willfully deceiving everyone concerned OR are so behind the science and national health “best 
practices” on traveling while infected or possibly infected that you ALL should resign in the 
best interest of those you were hired or appointed to serve. I remind you that in your current 
positions, your primary responsibility is to the HEALTH and SAFETY of students, employees, 
and the tax-paying public. 
 
 
In order to protect the health of all involved and in the best interest of the community, I request 
that you do the following immediately: 
 
 
1. Move all instruction online. 
 
 
2. Test ALL students for COVID-19 at university expense. 
 
 
3. Start a staggered move-out (over 3 weeks) of all students who test negative. Recommend 
that they isolate at home for two weeks and notify the receiving state's department of health 
that they are traveling from a known hot-spot. 

  
 
4. Isolate ALL students (regardless of if they live on or off campus) in university isolation space 
at university expense. This includes meals and basic living accessories including furniture, 
microwave oven, and legitimate isolation from other students and non-medical employees. 
Students should stay in isolation until a doctor deems they are no longer infectious. 
 
 
5. If COVID-19 positive students refuse to remain in isolation and/or their parents pick them 
up, assist them in packing in a way that minimizes the danger to others and immediately notify 
the receiving state’s department of that the COVID positive and possibly infectious student is 
returning home. 
 
 
Please take these steps immediately in order to protect the health of all of us in Tuscaloosa and 
home communities. 
 
 
Sincerely, 
 
 
Professor Michael Innis-Jimenez 
 
 
https://theuasentinel.blogspot.com/2020/09/an-open-letter-to-ua-system-and.html