Recent announcements from the University of North Florida administration have stated that “the UNF administration continues to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic” and “UNF’s COVID Task Force meets multiple times each week to review conditions in northeast Florida, and we will implement new measures as necessary.”

Now is the time to act, as COVID-19 cases have risen to their highest levels thus far in the pandemic. The Board of Governors (BOG) reopening plan is an outdated document that now puts people at risk, as it was drafted before the Delta variant, before new Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidance (July 23, 2021 for Institutions of Higher Education and July 27, 2021 for fully vaccinated populations), and before northeast Florida became the epicenter of the pandemic. Jacksonville has recently made national news with an overwhelmed and imperiled healthcare system (with hospital bed and staff shortages). In light of these recent events:

1. We urge you to go back to the bargaining table and consider the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) proposed by the United Faculty of Florida chapter at UNF (UFF-UNF) on July 31, 2021. The MOU proposes flexible modality options for faculty.
2. We ask you to honor your commitment to follow CDC guidelines, specifically the updated guidelines for Institutions of Higher Education with mixed-vaccination populations like UNF, and in communities with moderate to high transmission.
3. Just as faculty are showing compassion for their students, we urge you to show compassion to faculty and staff, their families, and the broader community by actively protecting the health and safety of all members of the UNF community, rather than putting them at risk for infection, illness, and death. 

Now is the time for leadership, and for UNF to hold true to its Carnegie Community Engagement Classification as well as its ambitions as a healthcare leader in Florida (with UNF MedNexus). Maintaining the current COVID-19 policies seriously threatens our reputation and the health of our community as it will lead to multiple superspreader events.