Summer Bridge Program: Return to Work?

Next week on Monday August 23rd, PSU is supposed to start welcoming hundreds of new in-person students who are required to participate in the Summer Bridge Scholars Program. This is two weeks BEFORE the University’s vaccine mandate goes into effect on September 7th. Members who teach in the program started in-person training this Monday, August 16th, the same day they were finally given their contracts. Some members, concerned for their health and the health of their students, asked to train and teach the program remotely or online, and were subsequently told their services would not be needed. (i.e. the offer of a contract was never extended to them after this request.) This request to teach remotely or online seems reasonable, especially since we are in a surge of COVID-19 Delta variant cases. Is this bridge program going to crumble and become a spreader event? Who is being harmed by this experiment of in-person work with new students? We always do our best to advocate for members even when formal grievances are not possible. If you need advocacy regarding this program, please contact your unit rep and/or Aaron Roussell (VP for Grievances & Academic Freedom, roussellaaron@gmail.com).