UC Merced, Merced College look to ‘do their part’ to stem COVID-19 outbreak

Someday in the future, when we all return to whatever “normal” will mean, we hope UC Merced and Merced College will be announcing important new pipeline programs, local K-12 outreach initiatives, and other collaborations between our two great institutions.

Until that time, as it must be, our focus is on COVID-19 and how best to address an unprecedented time in higher education. We both have our own complexities to deal with as we work toward the start of a fall semester that will look nothing like anyone could have anticipated; yet, in the midst of chaos, we share common goals.

First and foremost is the responsibility we have to our students, faculty and staff. Their health, safety and well-being are paramount at this moment in time. That means requiring face coverings, safe distancing and rigorous testing on our campuses, as well as educating our respective campus communities on ways to keep themselves and their families healthy.

We are also shifting to remote learning and implementing new guidelines for those who remain on our campuses. We are proud of our outstanding team of professionals working around the clock to implement new standards, guidelines and protocols to ensure those who are on our campuses are protected and safe.

Not lost in the mix is ensuring our students have the support they need to succeed in their new environments. On both of our campuses, many students are the first in their families to attend college, and many come from modest and underrepresented backgrounds. In a typical year, they would be on campus, with staff and faculty at the ready to answer questions or to offer support to students who are facing challenges.

UC Merced also has two significant responsibilities that make for even greater and more complex challenges. First, there is the fact that for some students, living on campus is safer than returning home; we must care for them — nearly 500 are expected to be on campus in the fall — with housing, dining and custodial services. And as a member of the University of California system, UC Merced has a duty to uphold its research mission and identity — much of this research can be done only physically on campus, and those operations are being ramped up slowly and safely.

For Merced College, in many ways the pandemic has created the necessary urgency to address some of the most basic equity needs for our students, including ongoing food insecurities, access to technology, and removing transportation barriers. The college has maintained open hours for the food pantry, supported students’ technology needs with laptops and access to WifF, and opened access to all support services through internet and phone services. Additionally, students can meet with both academic and mental health counselors and get 24/7 tutoring services — all with the click of a button.

But regardless of how complex our own situations are, we cannot think of our institutions as islands but as profoundly intertwined with our community. We have families here. We eat here, we shop here, and we enjoy recreation and entertainment here. As individuals, we are wearing masks and washing our hands and keeping our distance like everyone else. However, as leaders in education in Merced County, this is simply not enough.

We are all part of the same Merced community, and as major institutions, we at UC Merced and Merced College take our role in the community seriously. And while we must protect our own campuses — and ourselves and our families — we also believe we have an obligation to work together to help our city and our region alleviate this public health crisis.

This is why we are proud to be launching the Do Your Part campaign, a joint effort between UC Merced and Merced College to help inform our community about safe and healthy practices. We will do this through social media and web marketing, as well as signs posted at businesses around Merced.

We promise to do our part, and we urge everyone in the community to do their part to keep everyone safe. Wear masks, distance yourself from others, and stay home if you have symptoms or have been in contact with someone who might have the disease.

We believe in the promise of Merced, and we believe the spirit of Merced will persevere through this crisis. If we can realize that promise, it will bring prosperity to the entire Valley. Together, we will do just that.

This story was originally published August 18, 2020 at 1:11 PM.