Florida Memorial University Prepares For Safe Fall Return

Miami FL

19 August, 2021

9:40 AM

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By Bianca Marcof, the Miami Times Aug 17, 2021 College campuses nationwide are gearing up for the fall semester with new health and safety protocols, in an effort to avoid reverting back to online learning in the midst of a delta variant-driven surge in COVID-19 cases. And as debate over mask mandates and vaccine requirements heats up in Florida, one school – Florida Memorial University – is also preparing to welcome its students back to campus next week on Aug. 23. Many public school students across the state have already begun attending class in the midst of an escalating war on classroom mask mandates, with school districts voting to implement them in spite of Gov. Ron DeSantis' threats to cut funding from districts defying his ban. DeSantis issued an executive order banning vaccine requirements when Broward County's Nova Southeastern University announced mandatory vaccines in April. As a result of the governor's opposition, FMU is maintaining COVID-19 safety protocols already in place instead, encouraging its students to get vaccinated and continue to wear face coverings. "We are not requiring students to have vaccinations when they come back, although we are strongly encouraging them as we do believe that they are a primary method by which we can fight the coronavirus," said Tameka Hobbs, associate provost at FMU. Faculty and staff will not be required to get vaccinated either, as of now. Unlike FMU, other schools throughout the nation, Indiana University among them, are mandating vaccines, an action that was supported by Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett last week. Plans to start an educational campaign are underway. FMU is looking to increase awareness of the vaccine to its students, answer questions anyone may have and address rampant misinformation. "We're in between semesters right now, so our primary messaging to our students has been enforcement of our COVID-19 protocols, which include weekly testing," said Hobbs. "We mandate that they have to wear masks when they're inside our buildings and when they're outside gathered in groups." The campus served as a state-supported vaccination site in April, but now only rapid testing is provided on campus at the Lou Rawls Center for the Performing Arts and the Living and Learning Building 1. Weekly testing is mandated for students, faculty and staff. Guests on campus must also undergo testing during their visit. Getting a temperature check, swabbed and waiting for test results takes about 15 minutes. Those who test negative for the virus are handed a colored wristband as proof of a negative test. "That's how we know when you're coming into the classroom or intimate spaces that [you] have complied with the testing mandate," Hobbs said. "It's given us a good level of protection." If positive, students, employees or guests will be asked to go home. For students living on campus, 20 rooms have been reserved for the sole purpose of quarantining. They'll coordinate with Campus Safety and Dining Services to make sure meals are delivered to their rooms. FMU students must use temperature check machines prior to entering campus buildings. (Florida Memorial University) Hobbs has high hopes for a safe school year. "We began having classes face to face this past spring in a limited way. In the summer, we were face to face, so we've really been excited about this," she said. "I feel that based on the protocols that we put in place and the results that we've seen over the last several months, that we have done a really good job of keeping our campus safe." FMU currently has its accreditation on probation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Increasing enrollment is a prime concern of the university's plan in moving off that probation. FMU President Jaffus Hardrick has said he wants to reach a goal of 850 enrolled students this semester. According to the United Negro College Fund, HBCUs have remained relatively small in number and student body, with more than 50% serving 2,500 or fewer students. But a focus entirely on enrollment has its shortcomings. Student retention is the weightier goal. To that end, FMU provides counseling and academic support to students; its Center for Academic Resources and Support is committed to keeping new and transferring students to stay put by ensuring all follow an education pathway to a degree. The university also provides remedial assistance and mentoring programs, including a partnership with CareerSource South Florida to place students in relevant internships. "I am proud of the strategies we are putting in place that are student-centric to ensure students have a vibrant college experience so they can compete in a global marketplace," Hardrick said. Improving graduation rates is another critical goal of every HBCU. In a 2021 U.S. News report ranking 41 HBCUs that provided data in an annual survey, two had a four-year graduation rate above 50%. Spelman College in Atlanta has the highest graduation rate among them with 68%. Hardrick said FMU's graduation rate, which was not included in the survey, is a little higher than 40%. Lack of academic preparation is a factor as to why a student may drop out. Students that come from lower-performing high schools who aren't ready to take college level classes tend to achieve lower grade point averages. FMU requires a 2.0 GPA for entry, which is below the national average of 3.0. Hardrick said he would like to raise the school's minimum requirement to a 2.5 GPA. However, raising the GPA makes the university inaccessible to students most at risk of not entering or completing higher education. "It's a catch-22," Hardrick said. "You don't want to deny students with great potential. You want kids who are laser focused on being successful. It requires a lot more support services to ensure that students will be successful." The Miami Times is the largest Black-owned newspaper in the south serving Miami's Black community since 1923. The award-winning weekly is frequently recognized as the best Black newspaper in the country by the National Newspaper Publishers Association.