>>> AS MANY OF THE NATION’S COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES REMAIN
CLOSED TO LIMIT THE SPREAD OF
CORONAVIRUS, REMEMBERERTY
CORONAVIRUS, REMEMBERERTY UNIVERSEUN --
UNIVERSEUN -- LIBERTY UNIVERSITY RUN BY THIS
MAN DECIDED TO REOPEN LAST WEEK,
A MOVE IN DIRECT CONTRADICTION
OF ALL MEDICAL ADVICE.
AS GOVERNORS AROUND THE COUNTRY
WERE CLOSING ALL FON ENON-ESSENT
SERVICE A STAUNCH ALLY OF THE
PRESIDENT’S WENT ON TRUMP TV TO
TALK ABOUT HOW EVERYONE IS
OVERREACTING.
OVERREACTING. >> IT’S JUST STRANGE TO ME HOW
SO MANY ARE OVERREACTING.
IMPEACHMENT DIDN’T WORK AND THE
MUELLER REPORT DIDN’T WORK AND
ARTICLE 25 DIDN’T WORK AND SO
MAYBE NOW THIS IS THEIR NEXT
ATTEMPT TO GET TRUMP.
>> AND SO LAST WEEK, JERRY
ORDERED HIS STUDENTS AND STAFF
BACK TO SCHOOL AND YOU’LL NEVER
GUESS WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" IS
REPORTING AS OF FRIDAY, NEARLY A
DOZEN STUDENTS WERE SICK WITH
SYMPTOMS THAT SUGGESTED
CORONAVIRUS.
CORONAVIRUS. PROPUBLICA REPORTER ALECK
McGILLIS REPORTED ON A PIECE
ENTITLED
ENTITLED ENTITLED WHAT IT’S LIKE ON ONE
OF THE ONLY UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES
STILL OPEN.
STILL OPEN. WHAT WAS IT LIKE IN LYNCH BURG?
>> A VERY ODD TENSION MIDDLE
GROUND WHERE ON ONE HAND THE
CAMPUS WAS BACK OPEN IN
CONTRADICTION OF PUBLIC HEALTH
ADVICE AND ORDERS FROM VARIOUS
AUTHORITIES, AND SO STUDENTS
WERE WELCOME TO COME BACK TO
CAMPUS.
CAMPUS. THERE WERE BETWEEN 1,000 AND
2,000 STUDENTS BACK ON CAMPUS
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THEY WERE
MAKING HALF HEARTED ATTEMPTS TO
DO SOCIAL DISTANCING.
YOU HAD SIGNS UP, LIBRARIANS
SCOLDING STUDENTS TOO CLOSE
TOGETHER IN THE LIBRARY AND YOU
ENDED UP WITH A WEIRD MIDDLE
GROUND WHERE THEY WERE BASICALLY
AT THE SORT OF HIRE LEVEL FROM
JERRY ON DOWN TRYING TO BE
PROVOCATIVE AND KEEP THINGS OPEN
AND BE DIFFERENT THAN EVERYONE
ELSE BUT THEN DOWN ON THE
GROUND, THROUGH HE’S
HALF-HEARTED ATTEMPTS TO DO
THINGS THE RIGHT WAY, IT WAS
VERY, VERY WEIRD.
>> THERE WAS ALSO SORT OF A
STRANGE KIND OF CLIMATE OF FEAR
IN YOUR REPORTING AND THE
REPORTING IN THE "NEW YORK
TIMES" OF PEOPLE NOT WANTING TO
TALK ON THE RECORD AND WORRIED
ABOUT SPEAKING THEIR MIND OF THE
POLICIES AT THE TOP?
>> DEFINITELY.
>> DEFINITELY. ONE OF THE STUDENTS I --
ACTUALLY A GRADUATE STUDENT I
APPROACHED TO ASK WHAT HE MADE
OF THIS, SHEHE WAS BEING FORCED
WORK ON CAMPUS AS AN ASSISTANT
TO A PROFESSOR AND HE SAID HE
COULD NOT BE -- HE SPOKE WITH ME
VERY UPSET ABOUT THE POLICY BUT
DIDN’T WANT TO BE NAMED.
ALL STUDENTS HAD BEEN INSTRUCTED
NOT TO SPEAK TO THE PRESS.
ONE STUDENT THAT’S VERY OUT
SPOKEN, A SENIOR MEMBER OF
GOVERNMENT GOT A CAUGHT AT NIGHT
ON A CELL PHONE FROM UNIVERSITY
VICE PRESIDENT SCOLDING HIM FOR
HAVING SPOKEN OUT AS HE DID.
SO THERE’S DEFINITELY A REAL
CLIMATE OF THE STUDENTS FEELING
LIKE THEY HAVE BEEN KIND OF
CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF WHAT
CERTAINLY SEEMS LIKE JUST AN
ATTEMPT, A POLITICAL ATTEMPT OF
POLITICAL PROVE VAGS AS THIS
NATIONAL CULTURE WAR AROUND
SOCIAL DISTANCING.
SOCIAL DISTANCING. >> IT’S AN ENORMOUS OPERATION.
A HUGE INSTITUTION THERE IN
LYNCH BURG, VIRGINIA.
SUNDAYS LIKE NOT THAT MANY
STUDENTS COME BACK BUT THE
PROBLEM IS THERE IS SOME
VOLUNTARY NATURE THERE BUT THE
EMPLOYEES BASICALLY HAVE TO COME
BACK, IS THAT HOW IT WORKS?
>> IT IS.
>> IT IS. YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT
LIBERTY, WHAT MAKES THIS SO ODD
IS THAT THE CAMPUS HAS A HUGE
ONLINE OPERATION.
ONLINE OPERATION. SO IT’S ACTUALLY QUITE EASY,
MUCH EASIER FOR THIS UNIVERSITY
THAN OTHERS TO GO FULLY ONLINE
WITH COURSES AND THAT ONLINE
OPERATION IS RUN BY A MASSIVE
SORT OF SIDELINE OPERATION.
YOU HAVE GOT HUNDREDS OF
EMPLOYEES IN A BUILDING QUITE A
WAYS FROM CAMPUS COLD CALLING
STUDENTS, RECRUITING STUDENTS TO
THE ONLINE OPERATION.
THEY HAVE 95,000 PEOPLE IN A
GIVEN YEAR TAKING CLASSES THERE
AT LIBERTY.
AT LIBERTY. INCREDIBLY PROFITABLE.
INCREDIBLY PROFITABLE. IT MAKES THE UNIVERSITY RUN THIS
NATIONWIDE ONLINE COLLEGE AND IN
THOSE PEOPLE AT THAT ONLINE
OPERATION ARE STILL REPORTING TO
WORK OR HAVE BEEN UNTIL LAST
WEEK REPORTING TO WORK AS ARE
HUNDREDS OF EMPLOYEES AT ANOTHER
BUILDING THAT HANDLE ALL THE
FINANCIAL AID AND TUITION STUFF.
SO YOU GOT A LOT OF THESE
WORKERS WHO ARE QUITE WORRIED
ABOUT STILL HAVING TO COME TO
WORK IN CLOSE QUARTERS.
>> AND THIS IS A FINAL NOTE
HERE, LYNCH BERG, VIRGINIA,
50,000 RESIDENTS AGE 65 YEARS OR
OLDER.
OLDER. IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT, AS WE KNOW,
THE WAY PANDEMICS AND VIRUSES
FUNCTION, IT’S NOT A CALL THAT
HE IS MAKING FOR HIS OWN
INSTITUTION, IT’S A CALL THAT HE
IS NOW MAKING FOR THE ENTIRE
SURROUNDING AREA.
SURROUNDING AREA. >> EXACTLY.
>> EXACTLY. HE’S OFTEN SAID WELL, WHAT’S THE
BIG DEAL?
BIG DEAL? STUDENTS, YOUNG PEOPLE DON’T
REALLY GET THAT SICK FROM THIS
BUT THE PROBLEM, OF COURSE, IS
THAT THEY’RE VERY LIKELY TO
SPREAD IT TO OTHERS IN THE
COMMUNITY.
COMMUNITY. THEY ARE GOING TO GO OFF CAMPUS
AND GET A COFFEE, GO TO
CHICK-FIL-LA AND IT MIGHT BE
SPREADING THERE.
SPREADING THERE. AND IT’S SUCH A CONCERN ACTUALLY
THAT TODAY THE GOVERNOR OF
VIRGINIA HAS PUT OUT ANOTHER
ORDER THAT CERTAINLY SEEMS
PARTLY DIRECTED AT PLACES LIKE
LIBERTY TRYING TO KIND OF, YOU
KNOW, REACH PRIOR ORDERS AND
THIS ONE IS EVEN MORE STERN AND
REALLY SAD.
REALLY SAD. SO YOU GOT TO STAY HOME OR WE’LL
COME AFTER YOU AND IT WILL BE
INTERESTING TO SEE IF LIBERTY
GETS A FINE FOR HAVING CONTINUED
TO DO THIS.
>> YEAH, GOVERNOR NORTHAM HAVING