OF UNIVERSITY PRESENTS ALONG
WITH SCHOOL OFFICIALS AND
EMERGENCY OFFICIALS.
EACH SCHOOL MUST PRESENT ITS
OWN SPECIFIC PLAN TO THE
GOVERNMENT NEXT MONTH.
IT'S ALSO ALL ABOUT THE
PANDEMIC THESE DAYS, LIKE
EVERYPLACE ELSE IN THE WORLD.
COVID-19 IS FORCING DRAMATIC
CHANGES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
MIAMI.
QUESTIONS WELL WITH THE FALL
SEMESTER WILL LOOK LIKE THEIR.
TO TALK ABOUT THAT, WE ARE
JOINED BY UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
PRESIDENT DR. JULIO FRANK.
PUTS GET RIGHT TO IT.
WHAT IS THE CAMPUS GOING TO
LOOK LIKE?
WELL, IT'S GOING TO LOOK
VERY DIFFERENT.
WE ARE WORKING HARD TO MAKE
SURE KIDS CONCERT THEIR FIRST
SEMESTER IN A LONG TIME ON
CAMPUS.
IT'S GOING TO BE DONE IN A SAFE
WAY.
THAT MEANS A TOTAL
RECONFIGURATION OF EVERY SPACE.
REDUCING THE DENSITY OF SPACES.
DINING HALLS, CLASSROOMS, ANY
SPACE WILL BE REDESIGNED TO
KEEP SAFE DISTANCE.
WE ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO WEAR A
MASK.
THERE WILL BE HAND SANITIZERS,
MAKING SURE EVERYTHING IS
CLEAN, AND THERE WILL BE A LOT
OF TESTING, TRACING, AND
TRACKING.
WE ARE GETTING READY FOR THE
FALL.
DR. FRANK, I KNOW THE
UNIVERSITY HAS BEEN IMPACTED
FINANCIALLY BY THIS PANDEMIC.
WHAT IS THE LATEST ON LAYOFFS
AND FURLOUGHS AT THE
UNIVERSITY?
WHAT NUMBERS CAN YOU GIVE US?
EVERY UNIVERSITY, IN
PARTICULAR LIKE ANY HEALTH
SYSTEM WE DO HAVE IMPACTED.
ON THE ONE HAND WE HAVE TRIED
TO ISSUE REFUNDS.
ON THE OTHER HAND, WE FOLLOW
VERY RIGOROUSLY THE ELECTIVE
PROCEDURES THAT HELP.
WE ARE WORKING VERY HARD TO
MITIGATE THAT.
WE ARE REDUCING EXPENDITURES IN
A MAJOR WAY AND WE HAVE
INTRODUCED A VERY CAREFULLY
DESIGNED PROGRAM OF SOME
FURLOUGHS AND LAYOFFS.
WE ARE TRYING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF THE FACT, I THINK IT'S
ACTUALLY SLOW DOWN DURING THE
SUMMER AND ESPECIALLY THIS
SUMMER WHERE WE ARE NOT GOING
TO HAVE THE USUAL PRESENCE OF
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN CAMPS
AND DIFFERENT CONFERENCES.
WE CAN FURLOUGH AS FEW
EMPLOYEES AS WE CAN.
IT IS PART OF A FISCALLY
RESPONSIBLE POLICY.
SECONDLY, BEING READY.
WE STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT'S
GOING TO HAPPEN, MAYBE A SECOND
WAVE.
SO THAT WE CAN FILL OUR MISSION
TO ENTER OUR COMMUNITY.
DR. FRANK, A LOT OF PEOPLE
ANTICIPATING THE RETURN OF
SPORTS, PARTICULARLY COLLEGE
FOOTBALL IN THE FALL.
WHAT CUTBACKS ARE YOU
ANTICIPATING HAVING TO DO
THERE?
WE ARE WORKING VERY HARD TO
MAKE SURE.
WE ARE GOING TO KEEP OUR
STUDENTS VERY SAFE, THAT'S OUR
NUMBER ONE PRIORITY.
WE WILL DO MORE TESTING MORE
FREQUENTLY AND WE WILL HAVE ALL
KINDS OF FACILITIES WHERE THE
GOOD THING IS WE ARE ALREADY
WITH TESTS TO KEEP OUR STUDENTS
SAFE.
MY EXPECTATION IS THAT WE WILL
PLAY A FULL SEASON.
IT IS VERY LIKELY THAT WE WILL
DO THAT IN THE STADIUMS.
MOST WILL BE BROADCAST AND WE
HOPE WE STILL PROVIDE A GREAT
EXPERIENCE FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
OKAY.
I'M SURE THAT WILL MAKE THE
FANS HAPPY, THAT IS FOR SURE.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE PARENTS OF
STUDENTS?
WHAT DO YOU TELL THE PARENTS OF
FRESHMAN LOOKING FORWARD TO
STARTING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
MIAMI IN THE FALL AND THAT
MOTHER AND FATHER CONCERNED
ABOUT SENDING THEIR CHILD
THERE?
WHAT I WOULD TELL THEM IS,
WE ARE TAKING THIS VERY
SERIOUSLY.
IT HAPPENS TO BE THE CASE, THIS
IS THE FOURTH PANDEMIC THAT I
HAVE BEEN THROUGH.
WE HAVE A VERY EXPERIENCED TEAM
BOTH ON THE UNIVERSITY AND
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TEAM.
WE ARE BEING EXTREMELY CAREFUL
AND CONSCIENTIOUS.
WE ARE GOING TO BE TESTING
STUDENTS.
WE HAVE CREATED SEPARATE
FACILITIES.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE
ALTERNATIVES WHERE STUDENTS ARE
ON CAMPUS BUT THEY ALSO TAKE
INSTRUCTION ONLINE.
WE WILL ALWAYS HAVE SAFETY,
THAT IS OUR NUMBER ONE
PRIORITY.
THE POPULATION WE ARE TALKING
ABOUT IS THE LOWEST RISK AGE
GROUP.
MOST PEOPLE IN THAT AGE GROUP
OF COLLEGE WILL RECOVER.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE LET OUR
GUARD DOWN BECAUSE THERE HAVE
BEEN CASES WITH YOUNG PEOPLE.
BY AND LARGE THIS IS A
POPULATION.
WHEN THEY OCCUR WE WILL BE
DOING ENOUGH THAT WE CAN
ISOLATE THOSE STUDENTS IN CLOSE
PROXIMITY.
AS I WAS SAYING, EVERY
UNIVERSITY SO THAT WE CAN KEEP
SAFE DISTANCE.
WE ARE GOING TO ENCOURAGE
EVERYONE TO USE FACE MASKS.
IT'S A NEUTRALITY OF TRUST AND
RESPONSIBILITY WHERE I PROTECT
YOU AND YOU PROTECT ME.
WE TRY TO BUILD THAT CULTURE
TAKING CARE OF EVERYONE ELSE.
I WILL TELL THE PARENTS THAT
THEY CAN BE ASSURED THAT WE
WILL TAKE VERY GOOD CARE.
THAT IS OUR SECRET DUTY, TAKE
GOOD CARE OF OUR STUDENTS.
DR. FRANK THOMAS SHIFTING
GEARS.
VERY QUICKLY LOOKING TO 2021 IT
MADE BUT IF NEWS YESTERDAY.
WHAT IS THE REASON FOR THIS
CHANGE?
RIGHT NOW THERE'S A PRACTICAL
-- THERE'S BEEN A REGULAR'S
DISCRETION ABOUT -- EVEN NOW.
WE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE FAMILY
OF COMMUNITY CIRCUMSTANCES.
THE MOST NOTABLE CASE RECENTLY
IS THE UNIVERSITY OF
CALIFORNIA.
THIS WASN'T DONE BECAUSE OF
PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES.