UW extends mask mandate
The University of Wyoming Board of Trustees decided unanimously to extend indoor mask requirements on campus, agreeing to revisit the issue at each of its monthly meetings going forward.
The University of Wyoming will continue to require masking indoors, following action from the Board of Trustees today.
The mask mandate applies to most indoor spaces where six-foot social distancing is not possible.
But there are significant exceptions, including for students actively exercising in Half Acre Gym
“Exceptions to the indoor mask requirement are voluntary public events such as athletics and music, theater and dance performances; voluntary social events; and private, by-invitation events that involve rental and/or use of UW spaces on campus,” a UW news release states. “For classes where the ability to see speakers’ mouths is essential, faculty members have the ability to seek exceptions to the masking policy. As well, employees and students who have legitimate medical reasons to not wear masks can seek exceptions.”
The extension comes one day after the board heard from administrators and other university leadership, who unanimously urged the board to extend. Today, UW President Ed Seidel supported the motion to extend.
“I think it reflects a good distillation of the conversations we had yesterday,” he said.
Yesterday’s conversations lasted more than an hour and inspired the new clause adding nuance to Half Acre-specific requirements. But those conversations also included talk about the need for consistency — something faculty, staff and students are seeking.
Today, some were initially concerned that the extension lacked that.
“We didn’t really clarify how we’re going to be more consistent,” Trustee David Fall said. “But I’m hoping at least since we talked about it, we can get this consistency a little better across campus, which I think is very important.”
The actual recommendation from the university’s COVID advisory group had sought to address that concern, suggesting that the board institute a mask policy for the entire remainder of the fall semester.
Instead, under the motion approved today, the board will revisit the policy monthly at each of its meetings.
If the board takes no action regarding masks at its next meeting, the policy will remain in place, but constantly revisiting the issue will allow the board “some flexibility,” Chair Jeff Marsh said.
“The hope is maybe the numbers will change,” he said. “And I think it keeps it front of mind, with this board, acknowledging that we’re ever-mindful, unfortunately, that we’re still in this pandemic.”
But ASUW President Hunter Swilling made a counter-suggestion, that the board revisit the issue only when Albany County reached low or moderate transmission levels, the university hit a 75 percent vaccination rate, or UW administration recommended the board take another look.
“I think revisiting it at every meeting would take quite a bit of time,” Swilling said. “It would leave campus in suspense of what we’re going to do next, every single board meeting.”
Trustee Michelle Sullivan said she agreed, citing the need for consistency that students have told her they want.
But Trustee Macey Moore advocated passing the motion she had made as presented.
“I understand we’d love to have a concrete answer on the dates, but this situation has shown us that we can’t,” she said. “We don’t want to always spend all of our time on this topic, but I think it’s unrealistic to say we shouldn’t spend a little bit of time on this topic at every meeting while we’re in this pandemic.”
Moore said she is hoping UW can still encourage more vaccinations, using the hope of a maskless future as a “carrot.”
“I really don’t want to get in the culture that these masks are here to stay forever,” she said.
Trustee Dave True agreed with Moore.
“We’re going to talk about COVID at every meeting this body has for the foreseeable future,” he said. “I think it’s being responsible to keep it in front of us.”
Swilling agreed that discussing COVID-19 at every meeting in the midst of the pandemic was the responsible route, only that he was concerned a policy that needed to be reaffirmed once a month would fail to offer the sought-after consistency.
Vice Chair John McKinley clarified that the mask policy will remain in place so long as the board takes no action to end it, adding the motion does not provide for either a “sunset date” or “permanency.”
Swilling and Sullivan both added that their concerns were lessened after this clarification.
The motion passed unanimously.
-