FLORIDA MEMORIAL STUDENTS EXPRESS CONCERNS

Students feel Florida Memorial is now in crisis mode.  Games have been cancelled or postponed.  According to reports, coaches have been suspended.  Policies, procedures, and personnel have been questioned.  As the nation's only HBCU that is playing football, along with all of its other Fall athletics, trust is the key issue for those that play and coach.  

A problem with reporting positive tests

According to a  New York Times  report that includes over 1,700 colleges and universities in the nation, including every four-year institution in the nation, there have been over 178,000 cases of COVID-19 reported on campuses, including at least 70 deaths.   The Times  has counted more than 171,000 additional cases at colleges since late July.   Of those, more than 48,000 cases came since late September. With no national tracking system, and statewide data available only sporadically, colleges are making their own rules for how to tally infections.   The Times  is counting reported cases among university students and employees in all fields. At FMU,  The Times  is only showing two cases reported.  This is what is concerning to the students.  

According to Florida Memorial students and staff, over 100 student-athletes, coaches, and support staff have either tested positive or are currently under quarantine.  

In information obtained by the  Black College Sports Network (BCSN) , students are questioning “the university's policies and procedures, the implementation of those policies and procedures, and possible manipulation of those policies and procedures to benefit the institution.”  

During Ernest T. Jones', the Florida Memorial University Athletic Director, on-air interview with the BCSN, he discussed the university and athletic department's policies and procedures concerning COVID-19.  Students and student-athletes have made claims that the reporting procedures have not been followed.  The students have claimed that the athletic department has had too much control over COVID-19 testing and reporting.  Students feel that student health should receive results of positive tests before athletics.  

Students have further claimed that the University has not isolated the students who have tested positive.  A student who lives in a quad-style dorm has tested positive after a roommate tested positive because neither one had another place to go for quarantine.  One student has been sleeping on a friend's couch after not being able to return to their living quarters after the roommate was told to isolate where they reside.  Food   has been left outside of dorm room doors for quarantined students, which has helped other students quickly identify who potentially has the Coronavirus.  Students have expressed concern that they may not only be on the same floor with potentially infected students, but literally living next door to an infected student.  

Athletic Director Jones stated during his interview that upon learning of a positive test from the trainers, he notifies the head coach, facilities, student affairs, human resources, and housing.  In addition, the Sun Conference, the NAIA, and Broward-Dade County officials are informed of a positive test involving a student-athlete.  A communication via email is then sent out to the students, faculty, and staff alerting that there is a positive test on campus (without identifying the individual who tested positive).  

In response to meals for students, Jones said, “I am the director of athletics...If one of our student-athletes is not getting a meal, they should first call their coach...the coach should tell one of the administrators...if it's still not happening, then they should bring it to me.  I’m pretty sure that the student affairs and housing departments (have) a plan in place to provide three meals a day to any of our students or student-athletes put into isolation.”

Confusion about policies

According to NAIA and Sun Conference policy, student-athletes were required to test prior to arrival on campus and seven days before their first athletic competition.  The University offered testing every Thursday.  But students, including athletes, were not able to test in consecutive weeks.  Many chose to utilize off-campus testing sites instead.  The tests that were completed at the end of September, according to students, were only conducted after several student-athletes complained of or started showing signs of COVID-like symptoms.  But before the results were returned, the alleged "super-spreader" event, the AD's Honor Roll, occurred during a home volleyball match.

Students have expressed concerns about an apparent email sent from the University, stating that the school may be shut down.  According to https://www.fmuniv.edu, 12% of its students are international and an additional 12% are from out-of-state.  For the international students, an unplanned shutdown would create a serious issue with a place of residence, visas, and travel.  With the exception of football, most athletic rosters contain a significant number of international student-athletes.  

The student-athletes are concerned about their immediate and long-term future.  Many Fall athletes were under the impression that Fall athletics would not occur this year, and instead be postponed until the Spring.  When they learned that they would be playing, many had to scramble to attend classes on campus, instead of online.  But a new University policy stating that all students must be cleared through the business office before receiving dorm keys and participating in team-related activities caused numerous issues.   

Breakdowns in communication

Many student-athletes have felt that their concerns have fallen on deaf ears.  Fall student-athletes said they were made to feel that their scholarship would be withdrawn if they "opted-out" of playing.  Spring student-athletes said they felt that they needed to return to make-up for their lost season in 2020.  Some Spring student-athletes decided to forgo graduation in order to play one last season or to improve professional opportunities.  In order to attend a university that costs $25,000 annually to attend, an athletic scholarship was essential.  In addition, for international students, being enrolled in school is a key component to maintaining a visa.  Some student-athletes expressed concerns about losing a year of eligibility for a season that may not be completed due to COVID-19.  Student-athletes felt pressured to play as the only HBCU playing all of their sports this Fall.

As the student-athletes have become more active and aware of their surroundings due to the social justice movement of 2020, they have looked for ways to express their frustrations and concerns about campus life involving COVID-19.  Many fear that the loss of their scholarship may happen if they "speak up publicly", leaving them unable to afford school. Students feel that coaches have recently been suspended for them speaking up but they said the University says it was due to non-COVID related matters. People connected to the program say these suspensions did not occur until after test results were released and students started speaking up.  Some student athletes are considering not returning to play.