URGE calls on Colleges and Universities to Close Campuses in Wake of COVID-19 Concerns

Dear College/University Presidents and Board of Regents: Spearheaded by URGE: Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity, the undersigned 329 individuals and nearly 30 local, state, and national organizations write to demand that you immediately close all on-campus classes, buildings, and facilities until it is safe for all students to re-enter. [...] The United States, especially the South and Midwest, is still in the midst of a pandemic and with recent reports showing young people are increasingly testing positive for COVID-19, reopening should not be taken lightly, nor should students’ lives be used as a social experiment. [...] Reproductive Justice can only be achieved when all people have the economic, social, and political power and resources to make healthy decisions about their bodies, sexuality, and reproduction for ourselves, our families, and our communities in all areas of life. [...] Despite the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to take hold in the United States and around the world, colleges and universities have begun to open their doors for students to return to campus this fall. [...] With no vaccine in the United States, insufficient guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and schools lacking the infrastructure and resources needed for adequate testing, colleges and universities are not prepared to properly reopen.