Here & Now

Here & Now for August 27, 2021

Announcer:

The following program is a PBS Wisconsin original production.

Frederica Freyberg:

The two ends of State Street in Madison, the state Capitol and the UW campus spar over how COVID should be managed on campus even as students arrive for school. System President Tommy Thompson strikes a defiant stance in favor of safety. And Afghan refugees find their way to America via Fort McCoy in Wisconsin.

I’m Frederica Freyberg. Tonight on “Here & Now,” UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank on university COVID policy. U.S. Senators Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin on the arrival of Afghan refugees to Wisconsin. A Fox Valley resettlement specialist shares preparations for new arrivals. And Will Kenneally from Kenosha reports on the one-year anniversary of the shooting of Jacob Blake. It’s “Here & Now” for August 27.

Announcer:

Funding for “Here & Now” is provided by the Focus Fund for Journalism and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.

Frederica Freyberg:

University campuses across the state are geared up to hold in-person fall semester classes with COVID protocols in place. That’s despite pushback on the safety measures from some corners of the Republican Legislature. UW-Madison is among the schools with a plan. We should note that PBS Wisconsin is part of the UW. We talked with Chancellor Rebecca Blank late this week and started by asking her what her message is to families and their students about how their safety is being protected.

Rebecca Blank:

So we’re taking a number of steps to make sure we open safely and I should say we are trying to open as fully in-person as possible but with some modifications. The first and most important thing is to say we are a highly vaccinated community. As people here know, the community around us is highly vaccinated in Dane County. But on campus we have now over 90% of our faculty and staff vaccinated. Over 96% of our faculty and we’re still counting the student numbers. At latest report we were well over 80% and that number will continue to go up because not everyone yet has reported in. In the dorms, we’re going to be well above 90% as well. So the most important thing we can do, which is to make sure our community is vaccinated. We’re in pretty good shape on that and we will continue to push that with free vaccinations to anyone. But on top of that there are other measures we need to take. We have an indoor mask mandate like Dane County and that is important. All of our dorm residents when they arrive actually have to test before they come and then will be tested weekly if they are unvaccinated once they are here in the dorms. And we now last week announced that all unvaccinated campus community members, students and staff, need to test weekly. We’re going to watch these numbers very closely. If they go up, we’ll talk about other measures. If they go down, we’ll reconsider what we’re doing. We’re following the data. We’re following the science. We’re doing what we did last year, when we were really quite successful. Our infections rates were below 1% all throughout the spring.

Frederica Freyberg:

Would other measures include going back to online instruction?

Rebecca Blank:

We’re trying very hard not to do that and I think we’d have to be in a greater health emergency than we are right now given our vaccination levels. Our students really want to be back in-person for obvious reasons after almost a year and a half many of them being online. Our faculty are eager to be back mainly with students. We are trying to do everything we can to preserve that college experience which so many of our students just haven’t had for more than a year.

Frederica Freyberg:

Meanwhile, Republican State Senator Steven Nass says he will sue the UW if these kinds of measures stay in place: the masking and the testing. As you know, System President Tommy Thompson is not backing down on this. I trust you stand with President Thompson?

Rebecca Blank:

I very much appreciate President Thompson’s stance. It is not possibly acceptable that the Legislature has control over every policy we make on this campus, particularly our public health policies. This has to be at the discretion of chancellors in the system.

Frederica Freyberg:

Senator Nass also said this. “It is not surprising that the ivory tower administrators at the UW System are openly defying state law to issue COVID-19 mandates to control every adult that dares to walk on their campuses with the notable exception of 70,000+ ticket-paying fans at football games in Madison. Apparently the UW System has discovered that revenue-generating football games don’t spread COVID-19.” What is your response to that?

Rebecca Blank:

That’s actually not quite true. Our ticket-paying fans, when they’re indoors, have to mask. So if they’re in the bathrooms, if they’re in closed rooms, as does everyone else in our community, they need to be masked. Outside in the bowl, we recommend people mask, but it is outside and there is far less evidence of disease transmission among people outside with the wind blowing out in the open air. So, as I say, we’re going to follow what’s happening. But we are following rules that I might note virtually every both professional teams and other college teams are following this fall.

Frederica Freyberg:

What are provisions for students who do get infected with COVID on campus?

Rebecca Blank:

Well, if they’re in the dorms, we will help them move into either isolation or quarantine space so they can recover without infecting other people. We have some of that space set aside. If they’re not in the dorms, it will be the same procedure as last year. We expect them to isolate or quarantine in their apartments. Our student services stays in touch with students who tested positive, call them regularly, make sure things are good, that they don’t need any additional assistance, even mental health or physical care.

Frederica Freyberg:

With how much trepidation are you be looking forward to the fall semester here with these rising cases?

Rebecca Blank:

It does feel a little bit like Groundhog’s Day back where we were last August, but the right answer is we’re really in a very different place than last August. We have an effective and safe vaccine. A very high share of our campus has taken it and even those who do get breakthrough infections are almost surely not going to be seriously ill given everything we know about the experience with this vaccine. And that does make this semester feel safer and better than last fall. I think we’re better prepared for what we are going to get in terms of infections. And there will be some infections on campus. That’s just a given.

Frederica Freyberg:

Chancellor Blank, thanks very much for being here.

Rebecca Blank:

Thank you.

Frederica Freyberg:

A final note about the UW-Madison campus. On Thursday the campus Office of Financial Aid reported that it has cleared just under $2 million of student financial debt using funds granted to the university by the American Rescue Act. Delta-fueled rising COVID numbers across Wisconsin are not just a concern for university campuses. The surge touches the nerves of students of all ages, their families and school staff as the academic year gets underway. For an update on new precautions and concerns, we turn to Dr. Nasia Safdar, a faculty member in the Division of Infectious Disease within the Department of Medicine at UW-Madison. Doctor, thanks very much for being here.

Nasia Safdar:

Thank you.

Frederica Freyberg:

Some 500 pediatricians across the state signed a letter to schools and parents about safe practices as students return saying we need to mask, distance and get vaccinated if eligible. What happens if we don’t take those measures?

Nasia Safdar:

I think if we have any hope of being able to carry out the critical activity of educating our children, we have to follow all of these recommended precautions. One is not a substitute for the other. They’re all a suite of solutions. If you follow them all faithfully as close to 100% as we can get, then we have a reasonable chance of being able to offer this generation the education that they deserve. If we don’t, then I think we’ll be able to see the consequences that we see in areas that are not high with mask use and distancing.

Frederica Freyberg:

COVID cases spiked above 2,000 in a day this week. How truly concerning is this?

Nasia Safdar:

It’s probably the worst it’s been for a long time. I think we had a bit of a reprieve over the spring and the summer and we would all have loved to see that continue and it’s a bit hard to get your head around the fact that things aren’t going in the rosy direction we were all hoping they would. We may eventually still get there but for the moment, things are much worse than they should be.

Frederica Freyberg:

Are children less at risk?

Nasia Safdar:

I think as a group it’s true that children in the pediatric population are less at risk for severe complication of COVID. Ultimately though when you have the virus circulating in high numbers in the community, there will be enough children who might have comorbid conditions or compromised immune systems or just bad luck, but they will get infected and some will require medical care. So the numbers are expected to rise.

Frederica Freyberg:

How do you think the full FDA authorization of the Pfizer vaccine this week will move people who were waiting to get vaccinated?

Nasia Safdar:

I think if your reason for not getting vaccinated was you wanted to see the stamp of full approval, which I think is going to probably be a small group, then I think you’ll get vaccinated now that we have that. But for people who don’t believe in vaccines in general and weren’t really excited about taking it, I’m not sure that the full approval will have any change.

Frederica Freyberg:

What is the situation at the hospital where you work in terms of capacity for staff, beds, equipment, ICU space? What’s happening there?

Nasia Safdar:

I think what we learned with COVID is you can go from feeling pretty good about things one week only to find that the following week the number of cases are rising exponentially. So for the moment it’s normal operations. We certainly are seeing more inpatients with COVID than we did before. But nothing more has been required of the health system at this point. But is likely not to be the case several weeks from now if things continue as unabated as they are. We just have to plan for that possibility.

Frederica Freyberg:

And what is it like then for the front line workers in the health care system to confront this once again?

Nasia Safdar:

Well, I think there’s high burn-out rates in our systems in general. I think people feel there’s really two constraints. One is you’re doing your daily work on top of the additional stress that COVID poses. And the other is as infections rise in the community, they also rise in health care workers because they live in those communities too. And then you have staffing concerns which doubles the work for those who are still at work.

Frederica Freyberg:

So what is your message to parents, schools and students as schools start?

Nasia Safdar:

I think we have to faithfully follow all recommended precautions as close to 100% of the time as we can. With that, I think we can continue to do some of the things we’d like to be able to do. Without that, we have no chance of being able to continue the way we’d like to.

Frederica Freyberg:

So without that your expectation is that potentially there could be another kind of shutdown?

Nasia Safdar:

Well, one hopes it doesn’t come to that. Those things probably aren’t sustainable. But given how quickly Delta is transmitted and spreads from person to person, even a little absent masking may not be inconsequential and you don’t know what you’re going to find until you’re in that state. I have to say children are the real heroes of this pandemic. They have masked up uncomplainingly this whole time.

Frederica Freyberg:

Do you get the sense at all that people are not taking this Delta variant as seriously as people like yourselves understand it to be serious?

Nasia Safdar:

I think it’s a little bit hard to get your head around the fact that for a while things were good. We got effective vaccinations and now there’s this variant that might just change things around, plus then need for boosters and so on. It does take a while to get used to concept yes, Delta is bad and can lead to severe consequences. But having said that, I think we have to confront what’s in front of us. Denying it isn’t going to make it go away.

Frederica Freyberg:

True enough. Dr. Nasia Safdar, thanks very much and thanks for your work.

Nasia Safdar:

Thank you.

Frederica Freyberg:

We turn our attention now to the arrival of refugees to Wisconsin from Afghanistan. This afternoon more Republican lawmakers gathered to observe activity at Fort McCoy near Tomah. Fort McCoy is one of the military installations in the U.S. approved by the Department of Defense to provide temporary housing for the Afghan newcomers. The department says families arriving the base are being kept together. According to U.S. Senator Ron Johnson, there are currently more than 1,000 refugees inside Fort McCoy. In a visit to the base on Wednesday, Johnson questioned the level of vetting, saying a lack of vetting poses a security risk to the country.

Ron Johnson:

How many special immigrant visa holders do you think the Taliban are letting into Kabul airport right now? How many people that are the folks that are Afghanistan veterans want to pull out to safety, how many of those people do you think the Taliban are allowing through the gates of Kabul airport?

Frederica Freyberg:

Republican U.S. Senator Ron Johnson at Fort McCoy on Wednesday. For her part, Democratic U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin says the U.S. needs to welcome people arriving from Afghanistan, people who have helped the U.S. cause.

Tammy Baldwin:

I feel like we have a moral obligation not only to return U.S. nationals, people who are at risk because of their advocacy for women’s rights, children’s rights, NGOs, but also the Afghans who have stood by us, translated for us, have done many other things.

Frederica Freyberg:

Those able to get out of Afghanistan can expect to see helping hands in Wisconsin from places and people like in the city of Oshkosh, which is second only to Milwaukee in the number of residents with refugee backgrounds. We go to Appleton now to learn about preparations underway for refugees in that area. Tami McLaughlin is the director of World Relief Fox Valley and thank you very much for being here.

Tami McLaughlin:

Thank you for having me.

Frederica Freyberg:

So as we know, a dangerous and frightening situation for those trying to leave and we know people are arriving from Afghanistan in Wisconsin this week. What role do you expect to play in helping resettle the new arrivals?

Tami McLaughlin:

Well, we do have a small Afghan community in the Fox Valley, so we would love to have the opportunity of welcoming their family if they are able to get out of Afghanistan. We also hope to welcome some additional members of the Afghan community who have been evacuated out of Afghanistan. So we’re willing and ready and able with whatever that opportunity presents itself.

Frederica Freyberg:

Describe your work helping new arrivals in the Fox Valley.

Tami McLaughlin:

Sure. World Relief is one of nine national agencies who contract with the federal government to provide services. It’s a very comprehensive and well-structured program. We start by securing apartments for refugees and then furnishing those apartments. Our work continues as we connect them with community resources, enrolling them in schools, health care providers, English language classes. We provide a lot of orientation and cultural training to the newly-arrived refugees so they really understand how to navigate the American way of life. So the first 90 days are very, very busy and engaged in the refugee community.

Frederica Freyberg:

Which populations have you worked with?

Tami McLaughlin:

Our largest population is from the Democratic Republic of Congo and we continue to see many of those refugees arrive. Also the Burmese and Iraqi community is second and third community. And then Somali, Syrians, Afghans, just a variety of other nationalities we have the opportunity of welcoming.

Frederica Freyberg:

How did Oshkosh become second only to Milwaukee in number of resettlements?

Tami McLaughlin:

Because we’re such a warm and welcoming community, I believe. And we’re here, a national resettlement agency needs to be positioned there. We did a lot of groundwork regarding the receptiveness of the community, how strong community partnerships are. Volunteers and church partnerships are very important to us. This program was created as a public/private partnership, so a very collaborative effort on behalf of a whole community. The research found that Oshkosh and Appleton would be those types of communities.

Frederica Freyberg:

What from your experience are people newly arriving dealing with, especially those from a war zone and escaping the way they have from Afghanistan? What are they dealing with?

Tami McLaughlin:

The first response we always hear is “I’m safe.” No matter where they come from. And that’s whether it’s from the Congo or Burma or Afghanistan. So obviously just realizing that they’re coming out of a situation that probably produced high trauma, anxiety, fear of danger, fear of life. So those are the first things that we know. May not be spoken, but know that are things that will need to be confronted and dealt with as people move on. The first initial resettlement is just really acclimating and stabilizing. So just figuring out how do we get to a point where we can move forward and maybe having those discussions and seeing what else needs to be taken care of? Basic needs are initially the priority, though.

Frederica Freyberg:

Have officials reached out to your organization to step in at this point yet?

Tami McLaughlin:

The government contractors who we typically work with for refugee resettlement have reached out and there’s been a variety of discussions. We are confident that we’ll come to a place of contract, if you will, with some of this Afghan population and just appreciate their support and their willingness to provide a structure again and just some assistance as we as a country really work toward how we can serve this community best.

Frederica Freyberg:

Tami McLaughlin, director of World Relief Fox Valley, thanks very much and thanks for your work.

Tami McLaughlin:

Thank you so much.

Frederica Freyberg:

The last large scale refugee relocation effort at Fort McCoy was in 1980, when 14,000 Cubans came to the western Wisconsin military installation. In this week’s “Noon Wednesday,” Marisa Wojcik spoke with the UW-La Crosse associate professor who have been studying this migration and asked what barriers were present in 1980 that we may see again today.

Omar Granados:

The language is going to present even a more significant barrier. When we think about Spanish and the way in which Spanish is spoken in the United States today, it’s not going to be that easy to find interpreters and translators for these populations. There’s a lot of women that have experienced trauma and abuse and that has also — it’s a very important requirement of how we manage this exodus in terms of qualified personnel. But in my opinion, you know, there’s always this rush to go help and provide food and shelter. I think actually listening, you know, and trying to empathize with the group and trying to understand what the actual needs of the group are might be a more beneficial way. Just kind of taking a pause and thinking about, you know, what are the actual needs of this population in terms of not just food and shelter, but beyond the trauma that they’re experiencing at the time and the repercussions that that trauma is going to have as they try to actually resettle into U.S. communities.

Marisa Wojcik:

What did we get wrong in 1980 that we have the opportunity to get right today?

Omar Granados:

So educating the families that are going to welcome these folks. If they do indeed stay in the area, which is unknown at this time, educating the organizations in terms of like what actual steps are necessary for these people to get their refugee and asylum status in the period of time that is required by the immigration, you know, laws. What sort of support do they need in terms of education, not just getting any job, but actually having access to higher education, having access to the funds from the state to be able to participate equally in an equitable way rather than just say, okay, they’re fine. They’re with the families. They’re going to be okay. So I think that was one of the biggest problems at the time.

Frederica Freyberg:

This week marked the one-year anniversary of the Jacob Blake shooting that rocked Kenosha and brought Wisconsin into the national spotlight. Blake was left partially paralyzed after being shot seven times by a Kenosha officer who was attempting to arrest him for an outstanding warrant. Prosecutors declined to bring charges against the officer and he is back on duty. Blake has filed an excessive force lawsuit against the police officer. With that as a backdrop, reporter Will Kenneally spoke with people in Kenosha about the past year and their hopes for future change.

Anthony Kennedy:

It’s was a very nice day. Not too far from, not too different than today. So I thought I’d get on my bike, ride downtown and just kind of enjoy this last day before a very busy week. Rode my bike north to Washington Road, started heading east to the lake and by the time I got to Sheridan Road all the sirens and police vehicles were moving here to the neighborhood. I’m Anthony Kennedy, alderman of the 10th district here in the city of Kenosha.

Alvin Owens:

I said let me just do a dedication on my birthday, August 23rd and then we heard the seven shots. My name is Alvin D. Owens. I’m a licensed master barber/educator and I’m the founder of Regiment Barber Collective. People often ask me how do I feel about that being from Kenosha. To be honest, to be brutally honest, it was as if, oh, this was the other shoe that was going to drop.

Nathan Upham:

Hey what’s up? Nathan Upham. I’m 24 years old, live in Kenosha, Wisconsin. I pretty much have blocked a lot of that stuff out just because it was really intense. But now seeing on my Instagram memories and my Facebook memories, I was out every single day for the protests. Kenosha has a unique opportunity to really set an example for what a city can be. Rise from the ashes like a phoenix kind of thing.

Alvin Owens:

I don’t know if I can call myself an activist. But we were activated, you know. Because when chaos ensues, there’s no organization and there’s no leadership. So I make sure that I’m here. As a resident, as a business owner, as a child who grew up here, I felt – and I’ve shared this with our elected officials – I felt that we were abandoned for a good two weeks. I won’t say if I’ve seen progress. What I’ll say is that I see blatant complacency for Kenosha. I mean, that’s here in Kenosha.

Anthony Kennedy:

In Kenosha, the minority vote is not strong. It’s not powerful. It’s not present but there are people working their asses off to try to change that and I think you’ve talked to some of those people already.

Alvin Owens:

I’m asking the white community of Kenosha to come to the barbershop, come to the Black churches, come to where we feel safe in our own spaces. Come and meet us.

Nathan Upham:

I think even the fact that we created the conversation, I mean, I feel like we’re beginning to be looked at as a more equal and respected force.

Anthony Kennedy:

That spark that took people out of their comfort zones and wanted to be confrontational and wanted to confront the systems that are in place. I hope that spark keeps burning. I hope that spark, you take that spark and move that into activism.

Frederica Freyberg:

“Here & Now” reporter Will Kenneally from Kenosha. For more on all the topics in tonight’s program, including the latest COVID condition report, go to PBSwisconsin.org and click on the news page. That’s all for tonight. I’m Frederica Freyberg. Have a good weekend.

Announcer:

Funding for “Here & Now” is provided by the Focus Fund for Journalism and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.