UW Madison Goes Virtual After One Week

Zac Schultz:

So how do UW-Madison students feel about the quarantine? “Here & Now” reporter Will Kenneally has that story.

Will Kenneally:

On Wednesday night a little after 8:00 p.m. an email was sent to students that confirmed the rumor. UW-Madison would move classes online and quarantine students in two dorms for the next two weeks.

Emma Mihas:

So we were in our dorm room in Sellery and then we heard gossip about it and then we looked out the window and everybody was kind of like fleeing out, running to the stores.

Will Kenneally:

Students in the two dorms were told they had two hours before they would need to remain in place for quarantine. After the quarantine went into effect, students could leave but wouldn’t be allowed to return to the dorms for the next two weeks.

Neal Sidhu:

My roommate came back and told me. We went out, got groceries, stocked up.

Michelle Conte:

Went for our last walk.

Female student:

Freedom.

Michelle Conte:

And then the walk inside was like the walk of shame. I literally felt like I was like being arrested.

Matthew Mitnick:

All of us in ASM found out at the exact same time that the rest of the student body found out as well as the public. So we were a bit insulted and confused why there was no student input as far as we know in this decision.

Will Kenneally:

Matthew Mitnick chairs the UW-Madison student government, which has been critical of the university’s reopening plan.

Matthew Mitnick:

Students need to be involved in these decisions that are being made because it is impacting people in a variety of ways. Just one that comes to mind with the quarantine at the dorms, what if a student has dietary needs.

Will Kenneally:

The university said it would provide meals for students while in quarantine, but after facing backlash, UW-Madison said it would allow students to leave their dorms to pick up meals from a near-by dining hall.

Sammy Lane:

It’s nice to be able to leave for a couple minutes to go outside ’cause originally that was not an option.

Emma Mihas:

We could not go outside.

Will Kenneally:

The move to go online comes as UW-Madison sees hundreds of new cases of COVID-19 a day, mostly among students. Despite that, students say their peers are taking the virus seriously.

Neal Sidhu:

The last two days, yeah, I’d say it’s a little more serious. I feel like it hasn’t been as much room hopping, floor hopping, people going around and stuff.

Will Kenneally:

Overall, students had a mixed response to the university’s handling of the quarantine. Some saying it was rudderless but responsive to some concerns.

Michelle Conte:

I think this was a bad representation just because I think they felt they had to do something really fast. So they kind of made a decision quickly and we heard like they — really late, I guess. Other than that they’ve been very frequently messaging us through email telling us what they’ve been observing and how they want to react to it.

Will Kenneally:

Reporting from Madison, I’m Will Kenneally for “Here & Now.”