SUZETTE HACKNEY

Hackney: Purdue's president floats frightening plan for opening campus this fall

It's no secret that university presidents are wringing their hands about decreased enrollment and lost tuition revenue because of coronavirus.

Suzette Hackney
Indianapolis Star

Purdue University President Mitch Daniels is optimistically marching toward reopening the West Lafayette campus for the fall semester, determined not to “surrender helplessly."

In a stunning letter to the Purdue community, Daniels says the plan is to accept students on campus in typical numbers this August despite concerns about the novel coronavirus pandemic.

This sounds somewhat reasonable, at least initially. I’m all for being hopeful. But Daniels’ thought process is short-sighted, discriminatory and downright frightening.

In his eyes, the traditional campus-based learning model is a risk worth taking, in part because students are unlikely to die from COVID-19.

“At least 80% of our population is made up of young people, say, 35 and under. All data to date tell us that the COVID-19 virus, while it transmits rapidly in this age group, poses close to zero lethal threat to them,” writes Daniels, Indiana's former Republican governor.

Mitch Daniels (center) with the 2018 Purdue baseball team graduates.

“Meanwhile, the virus has proven to be a serious danger to other, older demographic groups, especially those with underlying health problems. The roughly 20% of our Purdue community who are over 35 years old contains a significant number of people with diabetes, asthma, hypertension, and other ailments which together comprise a very high percentage of the fatal and most severe COVID-19 cases.”

I have one question for Daniels: Who is going to teach these healthy young people? I would think the university’s faculty and staff would warrant at least a specific mention, seeing as under this plan they'll be separated or adhering to minimized contact with all those hearty youngsters they are charged to somehow teach.

It's no secret that university presidents are wringing their hands about decreased enrollment and lost tuition revenue — parents are not willing to pay full costs for courses taught online — because of coronavirus. Higher education is another area hit hard economically by the pandemic.  

But Daniels' letter screams of opportunism. It screams of chasing dollars. That sentiment is not only irresponsible, it is dangerous. 

Purdue University President Mitch Daniels announced a new initiative called Purdue Fast Start on Tuesday at Purdue Polytechnic High School in downtown Indianapolis.

There certainly are ways to think creatively about reopening doors – governors all across the country are doing so right now. And some of Daniels' plans, including robust testing for the virus during the school year, using Purdue’s own laboratory for fast results, are innovative.

But the assertion that Purdue officials can successfully place limitations on visitors to and away from campus is ludicrous. Let's think for a minute: Students who had their spring semester cut short because of coronavirus closures would be expected to skip the bars (assuming they are open), parties and other back-to-class festivities they cherish. They're expected not to go home to visit their parents or to do laundry. Good luck with that.

Daniels jumped out of the gate too soon with this half-baked proposal. It's embarrassing and reckless. Hit reset with this one, sir.

Boiler up, indeed.

Email IndyStar columnist Suzette Hackney at suzette.hackney@indystar.com. Friend her on Facebook at Suzette Hackney and follow her on Twitter: @suzyscribe.

Purdue University president Mitch Daniels looks onto Ross-Ade Stadium from a pavilion balcony in West Lafayette, Ind., Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019. Daniels attends every Boilermakers home football game.