COVID-19 in Champaign

  • COVID-19 in Champaign-Urbana community
    • Energy
      • How has the change in campus behavior affected the school’s energy output?
        • Abbot Power Plant supplies our entire campus with energy
        • There has been a push for years to get Abbott off of coal and on to more sustainable energy sources
        • How has behavior since quarantine began affected the energy usage of our campus?
        • Has our usage gone up or down?
        • How have our needs changed?
      • A lack of students effects all businesses, but how has it specifically affected the community’s energy output as a whole?
        • Does an online University lead to a leaner carbon foot print in the area?
        • What has Mass Transit looked like over quarantine?
          • If people aren’t traveling as much (or there are just less people in the area) should buses be running on a different schedule?
          • Talk to bus drivers: are they driving empty buses?
    • Greek Life
      • Where do these organizations stand in the middle of their usual rush process?
      • Is it worth joining these organizations in the midst of a pandemic?
        • How limited are the activities that normally draw in rushes/pledges?
        • Many houses are fully canceling their rush process in fear of the virus/crackdown from the University
        • Number of rushes and accepted bids in fraternities on campus are way down compared to previous years
      • Talking to members of houses has been/will be difficult. It might be easier to try and speak with freshmen who were interested in rushing/did or have been rushing.
      • Dues for many houses, especially sororities, is expensive. Are members of these organizations still paying the same in dues even though many activities and events have been restricted?
      • Could be easier to talk to greek organizations if it is framed in a neutral sense, allowing them to tell their side of the story amidst accusations and pandemics, while also highlighting other students’ views of the organizations
    • Student Life
      • Interesting chance for profiles
      • Urbana used to have a lively music scene with many house/basement rock shows
        • Has COVID effectively killed the music scene for this side of campus?
        • Contact bands/band members that were previously active
          • Do they plan to continue playing shows or figure out how to play their music for others safely?
          • Has the culture changed at all?
          • Profile of a singular band might be interesting
      • What are students doing to pass the time?
      • Profile of a student who has been quarantined with COVID
      • What is it like to live with a roommate who has contracted the virus?

COVID-19 on campus

Testing

  • New jobs created
    • Are they student jobs? 
      • Day in the Life?
    • Paid/incentives?
      • Where is the money coming from?
  • Process 
    • What happens after students give saliva?
      • How accurate?
    • Where does it go?
      • Lab worker duties?
        • stressful/pressuring?
  • Positive Result
    • Contact tracing process
      • Who gets contacted and how is that decided
    • Quarantine
      • Who monitors it?
      • Consequences of breaking quarantine?
      • Where?

Student Life

  • Activities
    • Virtual
      • How are students staying social?
      • Difference in freshman experience?
      • # of freshman staying home vs. soph./jr./senior
    • Non-virtual
      • In-person limits?
      • Consequences of breaking rules
      • Interim suspension??
  • Athletics/Arts
    • What are they doing with free time?
    • Future impacts?
      • Considering transferring?
    • Can they stay home?
  • Living
    • Dorm vs. Apartment
      • Positive test procedure in building
      • Visitor policy
      • Anonymous board?
      • Dining hall food vs. eating out/groceries?

Local Businesses

  • New Covid procedures
    • helping/hurting business?
    • Cost of making adjustments?
    • Hazard Pay for worker?
    • How are business owners adapting?
  • Layoffs/Fires
    • Students or non-students?
    • How many?
    • Unemployment?
    • How are they finding other jobs? COVID testing helpers?
    • How are business owners handling smaller staffs
  • Staying healthy
    • Does staff have to get tested?
      • How many times
    • How are they getting access to testing if not a student?
    • New cleaning protocols?

COVID-19

  • COVID-19 Spreads to Champaign Area
    • Person Dies from COVID=19
      • Underlying Health conditions the person may have faced
        • Diabetes? Heart condition? Asthma?
      • Who was this person and his/her involvement in the community?
        • Well known community leader or student from the area?
      • How has their family handled the loss, were they able to see them before death? or even after?
        • Is there a funeral plan?
      • Could this person have been saved with more proactive policy and decision making?
        • Linked with “Are our local health policies ready to handle pandemic?”
    • Are our local health policies ready to handle pandemic?
      • How quickly were stay-at-home orders issued?
        • Did the city wait around at first, or were they at the forefront? If not, why not?
        • What factors lead to making a decision quickly?
        • Is there someone in charge of handling the policy ideas?
      • How would this affect local businesses?
        • Estimate of loss of revenue
        • How long will they be allowed to stay open?
        • What’s the number of cases in the county or city until restaurants are fully shut down?
        • Why go against CDC guidelines on outdoor dining?
      • How strictly will social-distancing and other rules be enforced right off the bat?
        • What specific metrics were used to make this decision?
        • How severe will the punishments be?
        • Will the punishments be different for minors and adults?
      • Do powerful local businesses have influence over policy decisions?
        • Will donors or those who are connected be able to sway policy in favor of business?
        • Will public officials be able to hold their ground and put public safety first?
        • Or maybe special treatment for those powerful business owners?
    • Hospitals prepare for COVID-19 patients
      • How many hospitals in this area are prepared for COVID-19 patients?
        • Can they handle the large volume of students and faculty that live nearby?
        • How many people would have to be in the hospitals for all hospitals to be over capacity?
        • What’s the protocol if the hospital is over capacity? Who gets a bed and who doesn’t?
      • Who is the most well-funded hospital? Is that the most well-suited hospital?
        • Where do their funds come from?
        • Can they share funds and resources with less funded hospitals?
        • How many COVID-19 patients can they handle?
        • How many respirators are on hand?
      • Have they asked for federal assistance of any kind?
        • If so, what was the request?
        • How did the federal government respond?
        • Will they need to ask for further assistance?
      • Are there ample staff to handle the rush of patients and if staff gets sick?
        • How many staff members do they have on hand?
        • When will they go to retired medical professionals for help?
        • If the staff gets sick, do they get treated at that hospital or somewhere else?
        • How does the staff feel about being on the frontlines?