UNC professor moves to virtual classes after concerning videos of students on campus

More professors are opting out of in-person instruction after noticing the COVID-19 threat not being taken seriously on campus.

“I’m not predicting that this can turn into a public health catastrophe, but it could,” said UNC French Professor Hassan Melehy.

“I think just about everyone knows that. I think just about everyone is scared of that,” he added.

The university has allowed students to return, following specific health guidelines. Professors like Melehy had every intention to teach in-person at least once a week, but that changed quickly.

“I said to myself, 'OK, I will do this,' But if any one week I see three violations of the protocols..”

He said after spending 20 minutes on campus last week, he did. Then, once seeing a concerning video of students circulating online not wearing masks or social distancing, it was a done deal for him.

“I said to myself, 'Nope. I’m not doing this.'” He said he’s not the only one. More professors are making the sudden shift. A letter-writing campaign he’s involved in even has some calling on administration to take better action.

“It does not seem to me that our top administrators are doing a good job of this, and they’re doing a terrible job of public relations,” he added.

UNC is working to improve transparency, displaying positive cases weekly with an online dashboard. Melehy said he won’t take the risk and will teach virtually until conditions improve.