DES MOINES, Iowa – The student newspaper at Drake University in Des Moines has started a Change.org petition demanding transparency from the school about COVID-19.
The petition has received more than 1,500 signatures as of Thursday morning.
It says the school cannot, in good faith, “invite students back on to campus during a global pandemic and not provide basic information on case numbers.”
Drake University has not been providing weekly virus numbers.
Des Moines and Polk County have seen a surge in COVID-19 cases over the past several weeks, although the spike seems to have subsided in recent days.
The petition, which was written by staff at the Times-Delphic newspaper, read in part:
” They have hidden behind privacy claims and vague statistical data, as if the average student cannot look at the raw case numbers and make their own personal health decisions. As journalists, the lack of information and transparency from the university leaves room for rumor and incorrect reporting. A quick glance at social media can show the mass panic rising as students are left grasping in the dark during these tumultuous times.”
Drake University has an enrollment of roughly 5,000 students.