Full Interview with Chancellor Jones

By Jose Zepeda

Last week I had the opportunity to interview University of Illinois Chancellor Robert Jones and discuss COVID-19 on campus.

We addressed the two-week lockdown the university implemented to curb the high positivity rating among undergraduate students and the next steps the university was taking now that the two-week period had ended.

I also asked him if he had a comment on the recent protest that occurred on the main quad, conducted by “People Over Profit Champaign-Urbana.” They were protesting that the University give a 30% tuition refund, a contingency plan if the University were to shut down, hazard pay, more transparent from the University regarding COVID-19 and a meeting with University administration.

I also asked him how testing was going, as the University saw a rocky start to the testing situation, including long wait times and delayed test results. I also asked him how the testing sites are preparing for the cooler months as fall and winter quickly approach.

Please note, the information presented in the interview is accurate as of Wednesday, Sept. 16.