LANSING, Mich. — Last week, a group of mayors from several Big Ten college and university communities met to discuss plans for the upcoming football season as well as to share ideas on what has and hasn’t worked in their respective communities for slowing the spread of COVID-19.
As a result of the meeting, the mayors sent a signed letter to conference officials requesting practical measures to ensure each college and university community is better prepared for the fight against COVID-19.
The mayors requested that the Big Ten Conference work with local and county health officials in Big Ten college communities to define when it is no longer safe to host a football game due to increased community activity such as the social gatherings and alcohol consumption.
“While we all appreciate our college and university sports programs and the economic and community benefits that they provide, the COVID-19 crisis is far from over and we are expecting some potential new obstacles as a result of the upcoming football season,” said East Lansing Mayor Aaron Stephens. “We hope that by continuing to work with our individual colleges and universities, our public health officials and the Big Ten Conference, we can be as prepared as possible for the return of football in our communities.”
The mayors also requested that the Big Ten Conference release kickoff times and schedules as early as possible to make it a priority to host less or no games that take place in the evening or late afternoon.
The mayors that signed are:
- Mayor Aaron Stephens; East Lansing, Mich. (Michigan State University)
- Mayor Andy Schor; Lansing, Mich.
- Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway; Madison, Wis. (University of Wisconsin)
- Mayor Patrick L. Wojahn; College Park, Md. (University of Maryland)
- Mayor Ronald Filippelli; State College, Pa. (Penn State)
- Mayor Christopher Taylor; Ann Arbor, Mich. (University of Michigan)
- Mayor Steve Hagerty; Evanston, Ill. (Northwestern)
- Mayor John Dennis; West Lafayette, Ind. (Purdue University)
- Mayor Jacob Frey; Minneapolis, Minn. (University of Minnesota)
- Mayor John Hamilton; Bloomington, Ind. (University of Indiana)
- Mayor Bruce Teague; Iowa City, Iowa (University of Iowa)
- Mayor Andrew Ginther; Columbus, Ohio (Ohio State University)
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