COVID-19 Reports
| Submitted | Oct. 6, 2020 |
| Est. Completion | None |
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Communications
From: Tom Nash
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
I would like any and all documents pertaining to GMU students who have been tested for COVID-19. More specifically, I would like all the documents pertaining to the number of students tested at GMU, the number of students on campus who have been tested, and the number of off-campus students who have been tested. I would like the total number of students who have tested positive, the number of students on-campus who have tested positive, and the number of students off campus who have tested positive. I would also like the number of tests that have come back inconclusive and needed retesting. Along with this request I would like the current total number of students enrolled at GMU for the Fall 2020 semester along with a break down of off-campus and on campus students. I would also like the total number of classes offered at GMU this semester along with the breakdown of online vs. on-campus. Thank you.
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 5 business days, as the statute requires.
Please note that I am a citizen of Virginia, and am using MuckRock's services to help manage and track my request.
Sincerely,
Tom Nash
From: George Mason University
Good afternoon Tom,
This is Elizabeth Woodley; we have corresponded multiple times about past FOIA requests to Mason. Please continue to contact me with FOIA requests in future, as I am Mason’s FOIA Compliance Officer.
I had a clarifying question to help us determine estimated costs of your request:
Are you seeking all documents pertaining to students who have been tested for COVID-19, or only the numerical data that you list? (number of students tested at GMU, the number of students on campus who have been tested, and the number of off-campus students who have been tested; total number of students who have tested positive, the number of students on-campus who have tested positive, and the number of students off campus who have tested positive; number of tests that have come back inconclusive and needed retesting; current total number of students enrolled at GMU for the Fall 2020 semester along with a break down of off-campus and on campus students.)
If you are indeed seeking all documents, I want to alert you that costs would likely be very high, as we would be required to locate, review, and withhold / redact documents to remove personally identifying information pursuant to FERPA and Virginia FOIA. So it is likely there would be high costs to search/review and relatively few documents released.
If you are only seeking numerical data, I believe that the cost would be quite low or possibly free. Please respond to this email so that we may continue to process your request.
Thank you,
Elizabeth
Elizabeth Woodley, J.D.
FOIA Compliance Officer
George Mason University
ewoodley@gmu.edu<mailto:ewoodley@gmu.edu>
Begin forwarded message:
From: Ralph Mersiowsky
Hello--
The purely numerical data is preferable. Could you please give me an estimate on purely the requested numerical data. Thank you.
From: George Mason University
Good morning Tom,
I have contacted both our Safety, Emergency, and Enterprise Risk Management Office (SEERM) and our Registrar’s Office for the records you request.
I have received the following information from SEERM:
The cost to respond to the request as stated is estimated to be $480.00. This is because the data is not currently in a form that allows for us to easily pull responses to the questions asked. Since the estimate is over $200, we would require a deposit in the amount of the estimate before proceeding, pursuant to Virginia Code § 2.2-3704 (H).
If you would like to modify your request based on this information, SEERM informed me it would take far less time and cost ($40-$80) to provide this portion of your request:
- the number of student tests conducted at GMU
- the number of on campus student tests conducted, and the number of off-campus student tests conducted
- the total number of students who have tested positive
- the number of students on-campus who have tested positive, and the number of students off campus who have tested positive
- the number of tests that have come back inconclusive and needed retesting
I have received the following information from the Registrar’s Office:
- The current total number of students enrolled at GMU for the Fall 2020 semester along with a break down of off-campus and on campus students:
There are currently 39114 students enrolled this term. Out of those students, 2932 students are in housing (they have a campus address).
- The total number of classes offered at GMU this semester along with the breakdown of online vs. on-campus:
There are 9,814 classes offered this Fall 2020 term. Out of those classes, 5865 classes are offered online (the campus is Online).
Please let me know how you would like to proceed given the above cost estimate information.
Regards,
Elizabeth
Elizabeth Woodley, J.D.
FOIA Compliance Officer
George Mason University
ewoodley@gmu.edu<mailto:ewoodley@gmu.edu>
From: Ralph Mersiowsky
Let's proceed with the modified request that will be in the $40-$80 range. Thank you.
From: George Mason University
Good morning Tom,
This is in response to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by email dated 10/22/2020. Due to current staff workload, it has not been possible for the University to provide your requested records within the five work day period provided by law. Therefore, the University is exercising its right under § 2.2-3704(B)(4) of the Virginia Code to take an additional seven workdays to respond to your request. Please let me know if you have questions related to this request.
Regards,
Elizabeth
Elizabeth Woodley, J.D.
FOIA Compliance Officer
George Mason University
ewoodley@gmu.edu<mailto:ewoodley@gmu.edu>
From: George Mason University
Good morning Tom,
Our staff have been able to gather your requested information. They informed me that the request ended up taking much longer to complete than anticipated, and therefore cost significantly more than our estimate of $40-$80. The response ended up costing $510.00 in staff time to complete.
Given the fact that the estimate was exceeded by a large margin, Mason’s practice is to inform the requester and ask whether or not you would like to withdraw the request. If you would like to receive the records and agree to pay the cost of $510.00, let me know and I will send you the requested record and payment information.
If you would like to withdraw the request you may do so and Mason will not charge.
Regards,
Elizabeth
Elizabeth Woodley, J.D.
FOIA Compliance Officer
George Mason University
ewoodley@gmu.edu<mailto:ewoodley@gmu.edu>
From: Ralph Mersiowsky
I'll withdraw the request. Thanks
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Virginia Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Oct. 6, 2020. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: George Mason University
Good morning,
After receiving information on the cost of this request, this request was withdrawn on December 2, 2020 by the requester. (See attached message Mason received, withdrawing the request.) Are you now agreeing to pay the $510.00 cost of the request?
Regards,
Elizabeth
Elizabeth Woodley, J.D.
FOIA Compliance Officer
George Mason University
ewoodley@gmu.edu<mailto:ewoodley@gmu.edu>
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RE: Virginia Freedom of Information Act Request: COVID-19 Reports