Non-tenured faculty are more vulnerable than their tenured and tenure-track counterparts. While tenured faculty can only be fired with a just cause, non-tenured faculty who aren't being considered for tenure can be fired for any reason. In an open letter to the administration, the University of Maryland's chapter of the American Association of University Professors alleged that those who aren't tenured are often assigned to "overcrowded and poorly ventilated" rooms, which could prove dangerous amid the ongoing pandemic.