The depths of the impact of COVID-19 on nearly every aspect of our personal and professional lives was becoming painfully clear in May and June of 2020. While institutions of higher education had implemented crisis/emergency plans in the immediate onset of the pandemic, and largely extended those efforts into summer terms, the fall 2020 term loomed large. Institutional researchers were asked for myriad kinds of data and reports, ostensibly to inform executive leaders' decision-making regarding how to operate for the fall term. On its face, this fits with the current conceptualization of IR's work largely as decision support. Despite these requests, however, the question remains as to what was really driving decision-making about the fall. This research examined a random, representative sample of public statements regarding fall operations, often released in the name of a president or chancellor, to determine what factors these leaders espoused publicly as informing their fall plans.