Hello, Colgate Community.
As you prepare to return to campus, I want to share a couple of reminders.
First, checking in at Sanford Field House, located next to the football stadium, is both important and mandatory. Please check in here before going to your residence hall, apartment, townhouse, or private off-campus housing.
Second, as President Casey noted in his video, pre-arrival testing is a snapshot of a moment in time. Last semester, students tested positive in their first on-campus screening even though their pre-arrival tests, taken just days before, were negative. Given the increase in cases at this point in the year, we expect to see such activity again. We highlight these facts not to scare you but to make it clear that masking, distancing, and avoiding gatherings must be in place as you arrive, not at some point in the future.
Thank you. Because of your commitment, we can most certainly do this. Our strong testing plan — at-home test, baseline employee test, two arrival tests spaced seven days apart, and ongoing testing — will allow us to be Colgate Together this semester, provided that we also maintain public-health best practices.
Safe travels, and I’ll talk to you tomorrow.
Laura H. Jack
Vice President for Communications
Take Note
Students, if you paid out of pocket to meet pre-arrival COVID-19 testing requirements, you may request reimbursement by sending an email to accounting@colgate.edu. Be sure to include your receipt or proof of payment.
As we begin the spring semester, the Health Analytics Team (HAT) sends this friendly reminder to all employees: the HAT will, once again, be closely monitoring use of PPE and cleaning supplies as an important metric of community health and safety. To ensure the accuracy of their inventory data, please obtain PPE and cleaning supplies for offices, classrooms, and other spaces through the individual in your department who was designated to place those orders last fall. Undesignated individuals should not be ordering PPE supplies on their own outside of the established centralized process. Thank you.
Many thanks as well to the faculty and staff members who have volunteered to join Colgate’s new contact tracing team for the second semester. These individuals have already dedicated significant time to the Johns Hopkins contact tracer certification process, and they will be offering more hours to help control the spread of COVID on campus in the days and weeks ahead. Contact tracing is a vital function in keeping instances of the virus low on campus, and we can’t thank them enough for their commitment to community health.
Students who have opted for grab-and-go dining during universal quarantine can check out menus here.
A Closing Thought
“On behalf of our Board of Education, students, faculty, and staff, I would like to extend our sincere appreciation for your commitment to community health [during the fall] semester. Our district has been able to stay open for in-person instruction, in part by your actions, and we would like to say thank you to the students, faculty, and staff of Colgate, from all of us here at HCS.”
— William Dowsland, Superintendent of Schools, Hamilton Central School
Upcoming Events
COVE Volunteer Open House
Jan. 26
11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Drop into either session of the COVE's virtual open house to find a volunteer opportunity to participate in during the spring semester.
Submit an application for spring 2021 "Build a 3D Printer Series"
Jan. 22 deadline to apply
Submit an application for a spot in the spring 2021 Quarantine, Build a 3D Printer Series. Approved applicants will receive a complete Creality Ender 3D Printer kit.
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