Dear Colgate Community,
As President Casey has announced, tomorrow we move to Gate 3, which has been modified slightly to allow for gatherings of 25 or fewer individuals. Congratulations. Advancing through a new Gate certainly feels like a reward for the hard work that we are doing together. (Find Gate details on our website.)
That work will become a little bit harder with a greater capacity for larger gatherings. So, please remember that 10 minutes spent within 6 feet makes you a close contact, and you now have 15 more chances to find yourself in isolation or quarantine. Wear your masks, and make sure a tall celebrity can lie down between you and your friends.
Speaking of non-Colgate people lying around, there has been evidence that some students have been hosting guests from off campus. With dozens of states on the travel advisory list and multiple counties in New York State experiencing a surge in COVID cases, that could have a direct impact on the data that determine our Gate status. We continue to discourage visitors. We will be monitoring the trend and adjusting accordingly.
Last week’s random testing held steady with just one positive and three close contacts. Our thoughts are with those now in isolation and quarantine, and we thank them for keeping their commitment — for ensuring that the potential spread of the virus was held to a minimum. Well done.
Watch for word on move-out plans coming later this week, and take care of yourselves in the meanwhile.
Talk to you on Wednesday,
Laura H. Jack
Vice President for Communications
Take Note
Faculty and staff: Whether you’ve been working remotely or on campus, please take five minutes to fill out the annual commuter survey. Filling out the survey is a necessary part of monitoring Colgate’s carbon footprint and is important to our effort to remain carbon neutral. The deadline is Oct. 14, but your colleagues in the Office of Sustainability will be eternally grateful.
All members of the Colgate community are encouraged to attend suicide prevention training, which will be hosted by the counseling center at noon on Oct. 30. Suicide is the leading cause of death among college students. It is important that we all learn how to respond to someone in distress and how to help save the life of someone who is depressed or suicidal.
Although COVID-related concerns are obviously on everyone’s mind, it’s also important to remember other health issues. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In the United States, 250,000 women (and a few men) are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. Think Pink! Find out more about breast cancer prevention and treatment on the CDC website.
On Wednesday, Oct. 14, from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m., ITS will be performing maintenance on one of the two campus internet connections. We expect this maintenance to cause a short disruption of internet services for less than 10 minutes. If you have any questions or have difficulty connecting to any services after this maintenance, please contact us at 315-228-7111 or email itshelp@colgate.edu.
A Closing Thought
In Gate 3, 25 students or fewer may gather, but keep a 6’ celebrity’s distance and wear your mask.
Upcoming Events
The Cunning of Capital: Failure, Race, and Technology / A Celebration of Three Books
Oct. 13
5 p.m.
Neta Alexander, assistant professor of film and media studies; Ani Maitra, assistant professor of film and media studies; Nimanthi Rajasingham, assistant professor of English.
50 Years of Coeducation: A Discussion on Athletics
Oct. 13
7 p.m.
As part of the yearlong celebration of 50 years of coeducation, join us for a panel discussion of the history of women’s athletics at Colgate.
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