Hello, Colgate Community.
As of today, we are moving to Gate 4, which has been adjusted by the Task Force on Reopening to match current New York State guidance more closely. We will continue to monitor the data in case they indicate a need to change course, but this move is a tribute to your Commitment to Community Health. Well done.
Please review the information on colgate.edu/gates so you are aware of all Gate 4 guidance. You will notice that certain elements of campus life remain unchanged, including restrictions on travel and guests. We will also continue to test 50% of the on-campus population every week. Keep wearing those masks, and remember that the definition of a close contact is the same in any Gate.
Many thanks to all those who filled out our confidential vaccination status survey last week. If you have yet to do so, I encourage you to do so today. The link can also be found on the portal. This is an optional survey, but it’s quick, easy, and helpful as we make plans for our return to normalized operations this fall.
On a personal note, I want to send a special thank you to Reverend McPherson, Tori Pino ’21, and Liana Escue ’21 for inviting me to speak at University Church last night. And thank you to Deion Patterson and Dianne Adams McDowell for the uplifting music. Even though I write these messages several times a week, delivering a homily is not my go-to Sunday evening activity. However, it did give me a chance to reiterate the importance of empathy as we concentrate on finishing strong this year.
Empathy is an action for me — putting myself in someone’s shoes and asking what it must be like to be that person in that moment. It means I can cry at almost anything, including commercials and prime-time soap operas. But it has also helped me through the pandemic. I have found that I spend less time thinking about what I lack when I concentrate on assisting others through their loss.
So thanks to everyone who lent me an ear yesterday, and thanks to you for reading today. I’ll type again on Wednesday.
Laura H. Jack
Vice President for Communications
Take Note
The Madison County Department of Health has vaccine appointments available this week for eligible individuals at SUNY Morrisville, Chittenango, and Oneida. Colgate is sponsoring free transportation to the Morrisville location on Tuesday, March 23. Shuttles will depart from in front of James C. Colgate Hall (Donovan’s Pub) at 11:40 a.m.; the last shuttle will depart at 9:20 p.m.
The Broad Street Association — a student programming group of residential juniors and seniors who live in the Broad Street houses, university-owned apartments, and townhouses — hosts programming and community building initiatives for residential juniors and seniors. The association is recruiting new student leaders for the 2021–2022 academic year. Interested? There are info sessions on March 23 at 6 p.m. and March 26 at 1:30 p.m.
On Monday, March 22, the Colgate Bookstore will begin returning unsold textbooks. If you have not yet purchased a textbook for a spring course, we recommend that you do so as soon as possible. Colgate Bookstore hours are Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Tomorrow, between 4 and 6:30 a.m., ITS will make changes to the campus network. These changes are part of a campuswide network upgrade that has been in motion since early summer. The work is not expected to result in any significant impact to the campus network. If you experience any connectivity issues after the maintenance window, please email itshelp@colgate.edu.
Will there be a false positive if I get tested after I’m vaccinated?
No. Because these vaccines do not use live strains of the virus, you will not show as positive on tests for current infection. (The CDC notes that your new immune response might result in a positive on some antibody tests, showing that you have “some level of protection against the virus. Experts are currently looking at how COVID-19 vaccination may affect antibody testing results.”)
A Closing Thought
Inaugural staff CUdos go to: Brent Farrell, senior data warehouse analyst and developer, tireless and unsung hero of the Health Analytics Team (HAT), who managed data for all COVID-19 testing, prepared the multitude of data sets used in the HAT dashboards, and did the heavy lifting on the student arrival checklist project. And Cindy Baker, head technician in the vivarium, where she has been making sure that the animals we use for teaching and research receive appropriate care, seven days a week, under a year of pandemic conditions. Submit a staff CUdos nomination today.
Upcoming Events
Biology Virtual Seminar - Andrea Pruijssers
March 23
11:40 a.m.
Vanderbilt University Research Assistant Professor Andrea Pruijssers will be our guest speaker for "SARS-CoV-2 antiviral drug development and vaccine testing: Stories from inside a coronavirus research laboratory."
La Sierra: The Daily Life of War in a Colombian Barrio
March 24
5 p.m.
Part of PCON’s Spring 2021 Lecture Series - Conversations about violence studied from the perspective of those who experience it. A discussion with Margarita Martínez, the director of the documentary La Sierra.