Hello, Colgate Community.
You wouldn’t know it looking out the window, but the rest of the country is thawing enough to let our tests make their way to the lab. There’s a bit of a backlog, but of the roughly 1,800 results received during the past week — from PCR and rapid antigen tests — all are negative. You will note on the HAT dashboard that other vital measures, such as wastewater, are generally steady or improving. The bubble continues to hold. This is amazing work.
One arrow on the dashboard (and yesterday’s temperatures) made me realize something, though. On those California-like days when the sun comes out and the RealFeel crests 32°, we’re going to want to put on shorts and hit the road. Projecting a bit further, it could even be 45°. There might be visible sunsets. And there could be an urge to host visitors — just for a moment. Just to drop off that thingamajig you really want. Imagine it, and then imagine fighting the desire to travel or play host. It’ll help you get through the temptation when it comes.
We are so close to turning the corner on this pandemic, and I remember, from my days running in road races, the adrenaline rush you have when you think you see the finish line. Let’s not misjudge the distance. We are doing so well this semester, “after the pandemic” lists are starting to look less like a quarantine-induced fantasy and more like a scheduling challenge.
Talk to you on Wednesday.
Laura H. Jack
Vice President for Communications
Take Note
The Colgate Inn, FoJo Beans, Ray Brothers BBQ, and Royal India Grill are all back on campus this spring. If you have a premier meal plan, don’t forget to use the four coupons sent to your mailbox before the end of the month. Colgate also added $100 in flex dollars for premier meal plan holders to use at these new locations, and students with other meal plans may use up to half of their flex dollars. Students and employees can both use credit or debit cards. Hours and locations can be found on the website.
Following Academic Affairs Board approval last week, “Colgate students may take up to two online courses during the summer of 2021 without those courses counting against the current limit of two total online courses being allowed for transfer, so long as those courses don’t exceed total transfer credit limits.” For the summer of 2021, students may take courses from any regionally accredited U.S. institution, as long as those courses meet Colgate’s other transfer requirements and receive the required approvals. Email questions to transfercredit@colgate.edu.
Have a friend or relative who wants to keep tabs on our digest news? Digest messages are posted on the Colgate Together website — pass along the link. Members of the off-campus community can also subscribe to receive periodic updates we send to the Village of Hamilton.
Dedicated classroom and study spaces are available for students looking to collaborate on work and study (face coverings and physical distancing are required within these spaces). Learn more about work/study spaces.
Professors Andy Pattison and Chris Henke and Colgate Director of Sustainability John Pumilio joined with village and town officials in 2016 to work on what would eventually become Hamilton’s Climate Smart Communities program — a NYS interagency program to help communities reduce their carbon footprint while helping them to prepare for the worst impacts of climate change. They documented their efforts as a way to explore how other rural communities might benefit from a similar town/gown collaboration. The result of that work is now published in the Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences. Read more.
A Closing Thought
From our friends in at the Shaw Wellness Institute: When snacking, try to incorporate foods high in protein and healthy fats. A scoop of peanut butter added to veggies, crackers with cheese, and Greek yogurt are excellent snacks that won’t have you hungry 30 minutes later like snacks full of simple sugars.
Upcoming Events
Coming of Age in Utica: Growing up in a Multicultural Place
Feb. 23
5 p.m.
S. Brent Rodriguez-Plate, Gretchen Hoadley Burke Professor of regional studies (2020–21), in conversation with Robert Knight, Associate Professor of Art, Hamilton College
Can you Innovate Out of a Global Pandemic? A Look at the U.S. Biopharma Industry
Feb. 24
5:15 p.m.
Mr. Sibold, president of Sanofi North America and executive vice president of Sanofi Genzyme, will discuss the state of the biopharmaceutical industry in the U.S. and the challenges and opportunities for innovation and global competition. Sponsored by the Lampert Institute for Civic and Global Affairs.
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