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Hello, Colgate Community. 

Surveillance testing last week yielded a total of three positive student cases of COVID-19 and two positive employee cases. Our thoughts are with them, and we hope they are doing well. The HAT will meet tomorrow to scrutinize our most recent test results, wastewater data, quarantine and isolation occupancy rates, and other metrics before possibly recommending a move to Gate 3. Stay tuned.

Unfortunately, Colgate did not receive a vaccine allocation this week. We will request doses again today in hopes of receiving an allocation next week. Keep an eye on your inbox for updates, or listen for sounds of rejoicing coming from Student Health Services’ headquarters — when inspired, Doc Miller does a remarkable rendition of the Ode to Joy.

Thank you to Avery Holdsworth ’22, Abby Mason ’21, Heidi Riley, and the Outdoor Education team for the cross country skiing lesson last weekend. I will admit that I broke physical distancing rules with a tree in order to avoid disaster. I’m now working on plans for a descent-ennial tree project, which will provide hundreds of hip-height saplings for gripping purposes along all of the University’s ski routes. 

I hope you had a great weekend, too. Talk to you on Wednesday, if not before.

Laura H. Jack
Vice President for Communications

Take Note

Colgate captured its second ECAC Hockey women’s regular season championship in the last four seasons. The Raiders fashioned a 13-6-1 overall record and were 8-4-0 in ECAC play despite COVID-related stops and starts throughout. But Colgate persevered, and now the Raiders host the conference semifinals this Friday on ESPN+ against an opponent to be determined. Colgate also would host Sunday’s championship game should the Raiders advance.

Women's Ice Hockey Regular Season Champs


Relph Benefit Advisors recently mailed all Colgate employees a COBRA Initial Notice compliance letter. This annual notice, which must be sent within the first 90 days of the year, is required by regulations to inform you of your general rights under COBRA, and is informational only. The message was sent to any employee who elected to enroll in the Flexible Spending Account and to employees who enrolled or changed their health, dental, or vision benefit during last November’s open enrollment. Nothing has changed at this time regarding your health care coverage. Please contact Relph Benefit Advisors at (800) 836-0026 ext 7268 with any questions.

On the most recent episode of 13, Dan Benton ’80, H’10, P’10 shares why he gives to Colgate, as well as what inspires him about The Third-Century Plan and a related series of initiatives designed to bolster arts, creativity, and innovation. He’s joined by professors Cushing and Simonson. To listen, follow the links

If you arrive at 113 Broad St. for surveillance testing during the midday and find the door locked, check your watch. The testing site is CLOSED from 12:15–1 p.m. daily for lunch. No testing will occur during that time frame.

Upcoming Events

G. Arthur Cooper Geology Virtual Lecture Series - Janet Baran ’01
March 2
11:45 a.m
Janet Baran, chief of staff, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), will present “An Unimagined Career: The Mystery of Deepwater Horizon Oil and the Inner Workings of NOAA.”

100 Days: Poetry of the Rwandan Genocide
March 2
4 p.m.
Part of PCON’s Spring 2021 Lecture Series. Conversations about violence studied from the perspective of those who experience it by Juliane Okot Bitek, poet and scholar at the University of British Columbia. Cosponsored by Africana and Latin American studies and women’s studies.

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