Hello, Colgate Community.
Since August 2020, I have sent you and the campus around 70 emails. I strive to be informative and remind everyone of how serious this pandemic is. I try to praise the praiseworthy and call out the problems. I attempt to be humorous — I view it like taking gummy vitamins. Why not have something nutritious and necessary be fun and tastier than a dry horse pill? I hope to be encouraging, because this all is just plain hard. Sometimes I think I nail it. Other times, I completely and sorely miss the mark.
Because of my emails, in addition to exchanges with faculty and staff, I’ve had more student interaction than ever before. Most students had no idea who I was before this, and some, I hear, question if I am even a real person. (Nope, I’m not a bot. I’m real.) Through our emails and Zooms, I see three consistent things: fear, frustration, and fatigue.
- Fear of the campus closing.
- Fear of being sent home.
- Fear of being ostracized by your friends.
- Fear of missing out.
- Frustration at not being able to make friends, see your friends, or just have a normal college experience.
- Frustration at what you perceive as Colgate “doing this to you.”
- Frustration that, as you follow the rules, others blatantly violate them and — what is worse — aren’t always punished.
- Finally, fatigue. On top of all the other challenges you face, this all is simply exhausting, both mentally and physically.
All of these emotions are compounded as we continue to confront sexual violence, inequity, and other social issues on campus and more broadly in society.
While it likely doesn’t offer any real solace, know that I, the staff, and faculty, share all of these feelings. Fear for our safety and yours. Frustration with the pressure coming from every direction. Frustration with the limitations imposed on campus activities. Frustration with some people not following the rules and hosting parties. And fatigue. It is just plain hard working so much, under the pressure of keeping the community safe. Like you, many of the things I like to do to unwind — like traveling, going to concerts, and seeing friends — are not allowed.
We all may not have the same exact experiences and perspectives, but I think we all share these basic yet complicated underlying feelings. I share all of this with you to say that I know this is hard — don’t let the jokes fool you. It is unlike anything any of us have experienced. I don’t know how or when this will be behind us, but I do know that one day things will be better. I also know a few indisputable facts: Science matters. Rules matter. Our actions impact more than just ourselves. And we have to do this together.
Please be kind to one another, make good choices for the health and safety of the community, and practice self-care. I will talk to you all on Monday.
Laura H. Jack
Vice President for Communications
Take Note
Two new spaces in Colgate University’s student residence at 110 Broad Street are helping meet the needs of students in the increasingly diverse population: a Muslim prayer room and a Kosher kitchen. The residence, which serves as the Interfaith House, provides spaces for students living and gathering on the lower campus to practice important aspects of their religions. Read more.
Colgate employees are invited to participate in spring 2021 Sustainability Passport programs, ranging from in-person nature walks to virtual events that focus on sustainability at work and at home. Join by registering.
The March issue of The Grant Advisor Plus, with upcoming grant deadlines and a searchable database, is now available. To access this resource from off campus, use this link. You will be prompted to enter your Colgate network login. It is also available through the grants office website.
Congratulations to all of our Staff Excellence Award recipients. Individual excellence awards went to Joseph Bernet, LASR and stacks maintenance supervisor; Sue Burdick, deputy registrar; Frank Kuan, senior associate director for the Office of Undergraduate Studies; David Martinez, custodian; Kristin Monteith, admission communications manager; Michelle Butzgy, custodial supervisor; Amy Ryan, director of benefits and employee wellness; Steven Chouinard, associate athletic director for health and performance, instructor in physical education; Severin Flanigen, financial analyst and health analytics manager; and Daniel Gough, associate vice president for campus safety, emergency management, and environmental health and safety. The award for outstanding contribution was presented to Dr. Merrill Miller, university physician, director of student health services, adjunct professor of the health sciences, and Dr. Ellen Larson, physician. Last — but not least — the team award went to the Emergency Operations Center.
The Office of Sustainability asks students to complete this survey — created by interns Haylie Spain ’23, Matt Swire ’22, and Helen Lin ’23 — in an effort to better understand where package waste originates on campus and how best to reduce it.
Vaccination appointments qualify as essential travel under the University’s COVID-19 student travel policy. If you are eligible for vaccination and have made an appointment — with your healthcare provider or through the Am I Eligible website — simply log it with a Request for Personal Travel Exemption Form before you hit the road.
First-year students! CLTR is sponsoring Hindsight is 2020, Reflections on Learning for the Class of 2024. Join hosts Vedika Almal ’21 and Jacob Watts ’21 for a discussion with your ’24 peers around what worked well for you in the classroom (virtual or in-person) last fall, and as we continue into this semester. March 9 at 1 p.m.
A Closing Thought
It’s Winterfest this weekend! Check out the Colgate calendar for a fun-filled weekend of arts, crafts, sledding, Harry Potter, food trucks, and more. Commons grab and go brunches will be available 11 a.m.–1 p.m. on Saturday to kick things off.
Upcoming Events
EXXIT: Prints for the 21st century
Through May 23
Manhattan-based alternative art space Exit Art was a place for underrepresented and outsider artists. This Picker Art Gallery exhibition presents 50 prints by artists such as Sanford Biggers, Chitra Ganesh, Catherine Opie, and Do Ho Suh, who contributed to Exit Art for their benefit print portfolios.
The Connected Universe
March 9
11:40 a.m.–12:40 p.m.
Alyssa Sokol '14, PhD candidate at University of Massachusetts–Amherst, will address her own work on topics including galaxy black-hole co-evolution, star formation in irregular dwarf and spiral galaxies — and her own take on how we should be thinking about the biggest mysteries of the universe moving forward.
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