Hello, Colgate Community.
We made the mistake of thanking Laura Jack for quoting us occasionally in this digest. Her response was to invite us to write the entire thing today. Lesson learned. Since we’re here, we want to note that there is one active student case of COVID-19 according to the dashboard. We also want to dispense a lot of thanks and a bit of advice.
Thank you for being our patients and for showing patience. Thank you to the 98% of us who have received the COVID-19 vaccine — to protect ourselves and the 2% of us who have received medical or religious exemptions. Thank you to those exempted community members for testing and masking. (Note that there is no testing this Monday due to fall break.)
We thank you for continuing to respect that we are still in a pandemic. By keeping our Commitment to Community Health, we have established a semi-bubble of health here on campus, but the world is still far from controlling COVID-19. So please travel wisely this fall-break weekend, whether it’s to a faraway home or to a local mall or restaurant. COVID-19 is a strong virus and lurks just about everywhere these days.
Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or waterless hand sanitizer — it will stop the spread of many diseases, including the pinkeye and the impetigo that some of you have had. Masks are also truly excellent at protecting against both COVID-19 and many types of respiratory bacterial and viral illnesses.
Meanwhile, a flu shot will decrease the chances that you will pick up that bug. It allows healthcare workers to take care of those with serious cases of the flu, COVID-19, or all the other illnesses and injuries that can happen. Our flu shot clinics have begun, and more will be scheduled October–December. Sign up when you have the opportunity, and please, please show up for your scheduled time. It has been reserved for you and could have been given to someone else.
Of course, sick happens. Don’t feel bad about feeling bad when you’ve been following all of this sage advice. Just stay away from other people as much as possible until you are better — school and work will be there when you come back.
Thank you for being on this Colgate journey with us, helping to take care of each other. If we had to do a pandemic, we couldn’t have picked a better community in which to weather it.
Enjoy your break, and Laura will be back next week.
Dr. Merrill L. Miller
Director, Colgate Student Health Services
Dr. Ellen M. Larson ’94
University Physician
Take Note
If you receive your flu shot at an on-campus clinic, you will be entered into a drawing for one of several prizes: a private party in the Sullivan Suite during a women’s hockey game, a local business gift card pack, or a Colgate athletics gear swag bag. If you attended the clinic held earlier this week, you were automatically entered into the drawing.
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and this week’s theme is “Factor in Multifactor Authentication (MFA).” Instructions for signing up for DUO and Google MFA can be found on the ITS website. Remember, enrolling in Colgate’s MFA solutions is required for all users by Oct. 31, 2021. All students who enroll in MFA will be entered in a raffle for a Colgate Bookstore gift certificate. Stop by and visit the ITS cybersecurity team at our table in the Coop on Tuesdays and Thursdays in October from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
In celebration of the COVE’s 20th anniversary, we are asking students, faculty, and staff to join a campaign to complete 20 hours of service before April 1, 2022. Once your hours are official, you will receive a COVE 20th anniversary t-shirt and an invitation to our 20th anniversary dinner celebration with COVE alumni. If you’re up for the challenge, please fill out this form.
Colgate, as a member of the Liberal Arts Colleges Racial Equity Leadership Alliance, invites all students to participate in the National Assessment of Collegiate Campus Climate Survey. The data gathered will be used to help foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive Colgate. Check for an email from helpdesk@nacccsurvey.org for your link to the survey.
Facilities staff will begin removing window air conditioning units on Monday, Oct. 11. Please have the window space cleared of any items that could obstruct removal. In support of Colgate’s sustainability and energy conservation initiatives, please make sure all windows are closed — especially at night.
Senior portraits for the 2022 Salmagundi yearbook will be taken in Parker Commons beginning Monday, Oct. 25. Schedule your appointment at ouryear.com using school code 87189.
The ITS networking team will be replacing one of our internet connections on Oct. 12, from 5 to 7 a.m. During this maintenance, our internet traffic will be automatically rerouted through the University’s second internet connection. However, you may experience brief interruptions of internet service. After this maintenance is completed, the campus will have a redundant connection to Internet 2 and direct peering with numerous content delivery networks.