Hello, Colgate Community.
As of today, the dashboard reflects no student cases of COVID-19. We continue to monitor the data closely, especially given our relative proximity to last week’s fall-break travel. We also know that past performance is no guarantee of future results, as they say in the small print.
Colgate’s EOC operates on a scalable system so that the right number of people are working on any given problem at any one time. I’m taking some inspiration from that group and right-sizing the number of emails I send to you as we move into the second half of the semester. Watch for me in your inbox on Mondays in the weeks ahead. In the moments you would otherwise devote to reading the digest on Thursdays, I encourage you to check the dashboard, do some breathing exercises, or connect with a friend.
Because of our new schedule, I will remind you now that family weekend is almost here. Please check out colgate.edu/familyweekend for details on the check-in process, events, and more. Remember that your guests need to check in at the welcome tent and retrieve a bracelet in exchange for vaccination confirmation.
Best of luck with the week ahead, and enjoy the festivities this weekend — we have so many reasons to celebrate.
Laura H. Jack
Vice President for Communications
Take Note
This week’s cybersecurity awareness topic is fending off phishing — or fake and malicious messages. It’s easy to create realistic fakes that convey a sense of urgency, so if you receive a suspicious, unexpected email or text from someone claiming to be an acquaintance, think before you click. Reach out and confirm the source of the message. Mark suspicious messages as spam to avoid future phishing attempts from those senders. And you can always contact the IT service desk at 315-228-7111 or itshelp@colgate.edu with concerns and questions. Learn more.
We all have a role to play in preventing suicide. The counseling center is offering Gatekeeper Suicide Prevention Training on Friday, Oct. 22, in Burke 004 from noon to 1:30 p.m. We invite all members of the Colgate University community to learn how to talk to someone in distress and connect them with resources. Due to space constraints, this workshop will be limited to 20 participants. Register here.
The Office of University Communications is teaming up with human resources to honor employees and students who are veterans of the United States Armed Forces. If you are a veteran and would like to be a chance to be featured in an upcoming story, please reach out to Dan DeVries, senior director, communications and media relations at ddevries@colgate.edu.
Employees, please take five minutes to complete our annual employee commuter survey. The information you provide will help us assess our campus carbon footprint as we continue to strive for a more sustainable Colgate. The survey will close on Oct. 26. The survey is anonymous but you will have the option to include your name for a chance to win a prize. Thank you for supporting sustainability at Colgate. Please contact us at sustainability@colgate.edu with any questions.
Worried-well testing is available to students by appointment only — Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Please sign up here.