COVID-19 Important Updates

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By: President Brian W. Casey
March 10, 2020

Dear Colgate Community,

In light of the global spread of COVID-19 and the growing impact we are seeing in the United States, I write to announce a series of steps that Colgate is taking both immediately and over the next several weeks. Our first priority will always be the health and safety of Colgate students, faculty, and staff, and of our local community. We also seek to affirm our core mission as a residential college in which the education of students in face-to-face settings is paramount.

We believe the following recommendations will ultimately allow us to achieve both these aims, recognizing that they will come with some significant challenges and disruptions. I want to thank all of you in advance for your participation in these efforts. I ask that we remain flexible and also diligent, knowing that matters are changing rapidly. 

As a community, we will take the following near and longer-term steps.

Spring Recess (March 14 to 22)

  • All Colgate residence halls will remain open during spring recess, and students are strongly encouraged to remain on campus during this period. Dining facilities and shuttle service will remain in operation on modified schedules. Additional information about these updated schedules will be shared online at colgate.edu/covid19.
  • All students who will be staying on campus during spring recess are asked to register online at colgate.edu/housingportal.
  • Students who decide to leave campus are expected to return by Monday, March 23. This date of return is important for it offers the best chance of a return to in-person instruction in a few weeks time.
  • All international university-sponsored spring recess trips are canceled. University-sponsored domestic travel for faculty, staff, and students must be approved by the Executive Group of the Emergency Operation Committee (EG) on a case-by-case basis. Requests for exceptions should be sent to your divisional vice president, who will bring it to the EG for consideration.
  • While we cannot prevent individuals from private travel, we strongly encourage all faculty, staff, and students to carefully consider their travel plans, both internationally and domestically, as the full scope of the COVID-19 epidemic is changing day by day. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) may add locations to its travel advisory list with no notice, making return travel possibly difficult or impossible if self isolation is required. Again, we strongly recommend that students remain on campus.

Academic Continuity (March 23 to April 20)

  • At the conclusion of spring recess, all on-campus courses and labs will move online and/or convert to alternative modes of teaching and learning. We expect courses to be offered in this manner until April 19, with a goal of returning to in-person instruction, consistent with our mission, by Monday, April 20. 
  • The University will communicate with the campus community on Monday, March 23, and again by Monday, April 13, should this schedule change for any reason.
  • We will use this period of spring recess to support faculty in moving courses online.
  • While all efforts will be made to continue credit-bearing courses and labs, there may be rare instances where such continuation is not possible. We will work with students to ensure academic continuity. 
  • All off-campus study programs this semester remain in effect until, or unless, program participants are notified otherwise.

Events and Logistics

  • Until spring recess, all campus activities will continue as normal. Tomorrow's Patriot League Championship between Colgate and Boston University will be played as scheduled in Reid Athletic Center. While some of you may wish to watch the game in person, others of you may wish to watch the live broadcast. Please stay home if you are not feeling well, and remember that it is okay to suspend social etiquette practices, such as handshakes or other forms of personal contact, when greeting others. 
  • Beginning Monday, March 23, all campus-based and university-sponsored events of 100 or more attendees are canceled or postponed until after Sunday, April 19. This recommendation is in concert with CDC guidance on social distancing and provides a timeframe for University planning and evaluation in the weeks ahead.

Travel Guidance (March 23 to April 19)

  • University-sponsored international and domestic travel for faculty, staff, and students must be approved by the Executive Group of the Emergency Operation Committee (EG) on a case-by-case basis through Sunday, April 19. Requests for exceptions should be sent to your divisional vice president, who will bring it to the EG for consideration. Club sport and student organization travel exception requests should be sent to the sponsoring department or program, which will advance to the EG for consideration. 

Additional Communications

  • Faculty will receive a followup email tomorrow with additional details and guidance about academic continuity for their courses and laboratories. 
  • Staff will receive a message tomorrow with additional details and guidance from Human Resources.

Ongoing Proactive Efforts on Campus

  • Staff in the facilities department have initiated expanded cleaning and disinfecting of public spaces on campus and within our vehicle fleet.
  • A public health awareness and education campaign continues, with posters and digital signage prominently displayed in academic and student buildings on campus.
  • Additional hand-sanitizer dispensers have been installed throughout campus.
  • Plans are in place should self-isolation be necessary, following guidance established by the CDC.
  • If at any point now, during, or following spring recess you experience symptoms consistent with COVID-19, have been in contact with a person with COVID-19, or are in need of medical attention, please call Student Health Services at 315-228-7750, before visiting in person. Calling first will allow appropriate precautions to be taken by the Student Health Services staff.
  • While no local cases of COVID-19 have been detected in Madison County as of today, these steps have been taken as part of our broader effort to reduce potential pathways for community spread of this illness and are in recognition of the severity of outbreak that resulted in Governor Andrew Cuomo issuing a state of emergency declaration on Saturday, March 7. 
  • We are fortunate to have a well-trained and extremely dedicated group of faculty and staff working in the University’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) monitoring global and domestic developments related to the spread of this illness. 
  • All campus updates and communications are available online at colgate.edu/covid19 

We take seriously our responsibility to protect our community in light of this public-health threat, and, consequently, difficult decisions have been made in concert with the most current recommendations from the CDC, the New York State Department of Health (DOH), and the Madison County Department of Health.

In the words of the CDC, “This is an emerging, rapidly evolving situation,” and I want our community to know that these guidelines, and their associated dates, could change with little notice based on new information or recommendations provided by state or federal authorities. We will promptly share additional updates with the community as often as needed.

The National Institutes of Health makes clear that, while little is known about the long-term effects of COVID-19, symptoms currently range from very mild to severe, and the most vulnerable populations are those who are older, and individuals with underlying health conditions such as heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes. We encourage everyone in our community to continue good hygiene practices and to stay home if you do not feel well. This public health emergency requires everyone to consider themselves and others in order to keep the community safe. Visit the CDC online for the most up-to-date guidance for ways you can help prevent the spread of this illness.

Our Community and Our Mission

In closing, I want to thank the many staff and faculty members who have been taking extraordinary steps to serve this community during the past several weeks as we address this evolving situation, from the custodians who have added shifts and begun new cleaning protocols, to the staff who have been working with students in these anxious times. In the weeks ahead, we will surely face dislocations and increased anxiety. We will be making adjustments in nearly every aspect of our lives on this campus. But I know this community. We take care of each other; we seek the common good; we are uplifted by our mission as a place of learning and care.
 
What we have proposed through these recommendations is both a challenge to us, and a reaffirmation of our mission as a place where we learn together. For all you have done to serve that mission in these past weeks, thank you. For all that we will do together in the weeks ahead — whether you are one of our most senior faculty members, a coach, a librarian, a custodian, or a shuttle bus driver — please know of my deep gratitude and respect. We have now been called to serve each other in unexpected ways this first year of our third century. With patience, tolerance, and care, I know we can do this well.

Sincerely,
Brian W. Casey
President