Coping with COVID-19, academic support, virtual event invitation, and more
 
Colgate University Parent & Family Newsletter Summer 2020

Parent & Family Update

COVID-19 Data

Colgate’s Health Analytics Dashboard shows the numerous data points related to Colgate’s return to on-campus operations to ensure effective public health measures are in place.

Icons for face coverings, hand washing, commitment, distancing, and cleaning


Repercussions of Commitment Violations

With the end of the drop/add period on September 8, students have been reminded that it is no longer possible for them to adjust their course schedule should they forfeit on-campus study privileges due to a violation of the Commitment to Community Health. Violations will now result in an involuntary withdrawal and the grade of “W” for each course that they must drop. There can be no tuition refund for these lost credits. We wanted to ensure that parents are also aware of these additional considerations and the importance of their students continuing to adhere to the Commitment to Community Health.


Arrival Day 2020

youtube screenshot of webcam video

On August 23, we welcomed incoming students to campus for this most unusual Fall 2020 semester.


Sending Packages to Students

Package deliveries to the University this semester have doubled over previous years, with the mailroom averaging more than 1,200 per day — on many days, more than 4,000. There is no sign this year that the volume will decrease anytime soon.

If you track a package to your student and it says that it has arrived in Hamilton, this does not mean that it has been received on campus by Mail Services — it has only been scanned at the Hamilton Post Office. Students should wait until they receive a notification from mailservices@colgate.edu and then can sign up for a time to pick it up.

Space for physical distancing has been a challenge in the mail room, and the staff must work in split shifts in order to comply with state guidance. To overcome this challenge, Colgate has purchased trailers to provide room to work and increase efficiency.

While waiting to receive a package — whether it is out of excitement or great need — we know that the mechanics behind the system are not top of mind. But call volume from students and parents checking on packages has been high and takes staff away from processing and making packages available for pickup. On behalf of our mailroom staff, who are working with diligence, we thank you for your understanding and patience.


Friendly Reminder: No Visitor Policy

As indicated in the Travel and Guests section of the Commitment to Community Health that students signed, we are discouraging visits to minimize risk of exposure to the campus and Hamilton community. Parent or family visitors are only permitted on campus for the delivery of essential items, or to pick up students for approved essential purposes (isolation, medical needs, etc.) and must receive approval prior to arriving on campus using the Parent/Family Visitor Registration Form.


A Message From the Student Newspaper: Subscribe Today

Colgate Maroon News masthead

The Colgate Maroon-News staff would like to invite you to order a yearlong subscription to Colgate’s student newspaper, the oldest college weekly in America. We ask that you pay $18.40 for 8 issues for the fall of 2020.

The Maroon-News provides an account of what is happening on campus and a chance to hear the voices of the Colgate community. The paper covers Colgate events and news, opinion pieces, feature stories, and articles on both Colgate and national sports. In addition, special edition issues are published each semester, which allow subscribers to receive a more in-depth understanding of the ideas and opinions of Colgate students, faculty and alumni.

Thank you for your support!

Subscribe

Sincerely,

Lauren Hutton ’21 and Emily Rahhal ’21
Editors-in-Chief 2020-2021


Your Input

As we plan 2020–21 parent and family programs and communications, we’d like to know what topics are of greatest interest to you in relation to your support of your student and what kinds of Colgate connections would be important for you to make. Your responses will be anonymous.

Take our survey


Virtual Events

September 17, 4:30 p.m.
Slavery and the Constitution: A Debate in Celebration of Constitution Day
Join Sean Wilentz, George Henry Davis 1886 Professor of American History at Princeton University, and David Waldstreicher, Distinguished Professor of History, Graduate Center at CUNY, in this Zoom webinar as they debate "Did the original constitution of the United States enshrine slavery in national law?"

Register


September 17, 4:45 p.m.

Living Writers Series
Live Event with Emily Bernard, Black Is the Body
A signature program of Colgate University since 1980, Living Writers is a master class in how works of literature come to be. It’s free, and anyone can join: alumni, parents, faculty, staff, students, friends of the University. The only prerequisite is a passion for reading.

Register


September 17, 7:00 p.m.

Producing and Creating Unscripted Entertainment
Alumni share what it's like behind the scenes of some of television's most popular unscripted shows and documentaries.


College Ready: A Podcast for Parents & Families

College Ready 2020 logo

Remote Learning

This episode covers the challenges remote learning presents to both college students and their families, and the best approaches for achieving optimal results in a remote learning situation.

College Ready 2020 is a free podcast series for parents and family members hosted by award-winning broadcast journalist Andrea McCarren. Each episode helps parents of college students prepare for the logistical challenges and the emotional rollercoaster ahead, whether or not their student is going to college for the first time or returning for their senior year.


9/11 Day of Service

student packing box with food

Last Friday, for its 9/11 Day of Service, the Center for Outreach, Volunteerism, and Education (COVE) had a wonderful group of students sort food donations for the Hamilton Food Cupboard — while physically distanced in Sanford Field House. The COVE, which had collected non-perishable food items from the universal quarantine, reports that the food cupboard is filled to the brim with 60 boxes and roughly 700 pounds of food!


 

How to reach us
Rebecca Downing
Senior Director, Communications and Parent Initiatives
315-228-7415
parents@colgate.edu

Parent and family resources

For urgent concerns
→ Concern about a student’s well-being
→ Campus safety Emergency: 1-315-228-7333

 
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