Parent & Family Update

Public health

At-Home Test Kits for Spring Semester

Students planning to return to campus for the spring 2021 semester must submit a negative COVID-19 test result prior to arrival. They need to pick up their test kit in the mail room before departing campus. Please note: These kits are only for testing prior to return for the spring 2021 semester. Beginning today (Nov. 4), mail services will extend the hours of operation at the package window to offer students additional opportunities to pick up the kits as well as other packages. As always, they need to schedule an appointment through the mail services webpage.

Student Departure from Campus: November 18–22

Nov. 20 will be the last day of in-person instruction, with the final weeks of the fall semester taking place with virtual instruction beginning Monday, Nov. 30, after the Thanksgiving recess. As previously announced, students who have not been approved to remain on campus during the winter recess need to depart from campus by noon on Nov. 22, when residence halls will close.

Students have received instructions and a link to register their departure date and time as well as mode of departure. Times are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and choices will be removed as time slots reach capacity, so encourage your student to register as soon as possible.

The extended departure period of Nov. 18–22 and new registration process will facilitate physical distancing and provide traffic control during move out. Additional details may be found on the Student Departure From Campus page.

A few reminders:

• Guests are not permitted in student residences during the move-out process (students were sent a move-out checklist to complete prior to leaving campus).
• During the move-out timeframe, students are permitted to use personal vehicles.
• Those on campus who will be returning for the spring semester do not need to take everything with them; however, students should take home all essential belongings, including any technology they may need. Because global and national conditions may change throughout the break, it is important that everyone be prepared for a scenario that could disrupt in-person learning on campus for the spring.
• Students on campus now who will shift to remote learning in the spring must pack and remove all their belongings. Individuals will assume responsibility for moving or storage costs if they do not return to campus for the spring semester.
• Students seeking to sell textbooks prior to departure may do so through the Colgate Bookstore online.

Kudos to Students

In Monday’s Colgate Together digest email to the campus, the Environmental Health and Safety staff thanked students for their help during Colgate’s recent state-mandated fire inspection and passed along a comment from the state fire inspector, who noticed our commitment to community health: “I would also like to acknowledge your efforts in combating COVID on campus. It was amazing to me how many students answered the knock on their door for a fire inspection with ‘Sure, hold on while I grab a mask.’ Good job, Colgate!”

Updates From Campus

Election 2020, Stress, and Mental Health

Colgate is keenly aware that the election is adding yet another layer onto anxieties these days and has resources at the ready for supporting students.

• The counseling center, chaplain’s office, and administrative deans have prepared for higher levels of outreach this week. In particular, the counseling center is offering extra support hours, including drop-in groups, and additional counselors are available Nov. 4 through 6 in the afternoons for 1:1 telehealth drop-in sessions.
• The You@Colgate personalized wellness resources platform has a module on coping with election stress.
• The Red Folder provides guidance for faculty and staff members on how to respond to, support, and refer students in distress through a framework of compassion.
• The campus calendar lists opportunities to engage about the election, including a Student Peer Listening Space hosted by the ALANA Cultural Center and the Common Good Network and Department of Political Science’s “What Happened and What’s Next?: A Post-Election Conversation with Colgate Faculty.”

We encourage parents to help their students think through strategies for successfully navigating this challenging time. For example, urge them to get critical work done early so that they don't add to their stress, and to make time for self-care and relaxation.

Celebrating National First-Generation Day

Colgate is celebrating National First-Generation Day on November 8 with a series of events November 5 through 10. First-generation students can:

• Pick up a First@Colgate T-shirt and show their pride by posting their pics on social media
• Learn about research into first-generation college students with sociology professor Janel Benson, author of Geographies of Campus Inequality: Mapping the Diverse Experiences of First-Generation College Students
• Connect with first-generation students from around the United States during the National First-Generation Virtual Party
• Submit a video to Michelle Obama’s Reach Higher initiative
• Connect with fellow first-generation students at two First@Colgate Zoom Mixers
• Hear from a Career Services panel of first-generation Colgate alumni: Sandy Li ’10, co-founder and CEO of Pikelane; Andrea Maldonado ’97, founder and director of international programs, National Student Leadership Conference; Enrique Nunez ’19, mathematics teacher at San Antonio ISD; and Brenda Yanak ’91, VP, global biospecimen and imaging management, Bristol Myers Squibb

Events

Spring Semester Family Forum 

Wednesday, Nov. 11, from 6 to 7 p.m. EDT

Parents and families are invited to a spring semester forum with:

• President Brian W. Casey
• Provost and Dean of the Faculty Tracey E. Hucks
• Vice President and Dean of the College Paul J. McLoughlin II, Task Force on Reopening co-chair
• Prof. Geoff Holm, Task Force on Reopening co-chair
• Prof. Eddie Watkins, Task Force on Remote Learning co-chair
• Niranjan Davray, CIO and Task Force on Remote Learning co-chair

Topics will include task force updates as well as insight into the planning processes underway for the spring 2021 semester. We hope to see you then and answer any questions you may have (submit questions in advance here).

Register for the forum

Native American Heritage Month

The ALANA Cultural Center is inviting all members of the campus to celebrate Native American Heritage month. Events include staff and faculty from the Native American Studies Program and Longyear Museum of Anthropology discussing “Experiences of the Pandemic in the Native Americas,” an exploration of the lived experiences of the Native American population during the COVID-19 pandemic by Dr. Sophia Calderon and a make-your-own winter scarves and hats knitting event. Students can email alana@colgate.edu to register.

College ready podcast

Money Management

College is a time of major financial transitions, for both students and their parents. In this episode, host Andrea McCarren explores ways that parents and children can work together to make this time of financial transition as stress free as possible.

Betsy Chapman, executive director of family communications at Wake Forest University, and Justin Inscoe, associate director of new student and family programs at UNC Chapel Hill, unpack the nuances and complexities of this issue.

You’ll also hear a College Ready Money Moments segment with Jamie Gayton, executive vice president of the Pentagon Federal Credit Union and the author of Guide to Personal Financial Planning for the Armed Forces.

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 their student is going to college for the first time or returning for senior year.

Final Thoughts

It’s been a particularly colorful fall in Madison County.

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