Hello, Colgate Community.
Let’s start the week off with good news. The University has received another 150 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, which we will distribute this Thursday through our point of dispensing in the Hall of Presidents. Watch your inbox tomorrow for a registration link. As we have mentioned, though, please commit to receiving your second dose here if you sign up to participate. We will keep trying to obtain J&J’s single-dose vaccine in the meanwhile.
On the testing front, we have recently identified three positive students and two positive employees. Due to gatherings, there have been a large number of close contacts. Contract tracers are working on outreach, and we are all sending our best wishes for speedy recoveries.
That last paragraph could have been written during any week of the pandemic, so while we lead with the hope of vaccination, we acknowledge the need to remember the basics: masking, distancing, avoiding large gatherings. Gate 4 guidelines offer more opportunity for socializing, but they also bring associated risks. Thank you for your vigilance, for fighting pandemic fatigue, and finishing strong.
Many thanks as well to seniors who have been working on their commencement checklists. We continue to watch for updated guidance from the state, so that we can update you on our plans. Of course, I will provide updates on other topics before then. Wednesday, in fact.
Talk to you then,
Laura H. Jack
Vice President for Communications
Take Note
The ALANA Cultural Center and the Department of Theater invite all Colgate community members to view a filmed theatrical performance of Citizen James, or the Young Man Without a Country, April 8–21, 2021. Written by Assistant Professor Kyle Bass, Citizen James is a compelling one-man show that introduces us to 24-year-old James Baldwin at a critical moment in his life. Visit YouTube to set your bookmark and watch the stream later this week.
There are vaccination appointments available at SUNY Morrisville for Thursday, April 8. If you need transportation you may sign up for free shuttle service via this form. Be sure to arrive at the pickup location on Lally Lane outside Donovan’s Pub. You will be contacted by First Transit with your pickup time. Reservations must be made 24 hours in advance, and masks must be worn on the shuttle.
Due to the potential volume, risks, and support-staff demands of year-end events, food will not be allowed at University events at this time, with limited exemptions for religious observances. Offices and departments may not spend operating budgets on food. Previous exceptions, including the use of BAC funds, to purchase food will only apply to grab-and-go or takeout meals during the moratorium. The Event Safety Group will work with groups who have already been approved for food at in-person gatherings to alter plans to switch to grab-and-go or takeout. Offices and departments are permitted to spend operating budgets on small pre-packaged, grab-and-go snacks (e.g., pastries, cookies, scones) to distribute after end-of-semester celebrations. The Event Safety Group and budget office will review these requests and issue approvals where appropriate.
This week’s Staff CUdos recipients are: Cody Tipton ’07, rock star and Event Safety Group co-chair, for consistently taking on challenging tasks, such as helping to develop and implement a complex plan for quarantine meals as well as a new model for in-person dining that allowed students to de-densify the dining venues; and CLSI’s Leigh-Ann Wenzel for going above and beyond in advising 50+ student organizations, including the Colgate Activities Board and the Class Councils as they have put on events like Gate Skate and the Oh the Places You’ll Go. All staff, faculty, and students are invited to nominate a staff member for some CUdos.
Does The Public Want To Get A COVID-19 Vaccine?
The Kaiser Family Foundation is tracking public perceptions of the vaccine and the decline in hesitancy nationwide. Take a look at their data.
Upcoming Events
Enactments of the Flesh: Theorizing Black Religion with the Visual Art of Carrie Mae Weems
April 6
5 p.m.
Jessica Davenport, Consortium for Faculty Diversity postdoctoral fellow, Department of Religion, Colgate University.
Virtual Speaker Series: Nicole Byer
April 8
8 p.m.
An American comedian, actress, writer, television host, and podcaster, Byer is known as the host of the Netflix comedy reality bake-off series Nailed It!, for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. Byer gained recognition for her work in the commentary series Girl Code.
More