Colgate Together Digest

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Hello, Colgate Community,

With a new week, I write with new information on our Gate status and positivity rates. 

Colgate will advance to Gate 3 tomorrow morning. This is in response to a reduction in positive cases following the weekend. We currently have nine students in isolation — six at the Wendt and three at home. Our thoughts are with them and the 97 students in close contact quarantine — 10 at the Wendt, 82 at home, and five in off-campus housing.

Our colleagues in dining services will shift their operations to Gate 3 dine-in status in time for breakfast tomorrow morning. I want to thank them for moving so quickly to a grab-and-go format during the last several days. Their efforts were invaluable as we did the hard work of curtailing the cluster of cases forming on campus.

I want to thank you all as well — students, faculty members, and staff members — for your flexibility and understanding as you have endured this semester. We have become accustomed to any number of pandemic scenarios, but going backward on our Gate number isn’t one of them. It was a source of understandable stress, but you rallied, and the results are trending in the right direction. This good news comes as we continue to plan for campus events.

It’s also appropriate to note that this is Gate 3. It’s like 4, but not quite, to paraphrase Aerosmith. So please review the guidance, keep indoor gatherings to 10 or fewer, wear your masks, and maintain physical distance. The definition of a close contact doesn’t change between Gates, as we recently learned. The HAT will review the data again on Friday to see if a suggestion to move to Gate 4 is appropriate.

Also remember that it’s April 19. Which means that the number of times I have to type that last paragraph — and that you have to read it — are blessedly limited.

Take care. Thank you for doing the hard work to finish strong, and I’ll talk to you on Wednesday.

Laura H. Jack
Vice president of Communications

Take Note

This year, the Senior Honor Society’s annual auction celebrates the artistic talent of our community. Colgate faculty, staff, students, and alumni have donated their artwork and expertise for a virtual, silent auction beginning today at 5 p.m., and closing April 25, at 5 p.m. Proceeds benefit two local organizations of the Indigenous Oneida Nation: AOY (Akweku Osh^he Yukwayote) and The Shako:wi Cultural Center. You may register for bidding and view the artwork on the live auction website. Anyone is welcome to bid on items.

Colgate University will provide free transportation to the Syracuse Airport, May 2–May 9. 

May 2–4: Noon and 3 p.m.
May 5–8: Noon, 4 p.m., and 8 p.m.
May 9: 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Pick-up location is outside of Donovan’s Pub along Lally Lane. First-come, first-served reservations may be made online. Student requests with less than 24-hour notice may not be accommodated due to de-densification requirements.

The Summer Reading Selection Committee invites you to have the final say in selecting one of five titles to serve as Colgate’s text for 2021. Please make your rank order selection before Tuesday, April 20, at 5 p.m. Check your email for links to book reviews, author interviews, and paragraphs that will familiarize you with each of the finalists.

Colgate is providing students with free shuttle service to the SUNY Morrisville vaccination site between noon and 6:30 p.m. for the duration of the clinic. Sign up for transport to Morrisville, especially if you have already received your first dose and know the date of your second dose.

A Closing Thought

In two weeks, students will begin taking finals. This semester has been a long journey for all of us. We have encountered many uncertainties and setbacks, but we have also seen remarkable resilience and strength. We are almost there. During these final weeks of the semester, please remember to take care of yourselves and those around you: rest, eat well, take breaks, and use your time wisely. If you are in need of support, there are many people in your Colgate community who want to help you. Counseling center staff are ready to assist, and they have crisis/consultation hours available M–F 1:30-4:30 p.m. — no appointment necessary. Call, email, or use our Appointment Request Form. We are all rooting for you. Stay determined and see the light at the end of the tunnel!

 Dawn LaFrance
Director of Counseling and Psychological Services, Director of Sexual Violence Support

 

Student provides reasons for vaccination

Upcoming Events

No Man's Land Film Festival Panel
April 20
7 p.m.
Join Shaw Wellness and Outdoor Education for a panel and Q&A session with a group of empowered Colgate women. They will be sharing their experiences in athletics and the outdoors and how they choose to un-define femininity. Following this panel, come to Whitnall Field at 7 p.m. on April 22 to watch the NMLFF live screening.

Screening of "The Story of Plastic" and Q&A with filmmaker Deia Schlosberg
April 22
7 p.m.
Join the Earth Day live screening of The Story of Plastic, a documentary about the plastic and recycling crisis unlike any other. After the film, stick around for a Q&A with the filmmaker Deia Schlosberg.

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