Friday thoughts
Happy Friday, friends! We thankfully avoided the predicted dangerous weather yesterday (though there was a tornado warning just east of us). All we are left with is a windy and cold day. As I write this midday, my Weather Channel app tells me it is 46 degrees, but with the wind it feels like 40. This might be our Third Winter. But don’t worry, Mud Season is right around the corner 😉
A couple of COVID-related notes: students got their copy of Your Corona Chronicle lastnight; read it here. We stress in that message that it is really important for students to report in SneezSafe that they have had received the vaccine. Please urge your Deac to do that if they have been vaccinated.
Speaking of vaccines, some students have asked us “If I have gotten the vaccine, can I skip asymptomatic testing?” Our public health guidance is this: while the vaccine has been shown to reduce or prevent symptoms and lower the risk of serious illness, it has not been proven to prevent infection and transmission of the virus to others. In other words, a person who is fully vaccinated can still become infected and pass it on to others. Therefore, we must continue to do testing on students who have been vaccinated, and act upon a positive test result accordingly.
In other news, resident students got an email about fire alarms; read it here. Bottom line is that we are monitoring a recent increase in fire alarms and have ensured that our fire alarm systems are functioning properly. Our fire alarms look for particles in the air that could be smoke; the sensors can’t distinguish smoke from steam, hair spray, etc., so student activity can contribute to repeat alarms. There was also an email about possible power outages due to a traffic accident near campus.
It’s March Madness and students can come out and support their fellow Demon Deacons who are in the Big Dance! We are set to host a special viewing of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Fireside on Manchester Sunday afternoon for the Deacs’ first round game against Oklahoma State at 1 p.m. Free food will be on site beginning at 12:30 p.m. from the Morfa Empanadas and Dusty Donuts food trucks.
Finally, we had an update about Commencement for the Class of 2021. Here is the Bottom Line Up Front:
– All undergraduate Commencement activities will take place on Sunday, May 16.
– Ticketing for all ceremonies and celebrations is expected to be available on the Commencement website beginning April 15.
– Important questions about the likelihood of revisiting decisions about Commencement on Hearn Plaza and the number of tickets per graduate are addressed at the end of this email.
Read the full message here. I will say that Commencement is a tough task even in non-pandemic years. We are grateful for your patience and grace with some of the new considerations and constraints, and promise to get updates to you as we have them.
Have a great weekend, Daily Deacdom!