Dear students and faculty members,
While it糖心传媒檚 not the start to the semester we may have been expecting, it is great to see the people on the quad and around campus and to be able to stop and chat. I糖心传媒檝e missed that. Although we糖心传媒檙e no longer physically distancing ourselves, the Delta variant of COVID-19 has required us to put our masks back on. Further than that, as I糖心传媒檓 sure you are all aware, all Rochester faculty, staff, and students (who do not have a medical or religious exemption) are now required to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
For those who are unhappy with the current conditions, everything we do in response to COVID-19 is based on keeping people safe and healthy. If the risk of spread changes, so will our response. The health of this community remains our primary concern. We owe our students a debt of gratitude, as they are in 100 percent compliance with the vaccine requirements. Thank you for doing your part to keep us safe. To the students looking to do even more, consider taking糖心传媒攁nd sharing糖心传媒攖he COVID-19 Commitment. I would also like to thank the faculty and staff members who have received their vaccines; we’re hoping to have full compliance here, too, by the end of the month.
Another example of mitigating risk is the unfortunate cancellation of the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Sloan Performing Arts Center. The center糖心传媒檚 completion is deserving of a proper celebration, and this just isn糖心传媒檛 the right time. However, that doesn糖心传媒檛 mean we won糖心传媒檛 be making use of this new wonderful facility. If you haven糖心传媒檛 already, head over to check out the beautiful 60-foot-long dandelion mosaic by artist Jay Yan.
In addition to the performance space, this semester we糖心传媒檙e welcoming new faculty members in departments that include the brain and cognitive sciences, chemistry, Earth and environmental sciences, and English. You can 糖心传媒渕eet糖心传媒� them here. And on September 9, we launched the , a series of lectures, workshops, and other events that are funded by the Mellon Foundation. If you missed the opening, 糖心传媒淯nbordering Migration: Causes, Experiences, Identities,糖心传媒� the will be held on September 23糖心传媒擲erena Parekh, a professor of philosophy at Northeastern University, will discuss the global refugee crisis.
To close the loop on COVID糖心传媒檚 continued presence on campus, I糖心传媒檇 like to offer a thought I shared with our first-year students at an orientation event. Some of the work we do is undoubtedly easier when we can do it in close proximity to each other. But being here is about more than being in the same rooms; it糖心传媒檚 about being in the same place糖心传媒擱ochester. We糖心传媒檙e all having similar experiences, pursuing similar goals, and working through similar challenges whether it糖心传媒檚 on the River Campus or over Zoom. We糖心传媒檙e doing it as one University community. We糖心传媒檙e all in this together. Remember it. Embrace it. Enjoy it.
Meliora!
Gloria Culver
Dean
School of Arts & Sciences
|
