COVID-19 Updates
August 23, 2021
Good morning,
As many of you walk to your first classes today, we wanted to provide you with our Monday community update. While travel may have been complicated by Hurricane Henri, the Colleges welcomed 2,000+ students and family members over the past few days for Orientation and returning student move-in. Our first-year students met their first-year seminar faculty members and participated in their first classes, fourth course registration, the #ThisIsHWS narrative sharing project, and Day of Service, among other welcoming activities. Starting today, the Office of Student Engagement will also continue a week of welcoming activities for first-year students and returning sophomores (and everyone else, too!) which culminates in the Involvement Expo this Friday.
As we mentioned last week, the Colleges will remain in a mask requirement for three weeks while we monitor the CDC risk level for Ontario County, as well as case trends for the HWS and Geneva community. Face coverings must fully cover an individual’s mouth and nose and, similar to last year, gaiter masks are not an appropriate face covering. As previously mentioned, faculty and staff may institute a longer masking policy for their classes or in their offices. While additional masks will be available for those that need them through Campus Safety, we encourage you to think sustainably and carry a face mask with you at all times. Faculty, Joe Rusinko in OAFA will reach out to you with vaccination information regarding an academic commitment; please remember to fill out this form.
Our vaccination rates remain high while we follow up with the late arrivals and non-resident students who have yet to upload their vaccination status. As of last night, 94% of all students have responded and of those students 97% are either fully vaccinated or in process to become fully vaccinated. Vaccination remains the very best way to protect everyone against the threat of infection. It was recently reported that the Pfizer vaccine is nearing full FDA approval, possibly as soon as today. U.S. vaccines are available, safe and highly effective, and HWS will continue to encourage and assist our community members in accessing them.
HWS community members needing to start or complete their vaccination sequence, including Sodexo employees, are encouraged to participate in the next vaccine clinic:
- September 7 from 1pm-5pm in the Bristol Field House. Please use this link to register. Note that while the link may state that this is open only to those individuals who received their first dose on 8/16, this clinic is open for both first and second doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Other local options are available, such as Wegmans, Walgreens and Rite Aid pharmacies, and the Office of Campus Life can assist with travel.
When they are made available, the Colleges will also work with Public Health officers to offer vaccine boosters to all individuals who are at least eight months out from their second dose. As Johnson & Johnson nears the announcement of a vaccine booster, they are conducting clinical trials (People 18 and older who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or who have not yet been vaccinated are eligible to join. Participants may receive up to $1,100 for their time. Call (585) 756-2329 or email volunteer@rochestervictoryalliance.org for more information).
Finally, the Hubbs Health Center and the COVID-19 Resource Center, located in the east wing of the Hubbs Health Center, provides rapid antigen and standard PCR testing through the Broad Institute. The Colleges have purchased two Roche Diagnostics’ Liat rapid PCR testing machines—allowing the medical team of Hubbs to accurately diagnose viral infections of not only COVID-19, but strep and flu, within 20 minutes. We are also working to expand the Hubbs Health Center’s medical availability to faculty and staff through continued partnership with Finger Lakes Health with more information to come. Students, as a reminder, call 315-781-3600 and choose option “0” when needing an appointment.
As always, if you have questions, please reach out to campuslife2@hws.edu.
Sincerely,
Sarah Kirk
Provost and Dean of Faculty
B. B. Barile
Associate Vice President for Campus Life and Dean of Students