Coronavirus Information

Coronavirus Information and Resources

Campus Messages

Daily Digest: SUNY New Paltz News

Posted on: Wednesday, September 16, 2020 at 10:00 AM
News Hub  |   Reopening FAQs  |  Coronavirus Dashboard
   
This newsletter is a daily source of major campus news, information about events, useful tips for navigating campus this fall, and updates about new and confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our community. Read more here.
Students, faculty and staff will also receive important bulletins via the new NPForward text notification system.
 

IN THIS ISSUE

  • Coronavirus update: One additional off-campus student has tested positive 
  • College will institute mandatory COVID-19 pool testing starting Sept. 21
  • Continuing the Conversation: Anti-racism in the Classroom, Sept. 23
  • Student Health Service to hold on-campus flu shot clinic for students
  • Nancy Kassop to give 14th annual Dennis O’Keefe Lecture, Sept. 24 
  • Saturday Arts Lab - Fall 2020 registration is open!
  • College Council schedules its next meeting for Thursday, Sept. 24 
  • Let’s Talk: Informal, walk-in counseling services for students
  • Hudson Valley Additive Manufacturing Center creates shields for the campus community 
  • FAQ of the Day: Who will be notified when a student tests positive for COVID-19
  • From Our Community: Donating DIY dog toys 
  • Events and resources
  • The latest from media
 

Coronavirus updates

Sept. 16 report on confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the campus community
One additional off-campus student tested positive at an off-campus facility and is in quarantine

College will institute mandatory on-campus pool testing effective Sept. 21
FDA-approved technique allows more people to be tested quickly using fewer resources
Schedule outlining instructions for mandatory pool testing will be shared soon

SUNY New Paltz COVID-19 Dashboard
The College's tally of active cases, on-campus testing, positivity rates, quarantine and more

Mandatory COVID-19 testing schedule for students
Click above to see when you are required to be tested, and visit the Student Health Service online to make an appointment
 

News from around campus

Continuing the Conversation: Anti-racism in the Classroom, Sept. 23 via Zoom
Student and faculty panelists will share approaches to combating racism in their classrooms and in our community

Student Health Service to hold flu shot clinic for students
Schedule an appointment now for on-campus flu shots beginning Sept. 18

College Council schedules its next meeting for Thursday, Sept. 24
Agenda includes COVID-19 information and a budget update

Nancy Kassop to give 14th annual Dennis O’Keefe Lecture, Sept. 24 via Webex
Professor of political science's lecture is titled “Looking Forward, Looking Backward: A Nation’s Expectations after Government Fails"

Saturday Arts Lab registration is now open for fall 2020!
Inviting children age 5-14 to join a virtual journey beginning Sept. 26

Let’s Talk: Informal, walk-in counseling services for students, every Tuesday at noon
No appointment necessary: Meet in-person or virtually with a counselor whose role is to listen, help problem solve, and provide a referral for additional services if necessary
 
 
 We've all seen plastic shields installed on campus to slow the spread of COVID-19, but did you know that many of those shields were made right here at the College? 
The Hudson Valley Additive Manufacturing Center (HVAMC) has designed and fabricated close to 100 shields for use on our campus. The shields are made from MDF board and 3D-printed parts made out of a biosourced and biodegradable plastic, and are self-standing using supports shaped like a hawk’s foot.
"A lot of thought and prototyping went into the design because we wanted them to be inexpensive, quick and easy to assemble, and to minimize the use of non-recyclable materials."  - Dan Freedman, dean of the School of Science & Engineering and director of the HVAMC
 

Reopening FAQ of the day
Who will be notified when a student tests positive for COVID-19?
The communication protocol for suspected or confirmed student cases of COVID-19 is as follows: 
Whether the student lives on or off campus
  • Contact tracers will be deployed to interview them about where they have been and with whom they have been in contact.
  • Tracers will notify other individuals as appropriate, and will also notify Facilities if the student has been in common spaces on campus within seven days.
  • Student Health Service will also notify Ulster County health officials of the positive diagnosis, unless the student does not reside in Ulster County or has returned home to another county. In these cases the student will be instructed to inform their County health officials.
  • All of the faculty teaching courses in which the student is enrolled will be notified, whether those courses are in-person, remote or hybrid.
  • The notification to faculty will not include instructions to quarantine. Faculty and classmates should not need to quarantine unless contact tracers confirm that they have been in close contact (10 minutes or more within six feet, without wearing a mask). In such cases, contact tracers will instruct faculty and classmates will be instructed to quarantine.
If the student lives on campus
  • The student’s instructors and the Quarantine Coordinator for the Department of Residence Life will be notified. The Quarantine Coordinator will in turn notify Dining Services, Facilities Management, the Office of Emergency Management and the student’s home Residence Director.
  • When Student Health Service clears a student to exit quarantine/isolation, they will notify the student’s in-person instructors and the Quarantine Coordinator (if the student lives on campus).
Campus-wide notifications will be sent when there is a clear danger to the campus community, such as if there were a suspected or confirmed case when a student, faculty or staff member was known to have been on campus during the potential infection period.

The College will continue sharing updates about positive cases in the Daily Digest email newsletter, only when those positive cases affect our in-person community.
 

Events and resources

Upcoming Human Resources, Diversity & Inclusion Trainings

This week's Instructional Technology workshops are all about Knowmia
Learn about this new media management tool on Friday, Sept. 18

Guidance for faculty: What to do when you learn of someone else’s confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19
Clarification on how cases should be reported and suggestions for how instructors can respond when students reach out

SUNY System-wide COVID-19 Case Tracker
Published statistics from all 64 campuses, updated every 24 hours
 

The latest from media

Highs and lows: Charting the future of the Mid-Hudson economy
Optimism about the region’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 shutdown
Westfair, 9/15/20
 

From Our Community 
 
The Service Learning Community, part of the Communities at New Paltz program for new on-campus students, is already finding ways to contribute to local non-profit organizations. These DIY dog toys will be donated to local animal shelters. 
Follow @communitiesatnewpaltz to see more!
 

Daily Digest readers: We want to hear from you! 

Our team is seeking input on how this newsletter can best serve students, faculty and staff as we all adjust to new ways of teaching, learning, working and living.
We're inviting submissions* and ideas of all kinds:
  • Have important news to share with the SUNY New Paltz community?
  • Developed an innovative solution to improve remote teaching and learning?
  • Figured out a lifehack to help yourself stay positive?
  • Want to share a photograph with friends and colleagues?
Please just reply to this email or write to communication@newpaltz.edu and let us know what you would like to see in this space. Thank you!
*Note: Opinions expressed by our contributors belong solely to their authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions of SUNY New Paltz.
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Message originally distributed via: SUNY New Paltz News