COVID Reminders to Start Block 6

The following message was shared directly with students earlier today, ahead of the start of Block 6. We are sharing this with you to keep you in the loop about current COVID protocols on campus.

Key Points:
  • Screening testing continues
  • Updated isolation guidance
  • If you’re feeling sick, stay home and get tested
  • Plans for loosening the mask requirement

Dear Students,

As we head into Block 6, we are writing to share some updates based on the encouraging developments around declining COVID-19 infections in El Paso County and on campus.

Protocols that remain in place for now, to be reviewed weekly as usual, are: 

  • Mask-wearing indoors; KN95/N95 masks recommended
  • Ongoing student screening testing
Get tested today or Monday. You received information about initial Block 6 screening testing with eMed separately via email (around noon today). Frequency of screening testing moving forward will be updated based on test results from initial testing and participation rates. As county and campus transmission rates continue to decline, we hope to be able to reduce frequency of screening testing for vaccinated students soon.

Isolation protocol now includes a day seven test option. After receiving a positive test result, if you are not experiencing symptoms and test negative on day five, you can end isolation (as was the case throughout this semester). Starting today, if your test result is positive on day five, you can test again on day seven and end isolation if you receive a negative test. Masking is still required through day 10.

If you have symptoms of COVID-19, please stay home
. Contact  the  Student Health Center  at (719) 389-6384 to make an appointment with a provider for COVID testing (location and hours here). No co-pay is needed.

We’re working toward a mask-optional policy this block. The CDC recommends masks until county transmission levels are “moderate” as opposed to substantial or high.  

If campus transmission levels appear well-controlled based on Block 6 initial screening testing early this week, CC will move to mask optional for fully vaccinated people.

If you have questions, please contact  covid19@coloradocollege.edu  and check our  Coronavirus Updates and Resources webpage. These mental health resources are also available to support you.

We look forward to a rewarding Block 6!

Sincerely,  

Andrea Bruder 
Chief Public Health Advisor to the President 

Mateo Muñoz 
Chair, COVID-19 Policy and Implementation Committee

View this email online
powered by emma

COVID Reminders to Start Block 6

Key Points:
  • Screening testing continues
  • Updated isolation guidance
  • If you’re feeling sick, stay home and get tested
  • Plans for loosening the mask requirement

Dear Students,

As we head into Block 6, we are writing to share some updates based on the encouraging developments around declining COVID-19 infections in El Paso County and on campus.

Protocols that remain in place for now, to be reviewed weekly as usual, are: 

  • Mask-wearing indoors; KN95/N95 masks recommended
  • Ongoing student screening testing
Get tested today or Monday. You received information about initial Block 6 screening testing with eMed separately via email (around noon today). Frequency of screening testing moving forward will be updated based on test results from initial testing and participation rates. As county and campus transmission rates continue to decline, we hope to be able to reduce frequency of screening testing for vaccinated students soon.

Isolation protocol now includes a day seven test option. After receiving a positive test result, if you are not experiencing symptoms and test negative on day five, you can end isolation (as was the case throughout this semester). Starting today, if your test result is positive on day five, you can test again on day seven and end isolation if you receive a negative test. Masking is still required through day 10.

If you have symptoms of COVID-19, please stay home
. Contact  the  Student Health Center  at (719) 389-6384 to make an appointment with a provider for COVID testing (location and hours here). No co-pay is needed.

We’re working toward a mask-optional policy this block. The CDC recommends masks until county transmission levels are “moderate” as opposed to substantial or high.  

If campus transmission levels appear well-controlled based on Block 6 initial screening testing early this week, CC will move to mask optional for fully vaccinated people.

If you have questions, please contact  covid19@coloradocollege.edu  and check our  Coronavirus Updates and Resources webpage. These mental health resources are also available to support you.

We look forward to a rewarding Block 6!

Sincerely,  

Andrea Bruder 
Chief Public Health Advisor to the President 

Mateo Muñoz 
Chair, COVID-19 Policy and Implementation Committee

View this email online
powered by emma

Around the Block Campus News

‘Boy mother/faceless bloom’ by Juni One Set: World Premiere

photos by Wolf Daniel courtesy of Roulette Intermedium
“Boy mother / faceless bloom” is a multimedia performance work combining large-scale sculptural and scenic design, live and recorded music, and embodied movement to tell the story of a young boy who learns he will be a mother. The world premiere will be at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College Feb. 24-27, Drawing upon the combined, personal mythologies of Senga Nengudi, Eddy Kwon, Crow Nishimura, and Joshua Kohl, “Boy mother / faceless bloom” explores transgender identity, parenthood, and ancestral lineage in a time of planetary crisis, as well as the spiritual legacies of colonialism, imperialism, and ideologies of domination through a mosaic of autobiography, mythology, and collective inquiries.
The piece has been co-created by Juni One Set through an intensely collaborative process over the span of three years. Intuitive play, loving conversations, and a deep sense of trust allowed for the generative convergence of diverse artistic practices, cultural backgrounds, gender experiences, age, ability, and geographies.
The project is supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation through a residency at the Fine Arts Center. Tickets can be purchased here.

So Proud of CC’s Izzy Atkin

Photo courtesy Team GB / Andy J Ryan Photos
After breaking her pelvis in December, CC student Isabel “Izzy” Atkin recovered well enough to join her teammates in Beijing for the Olympics. Sadly, Atkin suffered a medical setback that caused her to withdraw from competing altogether in these Olympic Games. We are no less proud of her, so help us celebrate Atkin for her incredible hard work and dedication in qualifying for the second time for the Winter Olympic Games! Go Izzy!

Black History at CC

Siblings Effie Stroud Frazier ’31 and Kelley Dolphus Stroud ’31 persevered through hardship and discrimination and were among the first African-American students to graduate from Colorado College, both of them in 1931. They had excelled at Colorado Springs High School (now William J. Palmer High School) in the late 1920s. Their achievements and promise were recognized by local businessman Henry Sachs, who provided scholarships so they could both attend Colorado College. CC’s Stroud Scholars program is named in honor of Effie and Kelley. The Kelley Dolphus Stroud ’31 Club Level on the fourth floor of CC’s Ed Robson Arena honors the family’s legacy with photos and text, an exhibit which is open to members of the CC and broader community during arena events and regular business hours. Learn more about Effie Stroud Frazier ’31 and Kelley Dolphus Stroud ’31 on the “Untold Stories” website.
Through the month of February, communities across the nation celebrate the achievements of and by Black Americans in recognition of their central role throughout U.S. history. Colorado College is committed to telling these stories year-round.

Get to Know… Keri Sanchez, Head Coach Women’s Soccer

What does your job entail?  
As a head soccer coach, you oversee all aspects of the program. I equate it to being a small business owner. You manage staff and players, budget, travel, equipment, scheduling games and practice, game operations, health and safety (ever-changing during the pandemic), training programs, academics, leadership training, social media, alumni relations, recruiting, etc. There are a lot of details that need to be consistently monitored in order to run a successful team.
Where did you work before CC and what were you doing?
I started my coaching career as an assistant soccer coach at the University of Oregon. Next, I became the head coach and associate PE professor at Claremont McKenna-Harvey Mudd-Scripps colleges. My next position was as an assistant coach at the University of Texas at Austin. And, lastly, I just came from being a head women’s soccer coach and assistant professor at Illinois Wesleyan University. All of my previous positions have been in soccer coaching so duties were similar to what I am doing now at CC.
Tell us a little about your background.
I was born here in Colorado and moved at the age of 8 to San Jose, California. I attended undergrad at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, where I was a two-sport athlete in soccer and track and field. I won four National Championships in soccer at UNC. I was a part of the U.S. Women’s National Team Pool for several years. And I was fortunate enough to play professional soccer in the first two leagues in the United States – Women’s United soccer Associan and  Women’s Professional Soccer. I received my master’s degree from the University of Oregon.

 

What do you like to do when not working?  
I still love to play sports of all kinds and I love to be outside. I still play ice hockey and soccer when I can. I have added pickleball as a new sport this past fall. I like to hike and bike and take my dog for walks. And now that I live closer to family, I enjoy spending time with them.
 
Wild card: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was a kid, I wanted to be a doctor or a professional athlete — at that time hockey or football.

CC President L. Song Richardson Named as Wild Card for Biden Supreme Court Nomination List

We are incredibly proud that President L. Song Richardson is included in the Washington Post’s list of the likeliest people to get Biden’s Supreme Court nomination.

According to Paul Butler, “L. Song Richardson is the president of Colorado College and a former dean of University of California at Irvine Law School. She’s a highly respected legal scholar, and her appointment would be a two-fer. There has never been a Black woman or an Asian American justice. Richardson is both. So, for the record is Vice President Harris … but she already has a good government job.”

Photo of the Week

Photo by Lonnie Timmons III

Fiona Swope ’22 and Will Abbey ’22 high five at the Student Research Symposium in Cornerstone Arts Center on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. The symposium brings students, faculty, and families together for a series of short presentations, poster sessions, and discussions across a variety of academic disciplines.

powered by emma

A Block Break Conversation with Claire Oberon Garcia

Dear CC Community,


Can you believe we have already completed Block 5? I’m grateful for the hard work of our entire campus community that made it possible for us to continue an in-person, on-campus CC experience despite the Omicron surge. It’s truly wonderful that learning, living, and working – together – is possible here at CC.

As we head into the block break, I’d like to share this conversation I had with Claire Oberon Garcia, professor of English for 30 years at CC, and recent dean of the faculty and acting provost. We’re discussing an amazing Mellon Foundation Humanities for All Times grant that CC was recently awarded – $1,024,000 to be distributed over three years – that will support transformational change for our students and our curriculum and build on our antiracism commitment.

I’m excited to see what will blossom from this ambitious project over the next three years — and beyond.

Happy block break!

Sincerely,

L. Song Richardson

President

View this email online
powered by emma

Updated Protocols for On-Campus Activities

Dear CC Community,

 
Thank you for your participation in healthy practices and following risk mitigation protocols. This week, we are encouraged by the declining number of COVID-19 infections among the CC community. The number of new weekly cases has gone down to 60 early this week from 100 last week.  

We are cautiously optimistic that, along with the decline in cases in El Paso County, these trends will continue, and we feel comfortable removing some of the temporary precautions that were implemented in anticipation of the Omicron wave. 

Beginning today, these changes will take effect: 

  • Student pods are no longer required.
  • Proof of vaccination/negative test result is no longer required at public events. 
Protocols that remain in place, to be reviewed weekly as usual, are:  
  • KN95/N95 mask-wearing indoors
  • Ongoing student screening testing
These protocols allow us to enjoy the day-to-day campus life that many of us knew prior to the pandemic. The only difference now is mask-wearing when indoors in public settings and conducting student screening testing.

Visitors continue to be welcome on campus and should follow campus masking protocols. 

All students will take a COVID test after block break (on Sunday or Monday). Once that data is in, and if COVID cases are continuing to decline, we plan to gradually loosen the masking requirement, beginning with allowing professors and students to unmask when presenting in class.

We will continue to monitor campus and county data and adjust protocols as needed. Please continue to support and take care of one another and enjoy a restorative block break.

If you have questions, please reach out directly to covid19@coloradocollege.edu.   

Sincerely, 

Andrea Bruder
 

Chief Public Health Advisor to the President    

Mateo Muñoz 
Chair, COVID-19 Policy and Implementation Committee

View this email online
powered by emma

Congrats to Tenured Professors

Dear CC Community,


I’m thrilled to share the good news that the CC Board of Trustees voted unanimously to offer tenure to 15 professors.

Congratulations to these teacher-scholars for achieving this milestone in their academic careers. We are so fortunate that they have dedicated themselves to Colorado College and our students for years to come.

These professors were awarded tenure as of July 1, 2022:

  • Anthony Bull, Associate Professor of Human Biology and Kinesiology
  • Janet Burge, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science
The following professors were awarded tenure and promotion to associate professor, effective July 1, 2022:
  • Nadia Guessous, Assistant Professor of Feminist and Gender Studies
  • Sara Hanson, Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology
  • Amy Kohout, Assistant Professor of History
  • Rachel Jabaily, Assistant Professor of Organismal Biology and Ecology
  • Beth Malmskog, Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science
  • Purvi Mehta, Assistant Professor of History
  • Dwanna McKay, Assistant Professor of Race, Ethnicity & Migration Studies
  • Molly Moran, Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science
  • Vanessa Muñoz, Assistant Professor of Sociology
  • Natanya Pulley, Assistant Professor of English
  • Karen Roybal, Assistant Professor of Southwest Studies
  • Jamal Ratchford, Assistant Professor of History and Race, Ethnicity, & Migration Studies
  • Jason Weaver, Assistant Professor of Psychology
You can read more about each of these impressive faculty members in this web story

Warmly,

L. Song Richardson

President

View this email online
powered by emma

The COVID Weekly Report

Here are the COVID-19-related updates for the week of Feb. 14:


  • All known CC student cases, regardless of whether exposure occurred at CC, appear on the CC COVID-19 dashboard.   
  • Reduce COVID spread during block break. 
  • How does CC determine mask protocols? 
  • New meal pickup location for students in isolation.
  • Vaccine clinic Saturday. 

Block Break Reminders


Risk mitigation protocols don’t take block break. Remember to continue to prioritize outdoor activities and limit any time indoors unmasked. Do NOT travel if you have symptoms or are not feeling well to prevent spreading COVID to others. Students: You should test today and again on Thursday or Friday. And, all students will be required to take a COVID test the Sunday or Monday after the block break. Check your email for details.  

What to Do if You Have COVID-19 Symptoms


If you have symptoms of COVID-19, please stay home. Students should contact the  Student Health Center  at (719) 389-6384 to make an appointment with a provider who will determine what tests and treatment are appropriate. There will be no co-pay. If necessary, you should make an appointment for COVID-19 testing at the SHC (location and hours here). They can also help you with a range of other tests and treatment to help you recover as quickly as possible. Employees should contact their healthcare provider to determine what tests and treatment are appropriate. They should also contact their supervisor.  

Do N95/KN95 Masks Reduce Risk of COVID Infection? 

Yes. Consistent use of a face mask or respirator in indoor public settings was associated with lower odds of a positive COVID-19 test result. Use of N95/KN95 masks with higher filtration capacity was associated with the most protection, compared with no mask use. In addition to being up to date with recommended COVID-19 vaccinations, consistently wearing a comfortable, well-fitting face mask in indoor public settings protects against COVID-19 infection. 

What’s Guiding CC’s Mask Protocols?

The COVID-19 Policy and Implementation Committee is constantly evaluating data to make decisions about the college’s masking protocols. CC follows CDC guidance to mask indoors when county transmission levels are substantial or high. While transmission levels in the county are still high, we are cautiously optimistic that they may return to lower levels in the not-so-distant future. We also use transmission levels within the campus community to make decisions. High levels of participation in screening testing will help us lower campus transmission and get to where masking can be optional again for vaccinated people sooner. We suggest you check transmission levels on the CDC website to inform your masking practices when you are out and about.  

CHANGES: Meal Pick-up for Students in Isolation

Food pick-up for students in isolation will move to The Preserve during off-peak hours beginning this Thursday, Feb. 17. Hours during block break are Thurs.-Sun., 2-5 p.m. Starting with Block 6, normal hours are 2-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Students can come to the west doors of The Preserve, where someone will take their order. Students in isolation should always wear their N95 masks when leaving their isolation space.

Vaccine Clinic Feb. 18

On Friday, Feb. 18, Manitou Springs hosts a walk-up vaccine clinic at City Hall (606 Manitou Avenue) from noon-6 p.m. The pediatric Pfizer vaccine, the regular Pfizer vaccine, and the Moderna vaccine will be available. Anyone aged 5+ can receive their COVID-19 vaccine at this clinic and anyone over 18 can receive their booster. No health insurance, ID, or appointment is required. Sign up in advance and save time waiting in line, please use this link

Improve Your Home’s Ventilation—With Help from 1970 CC Grad!

Learn about the key role that ventilation of homes can play in mitigating Coronavirus transmission. Information about effective, low-cost, and award-winning DIY air cleaners, co-invented by CC alumnus Jim Rosenthal ’70, can be found here.

Students in Dance Workshop perform their comeback show “Have Mercy” after a year-long hiatus due to the pandemic. Photo by John Le ’24

Check the Updated CC COVID Data Dashboard  

The  CC COVID-19 dashboard  shows all known CC student cases. It provides quick access to COVID-19 metrics on campus, including daily and weekly COVID-19 testing numbers and positive test results. For questions regarding this dashboard, please contact  Ben Moffitt  in the Office of Institutional Planning and Effectiveness.   The El Paso County COVID-19 dashboard is available here

To easily access all things COVID, details of our COVID-19 response are broken down into categories here: Health; Mitigation and Campus Protocols; Testing and Quarantine; and When Off Campus. You will also find answers to frequently asked questions, as well as a listing of all campus messages. If you have additional concerns about COVID-19 or our campus response, direct them to:  covid19@coloradocollege.edu. Remember, there are numerous resources on campus for support and assistance, including the  Counseling Center,  the Chaplain’s Office,  Employee Assistance Plan, the Butler Center, the  Advising Hub, and the  Wellness Resource Center.  

View this email online
powered by emma

CC Honoring Those Who Came Before Us

Renaissance Banchetto Class Offers Students a Banquet of History, Music, and Cuisine

Story by Anna Squires ’17. Photos by Lonnie Timmons III.
Some things are timeless: gathering in a circle to make music, to cook dinner, to laugh — and to find meaning and connection in the act of learning, together. Students in the Renaissance Banchetto Half-Block class gathered in person to explore history, music, cuisine, and political intrigue, using all their senses to experience what life might have been like at the peak of Europe’s rebirth.

Diago: The Pasts of this Afro-Cuban Present

Photo by Cernuda Arte
Opening Feb. 11 at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center is “Diago: The Pasts of this Afro-Cuban Present.” A leading member of the new Afro-Cuban cultural movement, visual artist Juan Roberto Diago (b. 1971) has produced a body of work that offers a revisionist history of the Cuban nation. His “history,” a term that he frequently inserts in his works using the visual language of graffiti, is not the official narrative of a racially harmonious nation, built thanks to the selfless efforts of generous white patriots. Diago’s Cuba is a nation built on pain, rape, greed, and the enslavement of millions of displaced Africans, a nation still grappling with the long-term effects of slavery and colonialism. To him, slavery is not the past, but a daily experience of racism and discrimination. Africa is not a root, but a wellspring of cultural renovation and personal affirmation, the ancestors that sustain him in his journey. “Diago: The Pasts of this Afro-Cuban Present” is the first retrospective exhibition of this prominent Cuban artist, offering a critical and selective view of over two decades of work.

Professor Sarah Hautzinger Interviewed About Renaming Pikes Peak

Professor of Anthropology Sarah Hautzinger was recently interviewed by FOX21 News as conversations pick up to rename Pikes Peak to its Ute name: Tava Mountain. For Hautzinger, it’s not about the guilt but more of accountability that puts her behind the name change. “I feel accountable to a very recent history of colonizing this region and the loss and expropriation of lands from various native people,” Hautzinger said.

Get to Know… Pirronne Yousefzadeh, Producing Artistic Director for the Fine Arts Center Theatre Company

Photo by Christine Jean Chambers 
What does your job entail?  
Because I am still relatively new, every day is a little bit different, and we are in a major transition phase. Right now, it’s about getting the lay of the land, learning the current way of doing things – what is working, what isn’t working, and refining our processes in a way that works better for the entire theatre staff. My focus is on fostering an antiracist vision and creating space for equity and inclusion through theatre at the Fine Arts Center. We have a lot of hard, vital work ahead and I’m excited to lay this foundation for what we can co-create with our staff, our artists, and our community.
 
Where did you work before CC and what were you doing?
I came to the FAC from Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, NY, where I was the associate artistic Director and Director of Engagement. Being in those two roles at Geva helped shaped me as an artistic director. I found the delineation of the two positions a bit arbitrary and now, my way of working is much less compartmentalized. We cannot lead if we divorce ourselves from our community; the art and the community must go hand in hand with each other. And that work can’t be done by one person alone. It’s the collective responsibility of the entire organization to forge relationships and invest in them in the long-term so that a theatre can become a meaningful civic space for all.
 
Tell us a little about your background.
I am a proud child of Iranian immigrants; my parents came to the United States in the 1970s. I have enormous gratitude for my parents’ hard work and sacrifices so that I could have such incredible opportunities, especially when it came to my education. I started in theatre as a hobby after school and on the weekends. My parents wanted me to have a career in medicine, but then in college, I fell in love with the theatre, much to my father’s chagrin. However, my love of theatre came with tacit acceptance that I would never see myself on stage. It was painful, as it seemed like a life in the theatre required an erasure of my identity, and that I would have to “pass.” But this has reversed from when I was much younger. I now see my identity not as a flaw, but a feature, and one that is just as valid as any other. What matters most to me is to now open doors for others who have been systemically excluded so that they never doubt that their stories matter, and they can now love, and be loved, in the theatre.
 
What do you like to do when not working?  
In ideal, COVID-free circumstances, I like to take walks, be in nature, play the piano, and garden. I love to cook and bake. I enjoy working out in the context of group classes, too. I also really like to take time off to do nothing but daydream. I am working on giving myself permission to just be and reflect. I’m looking forward to good weather so that I can start to explore and get to know Colorado Springs.
 
Wild card: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I thought I would pursue a career in medicine, as my parents had hoped. I wanted to be a doctor – I loved being around other kids, so I figured becoming a pediatrician would be cool. I also thought about being an English teacher, and for a time I wanted to be the first woman to ever be on the Chicago Bulls, which was the biggest pipe dream of all, given my lack of athletic abilities. I became serious about theatre and acting particularly in college, then discovered directing, which completely stole my heart. It wasn’t until many years into my freelance career that I became interested in pursuing artistic leadership.
 
What do I want readers to know?
If a student is reading this, and your parents don’t support your chosen career path, give your parents space, and pursue what makes you happy. I think I spent too much time trying to convince my folks, and ultimately, they were only comforted when they truly saw that I was happy and thriving in what I do. Focus on that; direct your energy to your passions and your joy.

Disrupting Disciplines: Dynamics of Power Introduces Students to an Interdisciplinary Education

Story by Jeremy Jones. Photos by Lonnie Timmons III.
At first glance, the classes Construction of Social Problems and Art and the Museum for first-year students may not appear to have much in common. But as part of the new CC100 thematic cluster, The Dynamics of Power, they share the same focus as they examine a single topic through different, but intersecting, lenses.
The five-class collaborative is one of the many new First-Year Program options available to students in their first block at CC. Each provides the new college students with a comparative, interdisciplinary introduction to liberal arts scholarship on the Block Plan. And, ultimately, the academic approach helps first-year CC students make more informed choices about how and with what focus they pursue their education, career, and impact on the world.
“In high school, students had to take all these classes, and they think the world is divided up into these disciplines,” says Gail Murphy-Geiss, professor and chair of the Sociology Department. “And it is, but a lot of the most interesting work happens in the cracks. That’s what liberal arts is all about.”

Photo of the Week

Photo by Chidera Ikpeamarom ’22
Students having fun on a snowy day, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022

powered by emma

See You at ITL Next Week

ITL is Thursday, Feb. 17

ITL is Thursday, Feb. 17

Sent on behalf of the President’s Office and Staff Council:


See you next week at the Block 5 In the Loop all-staff meeting Thursday, Feb. 17, 8:30 a.m.

This block’s meeting will include a COVID-19 update, details on this year’s performance review process, and updates from the President’s Office. A representative from ModernThink will share the overarching themes from the employee climate survey (faculty will have a similar presentation at their Block 5 meeting Feb. 14). A more detailed presentation of the results and draft action plans will be shared at the Block 7 In the Loop meeting.

Please submit good news, kudos, and questions to be shared and answered during the question-and-answer period. You must submit your items by 5 p.m. TODAY, Feb. 10.

Meet in Celeste Theatre inside Cornerstone Arts Center; the program will begin promptly at 8:30 a.m. Grab-and-go breakfast will be available for pick-up in Cornerstone Main Space as you exit the meeting.

Those wishing to join the meeting via Zoom from their individual workspace may do so by registering in advance using this link. Feel free to swing by the main space after 9:30 a.m. to pick up breakfast.

In the Loop is a joint venture between Colorado College leadership and the Staff Council to facilitate communication and build community spirit among the staff at Colorado College. These meetings are your chance to directly connect with college leaders and other staff members on a regular basis.

View this email online
powered by emma

Keep Up the Screening Testing and Stick to Your Pods

This message was shared with students today and we want to make sure you also have the latest information.

  • COVID-19 campus data
  • Continue limiting social gatherings
  • If CC case numbers decline, more protocols will loosen
  • In-person dining reopens across campus

Dear Students,

We are continuing to closely track COVID data to make decisions for our campus community. Thank you for participating in screening testing and adhering to the temporary precautions we put in place, including limiting your social interactions. You are making a difference!  

Since the beginning of Block 5, more than 7,500 screening and symptomatic tests have been performed, with 139 positive results. The number of new weekly student infections increased to 85 at the beginning of this week, up from 45 in the first week of the block.  

The screening testing program has kept the number of symptomatic infections much lower than they would be otherwise, however, this rise in infections means increasing disruption to in-person classes.   

When our COVID-19 cases stabilize, we’ll reevaluate our protocols. Until then, please continue to stick to your five-person Omicron pod for socializing, including during in-person dining. Continue prioritizing outdoor over unmasked indoor activities and limit time indoors unmasked. Case numbers in El Paso County are declining; once our campus numbers come down, we can lift precautions around social gatherings, including bringing the party registration form online and discontinuing the five-person Omicron pods.

As you may have noticed this week, Bon Appetit has reopened seating in Benjamin’s Cafe, Colorado Coffee, and Susie B’s, along with Rastall Café, which reopened last week. View all updated dining hours. Take-out options and outdoor seating continue to be available. 

We are using screening test results as well as participation rates to inform decisions about our COVID-19 response and on-campus protocols. Please continue participating in twice weekly testing. Your participation in our screening testing program generates the data we need to continuously reevaluate our protocols. Our goal is to loosen precautions as soon as possible and be able to gather more normally again.  

Thank you for your partnership in keeping our campus community healthy and making our on-campus CC experience possible.    
 
Sincerely,     


Andrea Bruder

Chief Public Health Advisor to the President

Mateo Muñoz
Chair, COVID-19 Policy and Implementation Committee

View this email online
powered by emma

css.php