Dear Allegheny College Campus Community,
Wow. Just wow.
The first round of move-in results are in:
- Thursday, February 18: 506 students tested; 506 negative results
- Friday, February 19: 481 students tested; 479 negative results, 2 positive results
- Saturday, February 20: 154 students tested; results pending
My interpretation of these opening testing numbers: Allegheny College is a community that cares deeply about each other and about other people.
A reminder: Last semester, our first round of on-campus testing had very few positive results, but our second round of testing revealed a cluster. A group of friends were infected by a student who attended an off-campus party. Don’t do that (…she said in her serious doctor voice). Keep up this good work and stay safe. Protect each other.
In other news… water fountains have been keeping me up at night. ACHA has made the carefully considered decision to reopen water fountains. The data on COVID-19 speaks to much higher transmission through the air, and the CDC has recommendations for frequent cleaning of water fountains, which we will follow at Allegheny College. Students have told us that they find closed water fountains burdensome, and since the risk is negligible, we will reopen them.
ACHA is growing! Dr. Gaia Rancati hosted a project in her class, Neuromarketing and Consumer Behavior, during which students suggested ways to encourage others to participate in safety measures. Dr. Rancati and I are working with students to make these ideas a reality. We are placing 20-second reads in bathrooms to help people time their hand washing, creating hand sanitizing competitions, and moving 6-foot spacing mats to places where students think they should be. If you want to get involved or have an idea, email us!
As you reunite with friends, consider signing up for a functional group. Up ’til Dawn was the first student group to enroll! UTD is a student-run organization that raises money each year for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. They typically have a ton of fun on-campus fundraisers during the fall, but much of that was curtailed due to COVID-19, so gathering in person will be helpful for them to be able to connect and support each other in their fundraising efforts. Their faculty advisor, Dr. Alice Deckert, has been a friend to ACHA this year, using her expertise in chemistry and science to give us feedback on our testing protocols and other policies. Thank you, Dr. Deckert!
Keep up the amazing work. It is an honor to serve this community.
With respect,
Dr. Morrow