Welcome Back students! Make sure you Mask Up, Back Up, and Wash Up. Lets keep our community safe. Just like Eddy!
Any question, big or small, can be answered by the Dean of Students Office.
How can I Mask Up, Back Up, and Wash Up effectively on campus? Wear your mask! Masks should cover your nose and mouth and should be worn indoors in public spaces and outdoors when you can not effectively be physically distant from others. If you do not own a mask, you may purchase one in the Campus Store. Back Up: practice physical distancing by leaving 6 feet between you and others. Wash up: wash your hands often.
What should I do if I was exposed to someone with COVID-19? Report any potential exposure or symptoms to the Dean of Students Office and follow any instructions they provide to seek medical care or to quarantine.
What should I do if I see another student who isn't wearing a mask? Remember, this is the year of community. Please remind them nicely to wear their mask. We are all doing this for each other. Should you have questions, you may contact the Dean of Students Office.
How will office hours be managed? All support services are still fully available to you; some are just offered in a different way. For example:
Dear Students and Colleagues –
Sometime next week – likely earlier than later – all students will receive an email from Edgewood Central, inviting students to apply to Edgewood College for Emergency Relief Funds. I referred to these in last week’s Update. It is important that all of our students—undergraduate and graduate, part-time and full-time—apply for these funds, which are available to offset costs and hardship brought on by the pandemic. Again - this is for all students who are enrolled here. Please take the simple step of filling out the brief application. We want all of our students to continue to reach for and achieve their academic goals. Watch for that email from Edgewood Central, follow the instructions and apply for Emergency Relief Funds, and let’s keep going!
Earlier this week I “attended” (via my laptop) the annual meeting of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. In addition to meeting with elected officials and their staff members, I also heard from Dr. Michelle Cooper, Acting Undersecretary of the Dept. of Education. Dr. Cooper shared the top higher education priorities of President Biden and Vice President Harris. Here are some highlights from the (imperfect) notes I took: expanding Pell Grants to reach more students and to double the maximum amount granted; supporting college students so their education is not interrupted by COVID-19; investing in graduate programs in teaching, health care professions, and STEM areas; reinstating DACA fully and recognizing the vital role of Dreamers by making some types of federal financial aid available for them; and creating new grant programs for colleges that serve high proportions of Pell Grant students, with some special considerations for veterans and single-parents. That’s encouraging information coming from our federal government, to say the least.
Closer to home this week, our public health professionals issued Emergency Order #13, [link] which eases some requirements related to how many of us can gather in groups. I’ll leave it to you to read the fine print. Bottom line? We’re not there yet, but the numbers are trending in the right direction. Some students are receiving communications about Commencement, which we plan to hold in person, in May of this year. We plan for that because this community has come together and has stayed together. The best way to predict the future – even in a pandemic – is to create it. When we keep our circles tight, wear masks when we need to, and follow the protocols we have in place, we’re doing the hard work of creating the future I trust we all want.
Be well.
Cor ad cor loquitur.
-Andrew P. Manion, Ph.D.
President
Edgewood College is committed to providing an inclusive environment for all members of our community. Please remember that any bias or harassment toward community members of perceived Asian descent will not be tolerated. All campus members play an integral part in creating a community that is free from discrimination, harassment, and hate.
If you have been the target of (or have witnessed) an incident of discrimination or of bias, please complete the online form.
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