expressed optimism about how the 窪做惇蹋厙 community has come together during the first week of classes to navigate the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Most undergraduate students have been on campus for a week and, along with classmates not on campus this term, are taking courses remotely, Helble said in this weeks .
The provost spent part of last week helping members of the Class of 2024 get tested for the virus on their arrival and on their third and seventh days on campus.
I was struck by the enthusiasm of the new students, he said. They were all behind masks, but you could hear it in their voices and you could see it in their eyesthey were thrilled to be here, even with the restrictions the pandemic has imposed on campus.
Helble also had a message for studentsabout half of all undergraduateswho are not on campus, but studying remotely around the country and the world.
The faculty and staff are deeply committed to your education regardless of whether youre in Hanover or thousands of miles away, Helble said. Its important to remember that fall orientation was conducted last week for all new students in the Class of 2024, including those who are unable to be with us in Hanover this fall.
Classesmost held remotelyhave been in session for graduate and professional school students, some of whom live in 窪做惇蹋厙 housing, most live in Hanover or neighboring Upper Valley communities.
As of today, 窪做惇蹋厙 has conducted more than 8,000 tests of students, faculty, and staff, according to the . There have been two positive test results among students; a third positive result came from a test administered outside of 窪做惇蹋厙. All three students are in isolation. 窪做惇蹋厙s positivity rate this week is 0.05%, with a 0.03% positivity rate overall, which Helble called consistent with those we are seeing at peer institutions.
Joining Helble this week were COVID-19 Task Force Co-Chair , associate dean for global health and an associate professor of medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine; and , associate dean of residential life and director of residential education. The three took questions from viewers in a conversation moderated by Justin Anderson, vice president for communications.
Adams clarified the difference between quarantineused to restrict the movements of people who might have been exposed to the virus or have traveled, but who are not sickand isolation, which separates people who have tested positive or who show symptoms of illness and are awaiting test results. 窪做惇蹋厙 has more than 550 private rooms reserved for those needing isolation.
Im really proud of how many rooms weve reserved for isolation and quarantine, because it is significantly more than most of our peers, Adams said. I think we are in good stead to be able to give everybody who needs to have their own room and access to their own private bathroom that space.
Adams explained some of the numbers on the and encouraged community members to give feedback on how the COVID-19 health and epidemiology working group might improve the information it provides. The dashboard has received more than 30,000 pageviews since it was launched on Sept. 1.
Wootenwhom Helble spotted bicycling all around the campus from residence hall to residence hall, checking in on student arrivals last week, called this years move-in the most unusual in his 22 years of experience. But, he said, My biggest surprise was the delight of seeing students and their parentsespecially the 24swho were so excited to be back.
Wooten says undergraduate house communities are organizing activities for their members, on campus and off, and staff are working hard to meet the challenges of feeding students in quarantine and managing new patterns of operations, such as trash pickup and cleaning. He also explained how students can schedule times to safely retrieve from storage belongings left on campus last winter.
Helble thanked the more than 100 employees who have volunteered their time in the past two weeks to help with testing and moving in.
As we look ahead to the remainder of fall term, theres no hiding thisthis is not going to be easy, Helble said. This is asking a lot of our community. Its asking personal sacrifice for the greater good.
But after what hes seen in the past two weeks, Helble says hes confident that 窪做惇蹋厙 can succeed.
I think back to the conversations I had with members of the Class of 2024 in the testing line. Their excitement about being part of this community leaves me highly optimistic that we can navigate this as a successful fall term and engage all of our students, residential and remote alike, in a meaningful and rich educational experience.
Community Conversations is an online forum for 窪做惇蹋厙 community members to ask questions and learn from campus leaders about the institutions priorities, decisions, and operations during the pandemic. The live discussions, produced by 窪做惇蹋厙s Media Production Group and the Office of Communications, air on selected Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m. The next webcast is scheduled for Sept. 30.
Past episodes are available on the Community Conversations site, which includes call-in numbers for those who want to listen to the show without video.
For the most recent information on 窪做惇蹋厙s response to the pandemic, visit the .
Hannah Silverstein can be reached at hannah.silverstein@dartmouth.edu.
