|
With this excitement, though, I know we all have felt some concerns about the pandemic situation that is not letting up (and frankly, for me, I am so tired of it!). Many of you know, I have a 4-year-old (going on 14 I think on some days) at home who cannot be vaccinated, so I also share the concerns of many of our parents and those of us taking care of other high-risk family members, friends, and loved ones. As we move into the fall, my charge to our directors and leadership is to continue and ensure health and safety is a part of all of our programs and operations, following guidance from GT. For some messaging that you may choose to share with your students or staff, please see the slides at this LINK. I also echo the encouragement for everyone to follow three pieces of advice shared by President Cabrera at last night’s New Student Convocation:
- Get vaccinated if you haven’t already—the vaccines work!
- Wear masks, particularly indoors
- Get tested regularly (and enjoy a free cookie or King of Pops)
I will be sharing this advice with my GT1000 class this week, reminding them how important it is for not only their health but the health of our entire community.
Before closing, and saying goodbye to summer, I want to thank everyone for all the hard work this past summer with all of the FASET events, summer programming, successful iGniTe (with over 700 students in both virtual and residential), sending 41 new first-year students to GTL for their first fall, and so much more. I am also proud of the 18 OUE staff members, covering all OUE units, who engaged in 4 days of professional development (at a very busy time of year) to support our ongoing DEI work (more on this at the Fall Town Hall). As we start the fall, many of you are engaged in teaching and supporting our >100 sections of GT1000 and GT2000 this fall, ensuring our first-year and transfer students get off to a successful start, and we are engaged in efforts to support rising second-years in our “Second-Year Success Series” and other outreach. I am excited about what is to come this fall.
Best,
| 
