Campus Connections: March 8, 2021
Jayson Boyers, EdD - March 8, 2021
Dear Members of the Rosemont Community,
It is the ninth week of the Spring semester. Here is what is happening at Rosemont.
In this week’s issue, you’ll find:
- Our Numbers: Rosemont’s COVID-19 Dashboard
- The Many Things Happening on Campus This Week & Beyond
- Things to Explore
By the Numbers
Rosemont’s Dashboard
As we reach the half-way point of the Spring semester and prepare to enter Term Two, I thought it would be a good time to dig into the COVID-19 statistics that we’ve been sharing with you this semester and last. I love data, and we’ve discovered some interesting points worth sharing.
Those of you who have been reading Campus Connections since August will note that our current reporting of our PCR positivity rate is cumulative. The mathematically inclined among you will recognize that means that each week we are reporting the sum total of all of the positive test results since the start of the semester divided by the total number of tests conducted over the semester. While that is informative, it doesn’t tell us what is happening at this very moment in time.
The testing protocol that we determined with Main Line Health has called for baseline testing at the start of each Term. Up until this point, our other testing has been done when someone is experiencing symptoms or has been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, the tests that we conduct throughout the semester have more likelihood of being positive than those conducted during the baseline testing.
If you are still with me, you’ve likely realized that, given our current methodology, the cumulative PCR positivity rate will only go up – and pretty quickly – with even a handful of positive cases.
Let me give you an example using this week’s numbers. Rosemont’s cumulative PCR positivity rate as of Friday, March 5 has increased to 7.8%. As I mentioned last week, the spread is among students resulting from a gathering.
However, there are only 8 students who currently have positive COVID-19 test results. All of these students are safely quarantining on campus or off campus.
An additional 9 students are in quarantine on campus, as a result of having been exposed to someone who has tested positive. 82% of the College’s on-campus quarantine beds are available.
Among faculty, staff, and our food service and facility management partners, there have only been a total of 5 positive COVID-19 test results since the start of the semester, and that total has not increased since Friday, January 29.
So, as you can see, at this very moment in time, the spread of COVID-19 is contained on Rosemont’s campus.
Beginning on March 24, we will begin testing 25% of our Undergraduate College student body on a weekly basis. We have determined this new protocol in consultation with Main Line Health. At that time, we’ll change our reporting of PCR positivity rate to a rolling weekly average, instead of a cumulative rate. Statisticians, rejoice!
Remember, until then, each Monday, our website Dashboard will be updated to reflect the cumulative PCR rate for our College campus and the number of available quarantine beds on campus.
The Many Things Happening on Campus
Campus Climate Survey - Two Weeks Remain – Make the Power of Your Voice Heard
For two more weeks, we will be conducting our campus climate survey, specifically about Diversity and Belonging. Your voice is important to us, and this survey is a chance for all voices to be heard. As I have shared, this survey is an important tool that will help us develop strategic goals and define investments to make Rosemont a place of belonging for all. To deliver the survey and analyze our data, we have partnered with the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS) —an established organization with a proven survey approach that ensures data efficacy and participant confidentiality.
Once the survey data has been collected, we will share the results with the entire Rosemont community, so that you may see for yourself how we are doing and where improvements are needed. In the months that follow, Dr. Alovor and the entire leadership team will begin to make actionable changes to improve the systematic and cultural challenges identified.
All students, faculty, and staff members received an email on February 22 from RosemontCampusClimateSurvey@hedsconsortium.org through the Office of the President with a link and directions for the survey. If you don’t recall receiving it, please be sure to check your Clutter, Junk, or other SPAM folders. Please make a special effort to complete the survey as soon as you can. The survey takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete, and once complete, survey respondents will have the chance to enter a drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card.
Never forget the POWER of your voice. It will help impact deliberate, thoughtful, and intentional efforts of belonging on our campus.
Commencement Response Forms Due March 15
Commencement 2021 is just 11 weeks away! In-person ceremonies will be held on campus on Saturday, May 15 for the 2020 and 2021 graduates of the Undergraduate College and on Sunday, May 16 for 2020 and 2021 graduates of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies. Graduates, please review the Commencement Q & A page of our website, and be sure to check your email for a very important communication from the Office of the Registrar that was sent last week. That email will be sent to you from commencement@rosemont.edu. If you plan to participate in Commencement on campus, you MUST submit your reply form by March 15. Due to the nature of this year’s planning, no late submissions will be accepted. Your timely reply is important, as it will allow us to determine the following:
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- the number of graduates of each degree included in each ceremony;
- the precise time of your ceremony and your campus check-in and check-out time;
- how many guests each graduate may bring.
A Look Back & A Way Forward: One Year of COVID-19
President Jayson Boyers invites you to join him via Zoom on Tuesday, March 16 for A Look Back & A Way Forward: One Year of COVID-19, a roundtable discussion focused on how the Rosemont College community has adapted, pivoted, and changed since our March 13, 2020 shutdown due to the coronavirus. Together, we’ll share the many lessons we have learned over the past year and how we collectively see the Rosemont College community embracing the future post-pandemic.
The POWER of small, the short documentary film created and produced by Talaya Martin-Smith ’21 as part of her Fall internship with Big Picture Alliance, will be screened during the event. The documentary chronicles life on Rosemont’s campus during the Fall 2020 semester of the pandemic from Talaya’s thoughtful and insightful perspective. A question and answer session with Talaya will follow the screening.
Two sessions of A Look Back & A Way Forward: One Year of COVID-19 will be held on March 16. One for students, faculty, and staff at 4 pm and one for alumni at 7 pm. Register online today!
Office of Leadership & Engagement Invites You …
Students – Women’s History Month continues. Don’t miss the fun on campus this week!
Wednesday: SGA Town Hall at 5 pm via Zoom
Saturday: Nomadland at 6 pm in the Dining Hall
To learn more, contact Jessica Burns at jessica.burns@rosemont.edu.
Rosemont’s Food Pantry Is Open to All
The Rosemont Food Pantry, located in the lower level of the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception, is available to any student, faculty member, or staff member on campus. It is stocked with a variety of snacks and meals that require little or no preparation. To access the Pantry, simply enter the Chapel from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm any day, including Saturday and Sunday, and proceed down the stairs to the lower level. The Pantry is located in the hallway on the right. Look for the signs! For more information on the Food Pantry, email campusministry@rosemont.edu.
Counseling Center: Spring Semester Hours and Contact Information
The Counseling Center has a new Interim Director for the Spring semester, Dr. Thomas DeGeorge, LPC, Assistant Professor in the Graduate Counseling Department. Dr. Patrick Rowley, Director and Assistant Professor in the Graduate Counseling Department, is serving as a consultant to the Counseling Center for daytime emergencies. Anne Egler serves as a staff counselor, and Lena Buccigrossi, Zara Khan, Rob Pina, Meg Rose, and Courtney Waters serve as intern counselors. The Counseling Center is open Monday thru Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. You can reach the Center by phone at ext. 2417. After office hours, please contact Public Safety for on-campus emergencies at ext. 2555 from College phones or 610-527-1038 from any cell or other phone. Off-campus, please call 911 for emergencies.
Things to Explore
the POWER of small Podcast
The eighth episode of Season Two debuts today. This week’s episode is a conversation with Joe Pavlow, the College’s Director of Athletics, about the impact of COVID-19 on the College’s athletes, his plans for a Spring sports season, and more. Stream this episode and others at www.rosemont.edu/podcast. Remember, you can also find the POWER of small Podcast on Spotify and Amazon, as well as on iHeart Radio.
Don’t Miss this Week’s Sunday Reflection from Jeanne Marie Hatch, SHCJ
Each Sunday of the semester, Sr. Jeanne Hatch, the College’s former Vice President for Mission and Ministry, treats the College community to insightful reflections on the day’s Gospel and New and Old Testament Readings. You can read them on the Campus Ministry page of our website.
Quotable Cornelia
Betsy Shea ’73 made a great suggestion that each issue of Campus Connections contain a quote of Cornelia Connelly, the founder of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus. I love that idea, so beginning this week, you can count on reading one each week. I’ll begin with a favorite, perfect for our time, “This is the time to ask for great things: faith, zeal, generosity, humility, charity.”
What I am …
Watching … Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy on CNN
Reading … Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam Grant (My Leadership Team is reading it with me, too.)
Following … @ScottGottliebMD - Former FDA Commissioner on the Boards of Pfizer & Illumina
Listening to … Jesuitical - a podcast from America Media
Thanks for reading Campus Connections. I’ll be back with more next Monday.
In the meantime, be in touch with me at president@rosemont.edu about what you might like to see included in next week’s Campus Connections.
President Boyers