Public Health Update – 5/21

To the Wesleyan community:

The more we know about the COVID-19 vaccines, the better equipped we are to make informed decisions. I know many of you have questions and the topic raises strong feelings among some.

After more than 35 years as a physician, I critically evaluate scientific studies, keep an open mind to new theories, and stay up-to-date about the medical issues I face regularly in college health. I feel confident in assuring you that vaccines are one of the most important ways (if not the most important way) to control and at times eliminate infectious diseases. Few of us recall the days of the iron lung for polio patients, children dying from the whooping cough, or the sequelae of brain inflammation caused by a number of childhood diseases. Those days are over thanks to vaccines.

I would like to dispel some common myths about the COVID-19 vaccines.

  1. The current vaccines are too new and have not passed the test of time. It takes years for the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to approve a pharmaceutical. These vaccines were approved in a few months.

In reality, the studies that led to approval were well designed, enrolled many people (tens of thousands), and were closely monitored. The rare complication of thrombotic thrombocytopenia occurred in fewer than one in a million people. Rare instances of complications such as this would not be seen with a medication that went through years of an FDA approval process until the medication was in general use. And frankly, the pandemic that was devastating the world warranted a rapid and thorough process of approval. This is much different than, let’s say, the 10th cholesterol medication being evaluated for release on the market.

The technology for the messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines (those made by Pfizer and Moderna) started in the early 1990s, with initial research focusing on rabies, Zika, and cytomegalovirus. The adenoviral vector technology dates back to the 1970s. Research focused on Ebola and cancer treatments. There was a great deal of scientific bench work done prior to the pandemic.

  1. The current vaccines approved in the U.S. use brand-new technologies that have not passed the test of time.

Phase Three studies included many folks. The efficacy and safety profiles appear to be extremely promising.

  1. We do not yet know the long-term effects of taking these vaccines. How do we know what will happen in years to decades?

Side effects and complications from vaccines traditionally occur in the short-term, whether we are looking at allergic reactions, contracting the disease (which only occurs with live vaccines and does not apply to COVID vaccines), the rare Guillain-Barre syndrome, or most recently the extremely rare thrombotic thrombocytopenia syndrome. No long-term sequelae have been identified with the advent of modern vaccines, predating the 1950s to our current vaccines.

  1. The vaccines can affect fertility.

There is no scientific evidence that the vaccines affect fertility and no scientific theory that would link the mechanisms of action with the messenger RNA or the viral vector vaccines to any physiological effect on fertility. While there are some reports of menstrual irregularities following vaccination, we know there are many physiological and psychological stressors that can temporarily affect the menstrual cycle.

  1. The vaccines can alter our DNA.

None of the approved vaccines alters our DNA. Their actions do not affect DNA at all.

  1. Nano particles can be (and are) injected into our bodies. Mass vaccination will essentially effect the takeover of the human race.

This is not true.

I have no doubt that you all understand the importance of becoming educated about the vaccines, considering carefully the sources of information. To date, there have been 163 million cases of COVID and 3.4 million deaths from the disease worldwide. There have been 33 million cases and 583,000 deaths in the U.S.  It’s no surprise that as vaccine rates are climbing, hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID are decreasing.

Please get vaccinated. Students, once you are fully vaccinated, you must upload your information to the Davison Health CenterFaculty and staff, once you are fully vaccinated, we encourage you to share your information via WesPortal.

And to you students graduating, members of the Class of 2021, my congratulations and best wishes for all your future endeavors!

Tom McLarney, MD

Oak Hall Regalia Pre-Orders Available for Pickup at Tomorrow – 5/21 at 10am

Students may pick-up their Oak Hall pre-ordered regalia from WRJJ Bookstore starting Friday, May 21st, at 10 AM. Only regalia pre-ordered via the Oak Hall website will be available for pick up tomorrow. Note that the bookstore cafe opens at 9am, but the store will not be open until 10am.

More information is forthcoming for students who still need to purchase regalia.

Please contact WRJJ Bookstore with any questions. (860-685-3939).

Apply for Fulbright and Other National Fellowships – Info Sessions 6/1 – 8/24

Dear Class of 2021,

Congratulations on your upcoming graduation! As you plan for the future, please consider applying for national fellowships. They are fully funded, usually year-long programs that support a range of global experiences, from research to graduate study to English teaching.

I especially encourage you to consider the Fulbright Study/Research or English Teaching Assistant grants, which allow you to spend a year in one of 100+ participating countries, pursuing independent research or graduate study or teaching English in the classroom. They are open to graduating seniors and recent alumni who are U.S. citizens, and they don’t have a minimum GPA requirement.

If you have clearly defined professional interests supported by experience, consider the Luce Scholarship, which provides a year-long professional placement at an organization in Asia.

Explore our website to learn about other fellowship opportunities and watch short video testimonials from recent applicants.

Application cycles for fellowships are almost a year long to allow for several stages of application review. Apply this fall for programs that take place in 2022-23. See campus deadlines on our website.

To learn more about applying for fellowships, please watch this recording. Fellowships Assistant Genesis Garcia ’22 and I talk about what fellowships are, what experiences they fund, who can apply, and why you should be thinking about them. I also encourage you to watch this recording, in which recent fellowship applicants from Wesleyan share their experiences and advice.

You’re also welcome to sign up for a video appointment on my calendar to talk about choosing the right program and planning the application process.

Finally, if you plan to apply for a national fellowship, either in this application cycle or in the future, you’re warmly invited to participate in the virtual summer application writing sessions. Research shows that writers who write with others are happier, more productive, and more successful.

The virtual application writing sessions will be held every other Tuesday from 7:30 to 9pm ET at the following Zoom link:  

https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/97807415070?pwd=b0sxb1Yxc0tNaC9qU1ZaOStaeGNtZz09

Meeting ID: 978 0741 5070

Passcode  529431

The session dates are as follows:

June 1

June 15

June 29

July 13

July 27

August 10

August 24

Each session will start with goal setting and end with reflection on the work you’ve done. For best results, I encourage you to commit to a set number of sessions. We may talk a little in the beginning, in person or in the chat, then mute ourselves and write. Cameras are always optional.

I’m looking forward to talking to you!

Best wishes,

Magda

Magdalena Zapędowska, Ph.D. [za-pen-doff-ska]

Assistant Director, Fellowships | Fries Center for Global Studies

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Wesleyan University

201D Fisk Hall, 262 High St. | Middletown, CT 06459, USA

 

End-of-Semester Dining for Seniors – Spring 2021

Dining for spring Semester will close following brunch on Saturday, May 22nd.  If you will be staying for Commencement, please plan ahead and stock up on groceries (use of your points) from WesShop prior to the end of finals. Any unused points are forfeited after dining closes.

WesShop hours:

Friday 5/14: 2pm-6pm

Saturday 5/15: 2pm-6pm

Sunday 5/16 – Thursday 5/20: 12pm – 10pm

WesShop closes for the semester after hours on Thursday, 5/20.

Please email dining@wesleyan.edu with any questions.

Finals Write-In + Study Space! – 5/16

Join the Writing Workshop for our first ever Finals Write-In + Study Space! On Sunday, May 16th we’ll be in Tischler Hall (Exley 150) between 2-8pm. Stop by for the most productive afternoon of your finals season–and to make all this work a little less lonely. Writing Tutors will be available for drop-in sessions, and we’ll have plenty of free snacks and stationery to go around. Be one of the first 5 to RSVP and we’ll have a goodie bag for you to pick up on the day-of!

If you can’t come on Sunday, we hope you’ll still make a Writing Workshop appointment this Reading Period. Visit your Writing Workshop Account (WesPortal > Academics) for more details. Email writingworks@wesleyan.edu with any questions.

Finals Write-in Flyer May 16

Public Health Update – 5/7

To the Wesleyan community,

Happy May, everyone! In a few short weeks, classes will end, final exams and projects will be completed, and the University will celebrate the Class of 2021 during Commencement. Summer is just around the corner.

I am happy to see COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths decrease in many states, including Connecticut. We are starting to regain a sense of normalcy as more and more people are vaccinated. Remember that you are not considered fully vaccinated until two weeks after your final vaccine dose. Prior to that, you must consider yourself unvaccinated and maintain our approach to COVID safety guidelines. We received many questions about life on campus for the remainder of the semester, even for those vaccinated. To be safe, we are staying the course with face coverings, distancing, and regular COVID testing.

Students, once you are fully vaccinated, you must upload your information to the Davison Health Center. Faculty and staff, once you are fully vaccinated, we encourage you to share your information via WesPortal.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has posted helpful pictorial charts outlining the differences between which activities unvaccinated and fully vaccinated people may safely participate in. Of particular note, both vaccinated and unvaccinated people are advised to continue to wear face coverings in indoor public spaces, such as malls, movie theaters, and museums.

Although our optimism grows, we note that the effect that COVID is having around the world is heartbreaking. We can only hope that medical supplies and personnel, as well as vaccines, can be made available to all in need. Closer to home, we continue to acknowledge the impact that COVID has had on our local communities, family, and friends. Many of us have lost important figures in our lives without the opportunity to properly grieve and say goodbye. In addition, let us keep in our thoughts those who are suffering from long-lasting complications and symptoms—including heart and lung conditions and long-haul syndrome—as well as those whose lives have been upended by the indirect effects of the pandemic.

Our Pandemic Planning Committee has been planning for the fall semester. We will be informed by the guidelines of the CDC and the Connecticut Department of Public Health. Anticipating a fully vaccinated campus, we are looking forward to a safe semester with the full range of Wesleyan offerings. Additional details regarding the fall will be shared later in the summer.

Our students, staff, and faculty can all pat themselves on the back for their fortitude and positivity, and for the sacrifices they made to ensure a safe campus environment. A university can have the best-laid plans, but only genuine cooperation ensures success. Our Wesleyan community has come through with flying colors!

Congratulations to the graduates of the Class of 2021 and their families. I wish you the best with all future endeavors.

Wishing you a safe, healthy, and restful summer break.

Tom McLarney, MD

FGLI Graduation Celebration – 5/25

To the first generation and/or low-income students in the class of 2021:

We celebrate and honor your legacy!

We are proud of how much you have accomplished for yourselves, for your families, and us all. You are invited to the inaugural Honoring the Legacy event (RSVP link) to celebrate graduating FGLI seniors on Tuesday, May 25th from 12noon-1:30pm in the Hogwarts Tent (next to the parking lot at 301 High Street – Facebook event).  The Socioeconomic Status and Disability interns in The RC created this event to celebrate the graduating FGLI community at Wesleyan.  During the event the FGLI seniors will receive a free lunch, customized graduation swag, and well wishes from each other and the Wesleya n community.

DATE OF THE EVENT: May 25th, 2021
TIME: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
LOCATION: Hogwarts Tent (next to the parking lot at 301 High Street
Please RSVP (link) because seats are limited as we need to adhere to COVID-19 capacity restrictions.

To everyone who have friends and connections to the FGLI students in the class of 2021, please help us celebrate them by submitting your best Wesleyan memories with the graduates and/or video recording a few words of congratulations (submission link), be it pictures or videos. The videos and pictures will be compiled together to form a post collage and video montage that will be displayed throughout the event.  The submission deadline is May 18th at 5PM.

Thanks,

Griselda, Shakira, Briana, and Alice

FGLI Grad Celebration Flyer

Campus Update from 5/5

To the Wesleyan community,

I want to sincerely thank you all for your tireless efforts toward making Wesleyan a safe place to be this academic year. Because of your care, diligence, and cooperation in following the community guidelines, we have been able to maintain COVID-19 positivity rates well below the level predicted by our modeling. I am pleased to report that we are planning for a return to normal campus operations and residential education in the fall.

Toward that end, I want to share important campus updates from the Pandemic Planning Committee. In the coming months, we will begin to relax some restrictions in preparation for fall. Employees should continue to consult with their Cabinet members on work plans. The following changes will take effect:

Effective immediately: Small gatherings permitted

  • Academic and administrative departments are permitted to host meetings and gatherings of 20 people or less. For the remainder of this semester, these gatherings should be outdoors, limited to members of the Wesleyan community and all attendees must wear masks. Limited catering is available from Bon Appetit. Please contact John Kehoe at jkehoe@wesleyan.edu for more information

June 1: Student vaccinations required; some services reopen to campus community

  • All students on campus will be required to be vaccinated and staff and faculty are encouraged to be vaccinated. Students must upload their information to the Davison Health Center and faculty and staff should share their information via WesPortal.
  • Visitors to campus are permitted in outdoor spaces and will be expected to wear masks. This change allows prospective students and their families to participate in campus tours hosted by the Office of Admission. The size of tour groups may be limited and all activities will be outdoors. Additional details about visitors to campus will be provided as part of the fall operations plan.
  • The Olin and Science Libraries will be open daily to the campus community from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Marketplace will be open daily through August 25 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 5 to 7 p.m. for summer meal plans or walk-up traffic. Marketplace will remain cashless. All other dining services on campus will be closed until September 1.
  • Usdan will be open Mondays through Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and weekends from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • WesStation will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mail delivery to departments is still suspended.

July 1: Travel guidance

  • University-funded travel for fully vaccinated faculty, staff, and students will be permitted. This includes domestic locations as well as international locations that are considered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to be at COVID risk level 1 (low) or 2 (moderate). If a country rises above risk level 2 before the trip takes place, it should be postponed or cancelled.

Despite these upcoming changes, I want to call your attention to an important policy that has not changed: the wearing of face coverings. While we are aware that the CDC recently eased its guidelines on the wearing of masks outdoors among fully vaccinated individuals in small groups, there is no change to Wesleyan’s policy requiring the wearing of masks and face coverings on campus. As many members of our campus community have yet to complete their vaccinations, the Pandemic Planning Committee believes it is important to maintain this guideline. For more details on this and other safety guidelines that our campus community will continue to follow, please visit Keep Wes Safe and review our Community Agreement (for faculty and staff) and Code of Conduct (for students).

We are very much looking forward to seeing our campus return to its full vibrancy and in the coming months we will share more details about fall operations. Thank you again for your cooperation and patience over the past year, as well as in the coming months. We truly appreciate your efforts.

Sincerely,

Rick Culliton

Dean of Students

Chair, Pandemic Planning Committee