News and announcements from Skidmore College

Weekly Bulletin

COVID-19 Updates

Skidmore president, administrators update employees about spring semester

On Thursday, Jan. 21, Skidmore President Marc C. Conner and College administrators discussed Skidmore's Spring 2021 Return to Campus Plan, including efforts to maintain a safe campus environment during the COVID-19 pandemic, the rollout of vaccines, testing for the virus and other topics.  

 

COVID-19 testing requirements for Skidmore employees are outlined in the Human Resources section of this Bulletin. Updates will continue to be provided through this Bulletin and occasional direct email messages that will also be posted on the Campus Planning website.  

Skidmore News

President Marc C. Conner

The president extends a warm welcome to faculty, staff and students to a new semester on Skidmore’s beautiful campus, while also emphasizing the need for heightened vigilance to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Read More
Update from the SAAC

Skidmore’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which includes representatives of every team, announces the creation of a plan to promote diversity and inclusion.

Read More
Spring athletics update

Skidmore Athletics is prioritizing health and safety as it works toward allowing teams to return to practice and competition during the spring semester.

Read More
President Biden and VP Harris

Across disciplines ranging from English literature and history to Black studies and music, Skidmore faculty members offer their own perspectives on the significance of the inauguration of U.S. President Joseph Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Read More
CIS Updates

Center for Integrated Sciences update

An important milestone in the construction of the CIS project has been reached. The construction of the North Wing has been essentially completed and the work of commissioning the building (ensuring that all building systems such as HVAC and the alarm systems are operating correctly) has been largely wrapped up. Several classes were offered in the North Wing last semester and several more are taking place during the spring semester. Responsibility for building operations is now being turned over from the contractor to Facilities Services. This will allow our contractors and our project manager to focus on the ongoing construction of the East Wing and New Dana renovations. If you need any further information or have questions, please contact Pat Fehling.

Dining Services

Hours of operation and Dining Services updates are available online.

Oracle Cloud System

After months of planning, Skidmore is pleased to roll out an upgraded Oracle Cloud system for financial and human resources functions. Please click on this link to access the new system. As announced by Information Technology, Skidmore is now also using a system called Okta to manage web applications. Please continue to review the Oracle Cloud training website and the Skidmore Weekly Bulletin for updates.  

 

Finance and Human Resources staff will continue to host daily open office hours from 11 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 2 p.m. Please click on this link to access the Oracle Cloud training website and schedule of Zoom sessions. The first 30 minutes of each session will generally include open Q&A, with the second 30 minutes reserved for specific transactional support. Zoom breakout rooms will be used to facilitate screen sharing.   

Human Resources

Virtual Diabetes Prevention Program

A Virtual Diabetes Prevention Program through St. Peter’s Health Partners began Wednesday, Jan. 20. This program is free of charge and open to anyone who qualifies (those with prediabetes or those who may have other risk factors for Type 2 diabetes). Learn more about the program here

 

Making the Most of Gratitude in 2021

Our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) has shared an exciting new tip sheet: Making the Most of Gratitude in 2021. We hope you find this tip sheet helpful. 

Important Updates: Employee COVID-19 testing information

Effective this week, Skidmore College has resumed its testing program for most employees who will be on campus this semester. This week, employees working on campus only need to be tested ONCE. Unless you fall under one of the following categories, please be sure to get tested this week:  

  1. Employees who work remotely. 
  2. Employees who are not scheduled to work on campus. 
  3. Employees who may need to be on campus briefly, such that they are on campus no more than twice per week and for a period that amounts to no more than 30 minutes each time. An example would be coming in only to pick up mail or make a copy.  
  4. Employees who have tested positive in the past 12 weeks. Employees who test positive should resume weekly testing after 12 weeks.   

 

Employees who will be on campus irregularly but who do not fall within the third exemption, above, must be tested before working on campus. Therefore, we ask that employees and supervisors be mindful of any occasional need to be on a campus and to plan accordingly so that employees are tested at least 24 hours prior to coming to work on campus.

 

Testing during the weeks of Feb. 1 and Feb. 8

For the first two weeks of the semester, every employee working on campus will be tested TWICE weekly. These tests should be taken at least 72 hours apart. Unless you are not scheduled to work, all employees who are required to get tested should get the first test on Monday or Tuesday. To prevent long lines and promote social distancing, please follow the following schedule for your testing window:  

LAST NAME

DAY

TIME SLOT

A-B

C-D

E-G

H-K

L-M

N-Q

R-S

T-Z

Monday

Monday

Monday

Monday

Tuesday

Tuesday

Tuesday

Tuesday

8 – 10 a.m

10 a.m. – noon

noon 2 p.m.

2 – 4 p.m.

8 – 10 a.m

10 a.m. – noon

noon – 2 p.m.

2 – 4 p.m.

Employees who are not scheduled to work on Monday or Tuesday should get their first test on their first scheduled day of the week. Employees should coordinate with their supervisor to select a testing time. Similarly, employees who are unable to get tested during the scheduled times posted above should work with their supervisors to select an alternative testing time. Faculty members may select a testing day and time that works best with their teaching schedules.  

 

Faculty members who are teaching remotely during "safe shelter" and any other employees who are working remotely are not required to test twice per week unless they will be on campus. Faculty members must test and receive a negative result prior to their first day of in-person classes. Please plan on taking the test within 72 hours of the first time you are coming on campus and resuming regular testing from that date. 

 

Faculty members and other employees who do not live locally may obtain a COVID-19 test in their local community and provide their negative test results to HR prior to their first day of returning to work on campus. 

 

Employees who are required to test twice per week during the weeks of Feb. 1 and Feb. 8 should follow the schedule below for the first two weeks of classes:  

 

Week 1

Test 1

Monday, Feb. 1

Tuesday, Feb. 2

Wednesday, Feb. 3

Thursday, Feb. 4

Friday, Feb. 5

Test 2

Thursday, Feb. 4

Friday, Feb. 5

Saturday, Feb. 6

Sunday, Feb. 7

Monday, Feb. 8

Week 2

Test 1

Monday, Feb. 8

Tuesday, Feb. 9

Wednesday, Feb. 10

Thursday, Feb. 11

Friday, Feb. 12

Test 2

Thursday, Feb. 11

Friday, Feb. 12

Saturday, Feb. 13

Sunday, Feb. 14

Monday, Feb. 15*

* as this is the beginning of a new testing week, this is the only test you will be required to take for the week of Feb. 15

 

Employees who are not scheduled to work on their second day of testing should get tested during their next regularly scheduled shift.

 

Where to Get Tested

All employee testing will be held at Falstaff’s Pavillion.

 

When to Get Tested

To accommodate twice weekly testing from Feb.1-14, testing will be available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

 

You must bring your Skidmore College ID for proper identification. Masks must be worn, and employees must maintain appropriate social distancing at all times.

 

Positive test results or close contact with a positive individual off campus

Employees who test positive for COVID-19 outside of Skidmore College’s testing program or are subject to quarantine because of close contact with a positive individual off campus must notify Laura Goodwin in HR immediately.

 

Daily Health Certification

The Daily Health Certification must be completed before or upon arrival to campus each day.

 

Recording absence time due to quarantine

Any employee who is unable to work as a result of a mandatory or precautionary order of quarantine will receive up to 14 days of College Emergency Leave. Employees should record this time as College Emergency Leave when completing their timecards. Employees who are quarantined but who can work remotely are not eligible for College Emergency Leave.

 

This information is also available on the Campus Planning website. Thank you for your support and cooperation in keeping the Skidmore community safe. If you have any questions, please contact the interim HR director. 

Faculty-Staff Achievements

Click here for details about the achievements below.

 

Anna Brezny, assistant professor of chemistry, published a scientific article. Read more>>

 

Marc Conner, president of the College, published a book review. Read more>>

 

Jordana Dym, professor of history and director of the Latin American and Latinx Studies Program, convened an online series for the American Historical Association. Jenny Huangfu Day, associate professor of history, was among the presenters. Read more>> 

 

Rebecca McNamara, associate curator at the Tang Teaching Museum, appeared in a television interview. Read more>> 

 

Bradley Onishi, associate professor of religious studies, published an op-ed in The New York Times. Read more>> 

 

Bernardo Ramirez Rios, assistant professor of anthropology, published a book chapter. Read more>> 

 

Jessica Sullivan, associate professor of psychology, and Leigh Wilton, assistant professor of psychology, co-authored an article that has attracted media attention. Read more>> 

 

We welcome submissions from faculty and staff related to professional accomplishments and scholarly endeavors.

Announcements

Parking for COVID-19 testing

No parking is available at Falstaff’s Pavillion. The paved areas next to Falstaff’s are designated for emergency access as fire lanes. Please use the upper Palamountain parking lot. Contact Campus Safety, if you have questions. 

 

Williamson Sports Center spring semester hours

Williamson Sports Center is open for academic purposes only Feb. 2-12. Hours are 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday; noon-6 p.m. Sunday. Additional information is available online

 

Skidmore Shop

From now until the College exits safe shelter mode, members of the Skidmore community must make an appointment to pick up their skidmoreshop.com orders, as the Shop will be closed for in-person shopping. These dates are subject to change as we prioritize the safety of our community. Please contact us at skidmoreshop@skidmore.edu or call 518-580-5490 with any questions. 

 

Whole Grain online: “with it which it as it if it is to be, Part II” 

In an online version of the screening series, “Whole Grain: Experiments in Film and Video,” the Tang presents a limited-access presentation of Eve Fowler’s “with it which it as it if it is to be, Part II” (2019) in conjunction with the exhibition “Never Done: 100 Years of Women in Politics and Beyond.” Fowler’s video is the second installment in her planned 10-part video series that explores the working practices of women artists in their later years of their career, in their studios and interacting with their art. The video will be available for streaming on the Tang website through Feb. 7. For more information, contact Tom Yoshikami

 

Silver the Void online

The Tang has just released a special recording of a commissioned performance by Silver the Void in the installation “Nicole Cherubini: Shaking the Trees.” Silver the Void is an improvisational music/art project of artist Susan Jennings, who makes sculptures and plays those sculptures with her husband and daughter. For the performance, Jennings added Cherubini's son, Malachi Cherubini Purcell, on harp. Watch the video on the “Shaking the Trees” exhibition webpage. For more information, contact Michael Janairo.  

 

“Culture as Catalyst” book talk

Join former Tang Curator-at-Large Isolde Brielmaier in an event celebrating the Museum’s latest publication, “Culture as Catalyst,” at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4. Brielmaier, the book’s editor, will discuss the project with artists Renee Cox and Duron Jackson, who were both contributors. The online event is sponsored by the Institute of African American Affairs and Center for Black Visual Culture at New York University. “Culture as Catalyst” is a collection of dialogues and new writings by artists, scholars, activists and influential thinkers on urgent issues of our time. This critical publication accompanies the 2017–2019 Accelerator Series of public conversations held at the Tang Teaching Museum at Skidmore College. Registration for this Zoom event is available via NYU. For more information, contact Olivia Cammisa-Frost.  

 

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Accessing College Resources

A comprehensive list of current resources and services available to the Skidmore community is now available online. This website will be updated frequently. Updates and additions to this list can be submitted by email.

 

Skidmore College continues to provide campuswide updates on the Campus Planning 2020-21 website.

 Please send submissions to the Office of Communications and Marketing. 

Skidmore College

 

 815 North Broadway

 Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

518-580-5000