News and announcements from Skidmore College

Weekly Bulletin

COVID-19 Updates

Skidmore College is currently operating at Alert Level 3. Please see President Conner’s email from yesterday for important information.

COVID-19 Support Team Members Needed

With the recent increase in student positive cases, the College needs additional employees to join the COVID-19 support team and to serve as a quarantine captains or quarantine buddies. Interested employees should discuss the opportunity with their supervisor and, if approved, contact Human Resources. Current members of the Skidmore COVID-19 support team will provide training and ongoing support for these roles. In recognition of the fact that serving in these roles involves increased demands outside employees’ normal responsibilities and work hours, the College will provide additional compensation for this work. Please see an email sent to all employees from Sarah Vero earlier today for additional details.

Vaccine Eligibility Updates

As of Tuesday, April 6, all individuals age 16 and older are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine at a state-run facility. That update is reflected on the state’s appointment scheduling tool, available here. Please be advised that pharmacies are limited to offering vaccines to teachers, residents over the age of 60 and those with underlying conditions. The state Department of Health also provided a helpful clarification on vaccine eligibility for "essential in-person staff" at colleges. According to the department, staff who are working remotely because they are not vaccinated but would begin working in person once they have been vaccinated are eligible to be vaccinated within this category, assuming they then begin to work in person. This includes employees who plan to be on campus for work over the summer.

Please see the Employee COVID-19 Information section below for more information.

Skidmore News

Skidmore College launches campus master planning process

Calling Skidmore’s campus master planning process a “deeply collaborative community partnership,” President Marc Conner provided an overview of his vision for the plan and process, and introduced the firm that will gather input from all members of the Skidmore community, guide the College through the planning process over the next 14 months and draft its Campus Master Plan next year.

Eight entrepreneurs jump into Skidmore’s "Shark Tank"

Skidmore’s annual Freirich Entrepreneurship Competition features students pitching real business plans and competing for funding. This year’s final presentations are scheduled for Friday, April 9. .

Dining Services

Information about flavors for this week’s bread sale is available on the Spa Specials webpage. 

The Spa, Burgess Café and Atrium Café are open to Skidmore employees. Please visit the Dining Services website regularly for updates, specials, hours of operation and other information.  

Human Resources

You’re Invited: Breakfast with HR – Supervisor Roundtable

With the annual performance review process right around the corner, all current supervisors are invited to attend our next supervisor roundtable, where we will discuss “how to write an effective performance evaluation.” The session will be held from 9 to 10 a.m. Thursday, May 6. To register, please go to our HR Training website.

Virtual Retirement Planning Workshops

We are pleased to announce the College is offering a retirement planning workshop remotely through Zoom for faculty and staff to be conducted by David K. Carboni, an authority in the field of retirement planning. This special workshop has been conducted by Dr. Carboni at Skidmore over the last few years, receiving high ratings from participants. The three, 90-minute sessions are good opportunities to help you plan for a successful retirement. Participants will receive electronic copies of the presentations as well as lists of helpful readings and websites.

Unlike workshops offered by financial service providers, this program is strictly educational, as Dr. Carboni sells no financial products or services. Remember, you do not have to be “on the verge of retiring” to benefit from this program. In fact, the earlier you begin planning the better.

We are limiting enrollment to 25 participants, and it will be on a first-come, first-served basis, so don’t delay. Workshops will take place from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 14, Monday, April 19, and Wednesday, April 21. To enroll in any of the following workshops, please register on the HR Training website.

Employee COVID-19 Information

Vaccination Update

Please be advised that the Aviation Mall in Queensbury recently opened for vaccination appointments. Eligible employees may schedule an appointment to receive the vaccine by visiting this website. Instructions for the New York state-operated vaccination sites are detailed on the homepage of this website along with a COVID-19 vaccine tracker. Eligible employees may also call the New York State Vaccination Hotline at 1-833-NYS-4VAX (1-833-697-4829). Answers to many questions regarding the vaccination and Skidmore College’s policy can now be found on the FAQs webpage.

Vaccinated? Tell HR!

Employees should notify Interim Human Resources Director Sarah Delaney Vero by email once they are fully vaccinated. This information is used for contact tracing purposes, as employees who are fully vaccinated are not required to quarantine, if they come into close contact with an individual who tests positive. This information will also be key in planning for the fall semester and the anticipated return to work on campus. Please note, all health and safety protocols continue to apply to all employees, even after vaccination, including testing for in-person staff, wearing a mask at all times on campus and maintaining appropriate social distancing.

Paid Time Off for Vaccine Appointments During Work Hours

Skidmore encourages all employees to get vaccinated. All employees who cannot schedule vaccination appointments outside of regular work hours will receive paid time off for work time missed due to receiving the vaccine. Exempt and nonexempt employees should record any work time missed due to traveling to and receiving the vaccination as sick time. Union employees should record this time as College Emergency Leave. To be eligible for paid leave, employees must provide proof of their vaccination appointment to their supervisor, who will work with Human Resources to approve a sufficient period of paid time off for each vaccine injection. The amount of paid time off will depend on the time and location of the vaccination appointment (e.g., local appointments may require one or two hours of paid time off to attend while an appointment in Plattsburgh could require four hours of paid time off to account for the additional travel time.)

Return to Work

With a gradual reopening in the coming months anticipated and return to on-campus presence in the fall, many employees understandably have questions about returning to work from remote work arrangements. At this time, employees whose work requires them to be present for in-person classes, programs, services or projects should expect to work on campus this summer. Those who can continue to work remotely should plan to do so. Updates regarding summer and fall operations, including testing requirements for those who work on campus this summer, will be provided to the community as soon as information becomes available.

Daily Health Certification

Please remember to complete the Daily Health Certification before or upon arrival to campus each day. New York state recently announced that quarantine will no longer be required for domestic travel entering the state as of April 1. In accordance with this guidance, the Daily Health Questionnaire has been updated to remove the question regarding out-of-state domestic travel. Please note: Out-of-state travelers are still required to fill out the Traveler Health Form and must monitor for symptoms for 14 days after their return and immediately self-isolate if symptoms emerge. Fully vaccinated individuals who remain asymptomatic and asymptomatic individuals who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 within the past three months and have since recovered are not required to quarantine following travel or potential exposure to COVID-19 under current guidance.

Where and When to Get Tested

The College continues to require all employees who work on campus to be tested on a weekly basis. All testing is held at Falstaff’s during the following times:

• 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday
• 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday
• 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday
• 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday
• 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday

Please note: Testing at Falstaff’s is for surveillance testing only. Staff who are experiencing symptoms should contact their primary care provider.

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

Testing for New Hires Working on Campus

Hiring managers should reach out to Leslie Miakisz to coordinate testing for new hires who will be working on campus. New hires should be tested within 72 hours of their first day of work on campus.

Skidmore Spotlight

Meet Kayleigh Winne

Kayleigh Winne, environmental service technician and trainer/facilitator in Facilities Services, is part of Skidmore’s COVID-19 cleaning team and works to prevent the spread of the coronavirus on campus. 

Faculty-Staff Achievements

Click here for details about the achievements below.

An article by Kristofer Covey, visiting assistant professor of environmental studies and sciences, was covered in more than 30 media outlets. Read more >> 

Evan Mack, senior teaching professor of music, was interviewed by WAMC about his new album. Read more >> 

Tammy Owens, assistant professor of American studies, published a piece on the Youth Circulations website. Read more >> 

Jeremy Sloane, instructor of biology, published a literature review in the Journal of College Science Teaching. Read more >> 

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

Skidmore Lectures

Going to the Griot: Conversations with Dr. Cornel West

Cornel West, one of the most provocative public intellectuals of our time, will participate in live, intersectional conversations with Cerri Banks, dean of students and vice president for student affairs; Gwen D’Arcangelis, associate professor of gender studies; Anissa Joseph '22, political science major; and Kezia Page, associate professor and director of Africana and Latin American studies at Colgate University, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, April 12.   

To view all upcoming lectures and for details on how to submit information about upcoming Skidmore academic lectures, named lectures and faculty panels, visit the Skidmore Lectures webpage.  

Announcements

Open Office Hours for Dean of Students/VP for Student Affairs Search

President Conner and the consultants from Storbeck Search invite all students and employees to provide their thoughts on the qualities to consider in hiring the next dean of students/vice president for student affairs. Search consultants Steve Leo and Holly Jackson will be pleased to meet with you to hear your thoughts, suggestions and concerns during this virtual open office session from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, April 15. To schedule a 10-minute appointment during the two-hour session, please send a request via email by 3 p.m. Monday, April 12. Requests will be handled in the order they are received, and additional information will be provided once a request has been received. Thank you for contributing to this important search process.

The National Assessment of Collegiate Campus Climates (NACCC) survey is available to your students

As part of the College’s efforts to create a diverse and inclusive community for everyone, Skidmore students are encouraged to participate in the NACCC survey to help us gain deeper insights into racial dynamics on campus and better equip our campus to respond to student experiences involving racism and bias. We also ask for your assistance in spreading awareness of this survey to students. The survey takes 15 minutes and offers a platform for students to share their thoughts and experiences about the racial climate on campus to help build a more inclusive Skidmore community. Students can access the survey via emails from <helpdesk@nacccsurvey.org>, which contains a personal survey link for each student. The survey is available until April 20. For more information, visit the NACCC survey website.

Camp Northwoods registration

Online registration for Camp Northwoods, Skidmore’s summer day camp for children entering grades one through six, is now open for Skidmore employees. Employees should check their email for instructions. Registration for other returning campers opens on April 15 and for new campers on April 29. Questions may be sent by email.

Summer sports camps

Summer sports camps are now accepting online registrations. Weeklong camps for children and teens are led by Skidmore’s own award-winning coaches who have won numerous Liberty League championships, coached All-American athletes and represented the College in over 30 NCAA appearances. Camps include basketball, baseball, lacrosse, soccer, volleyball, rowing and field hockey. Email Coleen Stephenson should you have any questions.

Schick Art Gallery

The Schick Art Gallery presents “Afronauts and Ancestors,” a solo exhibition of mixed media works by Alisa Sikelianos-Carter, from April 1 until April 28. Sikelianos-Carter’s lavish surfaces and use of luminous materials like glitter and abalone shell "pay homage to ancestral majesty, power, and aesthetics … creating a mythology that is centered on Black resistance and utilizes the body as a site of alchemy and divinity." The exhibit is open to the Skidmore community from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and there will be a Zoom artist’s talk at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 8. Contact Rebecca Shepard for a Zoom link.

Tang Live: ROOM•MATE Tours

Join us at 7 p.m. Thursday April 8, for a Tang Live event about ROOM•MATE: Living with Tang Art, our student art loan program. Host and Student Advisory Council member Lily Warshaw ’21 will interview Art Loan Program Coordinator Kelsey Renko and three students who are currently living with ROOM•MATE artworks: Madison Dudek ’22, Dorree Ndooki ’23, and Sierra Richardson ’23. For more information, contact Olivia Cammisa-Frost.

Environmental studies student survey

Environmental Studies and Sciences Program students need your help to collect data for their Plastics Free Skidmore senior capstone project. The students have created an online survey gauging Skidmore student and employee opinions about the possibility of becoming a “Plastic-free campus.” The survey takes about eight minutes to complete. As an incentive, they are hosting a raffle for one of five $10 Apple Store Gift Cards for people who take the survey and provide contact information at the end. The survey will be open until April 10, when the raffle winners will be announced. Contact Matt Cocchi, Sarah Baker or Hannah Paolucci for more information.

Tang accepting applications for named internships

Applications for the Tang’s four, yearlong named internships are now available. Rising juniors and seniors are encouraged to apply. You can read more about each internship and how to apply to them at the links below. Students may apply for as many of the internships as they like; however, a different cover letter is required for each application. The 2021-22 named internships are the Eleanor Linder Winter ’43 Endowed Internship (available to rising seniors), the Carole Marchand ‘57 Endowed Internship (available to rising juniors), the Meg Reitman Jacobs ’63 Endowed Internship (available to rising juniors or rising seniors) and the Charina Endowment Fund Endowed Internship (available to rising juniors or rising seniors). Please contact Tom Yoshikami for more information.

OSDP Keynote: “Strategies for Cross Cultural Moments in a Time of Racial Battle Fatigue”

Racial battle fatigue, coined by William A. Smith, is the set of outcomes that can result from the cumulative effect of racism and microaggressions. Those who want to participate in difficult cross-cultural moments about race often need ways of coping with the stressful moments that would otherwise require a shield. How can those who find cross-cultural moments draining ensure that they care for themselves and avoid the physiological, cognitive, and mental stress that can come from intergroup moments? Join this 90-minute webinar at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 7, with Rhonda Fitzgerald, managing director of Sustained Dialogue Campus Network, to learn how to deal with key moments and cope with the stress inherent to race talk in 2021. All Skidmore students, staff and faculty are invited to attend.

Cooking with Skidmore compost virtual cooking classes

Join the compost managers for three low-waste, virtual cooking classes in April. We will have three nights of cooking, starting with Skidmore’s own Chef Rose and Chef Greco at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 8, cooking risotto, mushroom jerky and carrot top pesto. On Thursday, April 15, Gordon Sacks of Nine Miles East will join to cook a risotto, and on Monday, April 19, Zarah Khan from Botanica will be joining us. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to learn about food, cooking, compost and how to reduce food waste in these events sponsored by Skidmore Sustainability, the compost managers and Alumni Relations. Register online at the hyperlink for each of these events: Chefs Rose and Greco, Gordon Sacks, and Zarah Khan.

Altered Book Contest

Entries for the fifth annual Lucy Scribner Library Altered Book Contest, open to Skidmore students, faculty and staff, will be accepted through noon Friday, April 9. Register online. Visit our webpage for more information or contact Johanna Mackay.

11th Annual Freirich Competition finals

The Skidmore community is invited to join this year’s Freirich Entrepreneurship Competition final presentations at noon on Friday, April 9. Winners will be announced at 5 p.m. The winning teams will be awarded cash prizes and business services. Please visit the Freirich Entrepreneurship Competition website for more information.

Sphinx Virtuosi virtual program: “This is America”

The Sphinx Virtuosi are the nation's most dynamic, exhilarating professional chamber orchestra, dedicated to increasing racial and ethnic diversity in classical music. A panel discussion with Sphinx Virtuosi on racial and ethnic diversity in classical music will immediately follow a concert video at 7 p.m. Friday, April 9. Moderated by Jeremy Day-O’Connell, associate professor of music. Register online.

Tang at Home Studio: Creative Flow Illustrations

Join us at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 10, for Tang at Home Studio: Creative Flow Illustrations. Did you know comic books can inspire art? We will take a close look at posters created by the Chicago Imagists, a group of Chicago artists known for their colorful artworks, which were inspired by comics, flea market finds, and popular culture. After looking at and learning about their art and process, we will create our own illustrations inspired by objects around the house, from today’s popular culture and from our own imaginations. Visit the Tang at Home Studio event page to learn more about the program and how to register. For more information, contact Sunny Ra, the Laurie M. Tisch Educator for K-12 and Community Programs at the Tang.

NeedleLittleLove

NeedleLittleLove, a collaborative quilt project for the Skidmore community, now has 86 participants – and counting! All students, staff and faculty are welcome to participate. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a novice or a stitch pro. At the end of the project, each participant’s 8-inch square will be connected with all others to create a giant wall-hanging displayed in Saisselin Art Building in early May. Come to Saisselin Art Center Room 201, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday to pick up free materials. The deadline to pick up materials is April 12. This project is sponsored by the Schick Art Gallery, Fibers Arts Professor Sang-Wook Lee and a group of fiber arts students. Visit our website for more information.

Crocheting Corals: Workshop for the Saratoga Springs Satellite Reef

Join us at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 13, for a workshop and craft circle to crochet hyperbolic corals for the Saratoga Springs Satellite Reef part of the worldwide Crochet Coral Reef project by Christine and Margaret Wertheim and the Institute For Figuring. Your corals will be assembled together to form the Saratoga Springs Satellite Reef, which will be exhibited as part of “Radical Fiber: Threads Connecting Art and Science,” opening in early 2022. Hosted by Associate Curator Rebecca McNamara, this program introduces the Saratoga Springs Satellite Reef and includes a virtual craft circle. Crochet instructors will lead beginners in the single crochet stitch, which is all you need to make your very own coral! Register via Zoom. For more information, contact Rebecca McNamara.

Lunchtime Crochet: Saratoga Springs Satellite Reef

Associate Curator Rebecca McNamara hosts a lunchtime drop-in crocheting session from noon to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 14. Join at your leisure to crochet and chat as we create corals for the Saratoga Springs Satellite Reef. Open to everyone, and all skill levels are welcome. For more information, contact Rebecca McNamara.

Piano Senior Recital, Jonathan Goff '21

Filene Scholar Jonathan Goff '21 is a physics major and a business minor. As a pianist at Skidmore, Jonathan has participated in several Filene Scholarship Winners Concerts with solo and chamber contributions, including a performance of “Sull'aria” from Mozart's “Marriage of Figaro” with fellow Filene Scholars Thabi Khumalo '21 and Senior Artist-in-Residence Sylvia Stoner-Hawkins '94. He is currently a piano student of Distinguished Artist-in-Residence Pola Baytelman. Join his senior recital at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 17.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month

All students, faculty, and staff are invited to join and continue the movement against sexual assault, harassment, and abuse by participating in a month of activities encouraging awareness and prevention. Learn more about what Skidmore and its partners are offering on SkidSync or the SGBM website! Please contact Gabriela Melillo, Title IX deputy coordinator for student affairs, for more information.

BikeMore Update

It is finally spring! This means the return of BikeMore bikes from storage. Be on the lookout for the bikes returning to the racks by Scribner Library by mid-April. All BikeMore members will be emailed when the bikes are available. If you want to register for Bikemore’s free bike-share, you can find the registration link here! You can contact BikeMore with any questions.

DEI Events Calendar

In a continued effort to better coordinate and advertise events, lectures and programs that aim to engage with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) on campus, please consider sharing any upcoming events that you would propose adding to the monthly DEI web calendar. You may submit events here.

Lost and found website

Campus Safety maintains a webpage listing items that have been lost and found on campus. Please visit the website to report a lost or found item, or to review a list of items that have been reported to Campus Safety. Items found last semester are also listed.

Athletics News

Playing home for the first time in 703 days, the Skidmore College softball team swept Liberty League rival St. Lawrence University 6-4 and 8-0 on April 3 to even its record at 2-2. Katie Anderson earned Liberty League honorable mention after she was 4-6 at the plate for a .667 average. She added three runs and two RBIs. Read more on the Skidmore Athletics website.

Skidmore Shop

From now until the College exits Alert Level 3, you must make an appointment to pick up your skidmoreshop.com order here. Thank you for your patience and understanding and please contact us via email or call at 518-580-5490 with any questions.

Share news in the Skidmore Weekly Bulletin

Please help reduce bulk emails by posting your announcement in the Bulletin, which reaches all faculty, staff and students.

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

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 Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

518-580-5000