While not quite as intense (or arduous) as the M Climb, new students still got their Mines helmets spray-painted and placed their rocks in a temporary location on campus this morning. This new M—which sits on the hillside between the fraternity and sorority houses and intramural fields—will hold the group’s 10-pound rocks until they can be relocated to Mount Zion in the future.
COVID-19 dashboard launches today to keep campus community in the know—Looking for the latest information on confirmed COVID-19 cases on campus? Mines is now maintaining a publicly facing COVID-19 dashboard that shares the total number of cases among our students, faculty and staff. The dashboard will be updated every Friday and also includes aggregate results from the regular COVID-19 surveillance testing of students and employees being conducted by COVIDCheck Colorado. See the Q&A below for more on how we’ll keep campus informed this semester.
Students: Get your free masks and hand sanitizer, plus some tips on how to pack smart for the first day of classes—Free welcome kits for all new and returning Mines students include two hand-sewn cloth masks and a bottle of hand sanitizer. Returning students can pick up their kits starting TODAY from 3 to 5 p.m. on the South IM Fields or next week on Kafadar and Stratton Commons from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Also, download the Returning to Mines Packing Guide here for everything you need to pack for your day-to-day on campus, tips for staying physically and mentally healthy and how to take advantage of everything Colorado has to offer— while social distancing.
What should you do if COVID-19 strikes?—All Mines students and employees should stay/return home if sick. If you’ve tested positive, have symptoms or have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, notify campus officials by filling out this COVID-19 Reporting Form. Someone will be in touch about contact tracing to identify people who you may have had contact with during your infectious period.
If you share a house with someone (family members or roommates) who has tested positive for COVID-19, is a presumptive positive COVID-19 case or has been asked by a health care provider to self-isolate, you are not permitted on campus and must self-quarantine for 14 days after your last exposure to the COVID-19 case before returning to campus. Learn more about what to do if you or a roommate has tested positive for COVID-19 on the Returning to Mines website.
Have you checked out mines.edu/coronavirus lately?—We’ve updated the Mines Climbs Together website with all the latest information to help you stay informed, find resources and safely and successfully navigate your time on campus. Have a tip, question or need? Check out the FAQ page, and submit your yet-to-be-answered questions using the form at the bottom of the page.
City of Golden to close all Clear Creek access within city limits—Beginning Monday, Aug. 24, the City of Golden will expand and harden its closure of Clear Creek access within city limits. Golden Police Chief Bill Kilpatrick is also enacting temporary waterway restrictions, prohibiting the operation of vessels in Clear Creek including all single-chambered air inflated devices such as belly boats, inner tubes, single chambered rafts, body surfing, swimming, as well as all kayaks, whitewater canoes, multi-chambered river boards, and similar watercraft used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water.
Golden Police and Park Rangers made more than 900 contacts with individuals who were not following COVID-19-related city mandates last weekend. Beginning on Monday, barriers will be put into place, along with signage, to ensure tubers and other waterway recreators must exit the creek before they reach the city limits of Golden. Additionally, Vanover Park will no longer be a point of egress. Anyone who trespasses into the creek or on the banks will face a possible citation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How and when will you update campus about COVID-19 cases?
A: Mines officials will be regularly updating the campus and community on positive cases among faculty, staff and students who are studying and/or working on campus. This will take the form of public updates and targeted alerts.
PUBLIC UPDATES:
- Mines is maintaining a COVID-19 dashboard that shares the total number of cases among our students, faculty and staff.
- These aggregate details will also be shared with our community in Friday Mines Climbs Together emails (which are also posted on the Mines Climbs Together website under Most Recent Communications, should parents and families wish to see them).
- The Mines Alert Team will also notify campus of any COVID-19-related operational changes, as well as campus outbreaks (defined as two or more confirmed cases in a facility or non-household group within a 14-day period.
TARGETED ALERTS: Mines will not broadly communicate details about individual positive cases but is sending targeted communications to close contacts and potential close contacts.
Mines’ COVID-19 Response Initiator Team (CRIT) reports all positive cases to Jefferson County Public Health officials and identifies and alerts potential close contacts of positive cases on campus, including within the residence halls. These communications will not identify the specific room/residence or student.
Q: With classes starting Monday, what schedule will the HVAC systems in campus buildings be following?
A: Mines has expanded the hours when building HVAC systems are operating to maximize the effect of ventilation and air treatment, per ASHRAE recommendations. HVAC schedules now match their buildings’ published open access schedules, plus an additional two hours before the doors unlock every morning. So, for example, in Brown Hall, which is open from 6:30 a.m. to midnight Monday-Friday, the HVAC systems are running from 4:30 a.m. to midnight Monday-Friday. This will make sure buildings are “flushed” of contaminants before any students or staff get to campus. For more information about HVAC and portable HEPA filters, check out the FAQ on the Returning to Mines website.