COVID-19 Dashboard Update — The Mines COVID-19 dashboard was updated today, revealing 20 active cases on campus. A total of 2,239 tests were completed last week, with a positivity rate of 0.89 percent. Additional case details are available here.
There are currently four active outbreaks on campus, in Spruce Hall, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Elm Hall and Sigma Phi Epsilon. CDPHE defines outbreaks as two or more individuals within a cohort (facility, business, non-household group) who have tested positive for COVID-19 within a 14-day period. The state’s outbreak report is updated each Wednesday at covid19.colorado.gov/covid19-outbreak-data.
NOTE: Outbreaks remain active in the state database until 28 days have passed without a positive case. That means a cohort (residence hall floor or house) could have already been released from quarantine, with no additional cases/transmission identified, but is still considered an “active” outbreak by the state. We have removed cohorts that have already been released from quarantine from this message.
Why haven’t I received my test results yet? Winter storms across nation delay COVID-19 results — Due to the widespread winter storms earlier this week, the COVID-19 test specimens collected on campus this week are currently experiencing weather-related shipping delays. As of Friday morning, no estimated time of delivery for this week’s results was available, said Peter Han, Mines’ chief of staff, in a message to testing participants. So, do you need to get tested again? As long as test samples reach the lab within seven days of collection, a test can still be processed. COVIDCheck Colorado will void any tests if the shipping delay prevents it from reaching the lab in time. Should that happen, COVIDCheck will be in touch with anyone directly impacted. “We remain optimistic that your test from this week will get analyzed and you will receive a result in the next several days. You may want to obtain another test if you are concerned about the delay with your test result,” Han said. Read the full message on the Mines Climbs Together site.
Eligible for a vaccine? Try this tool to find an appointment – A staff member at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory created a new COVID- 19 Vaccine Finder Tool to help eligible Coloradans find appointments at local pharmacies currently offering COVID-19 vaccinations. All CVS, Safeway, Walgreens and Walmart locations in Colorado are scanned on a regular basis and the page is updated with any available appointments in the state. Check it out here: vaccine-finder.nickm.org.
This summer at Mines: Day camps, student housing in Maple – Mines Athletics opened registration for many of its summer camp programs earlier this month. While no overnight camps will be offered, popular daytime programs offered by Oredigger coaches and teams (soccer, basketball, football, volleyball and wrestling) are now enrolling. Four weeks of the popular youth sports camps will also begin June 21. Registration for the youth camps, open to students entering grades 1-6, begins soon.
On March 1, the Office of Housing and Residence Life will open its summer housing application. Students studying on campus, interning or working locally this summer can apply for single rooms in Maple Hall. To apply or learn more, visit mines.edu/residence-life/summer-housing.
As additional summer opportunities become available, we’ll share those in future issues of this email.
Mines Museum reopens with new look, exhibits — Nearly a year after closing its doors, the Mines Museum of Earth Sciences is reopening — and with a surprising new entrance, new exhibits and yes, new protocols in place. Among the most noticeable changes is the new gift shop at the museum’s entrance, a meteorite found in Colorado weighing more than 40 pounds and mining artifacts donated by the family of the late Mines alumnus Frederick R. Dowsett Jr. ’69. The museum’s grand re-opening is next Saturday, Feb. 27. Masks will be required, and other COVID-19-related restrictions will be in place. Visitor capacity is limited to 10 visitors per floor, per hour, and reservations are required during this reopening period (use this link to reserve a free ticket). Going forward, the museum will be open only on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Federal CRRSA Act funding available to Mines students — This week, Mines students were notified of the availability of federal funding provided through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act. The funds must be used to provide emergency financial support to students struggling with food, housing, technology, health care, childcare and educational costs. Eligible students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Learn more about the grant review process, eligibility, available funding and more via this FAQ on CRSSA Act support.
“Believe” and act—Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Samantha Power gave a noontime lecture on Tuesday as guest of Mines’ Payne Institute for Public Policy. Here’s what she had to say about taking action, even when the challenges seem insurmountable:
“Having to overcome those doubts and that question of ‘Is what we do enough?’ You still have to find that store of idealism and to believe that you can make some difference.”
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SAMANTHA POWER
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and author of “The Education of an Idealist”