Four new positive cases of COVID-19

Update on the University's financial position

In a message yesterday to University faculty and staff, President Sarah Mangelsdorf, Provost Rob Clark, Medical Center CEO Mark Taubman, and Senior Vice President for Administration and Finance Holly Crawford, shared updates on the University’s financial position and offered some information on the road ahead.

Author, antiracist activist Ibram X. Kendi to deliver University’s MLK address

Ibram X. Kendi, the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities and the Founding Director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research, best-selling author, antiracist activist, and historian of race and discriminatory policy in America, will be the keynote speaker as the University celebrates the 20th anniversary of its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Address.

A specific date and registration details for Kendi’s virtual speech will be announced after January 1.

American child welfare system has lost its way, says Rochester historian

A shift starting in the late 1960s has targeted poor families with unnecessary investigations and child removals at the expense of services, says Mical Raz, the Charles E. and Dale L. Phelps Professor in Public Policy and Health, an associate professor of history, and a physician at Strong Memorial Hospital. Her latest book, Abusive Policies: How the American Child Welfare System Lost Its Way, traces the history of child abuse policy in the US over the last half-century.

• Dr. Chat Bot: Non–Medical Center faculty, staff, and all students | Medical Center employees
• What to do if you or your close contacts have symptoms or have been exposed
• Medical Center’s COVID-19 update page
• COVID-19 Concern Report

Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act

Early payroll deadlines 

Because of the University’s observance of the Christmas holiday on Friday, December 25, the pay date for biweekly hourly paid employees will be Thursday, December 24. To meet this earlier pay date for the biweekly hourly payroll, all time must be entered and approved by noon on Monday, December 21, for the pay period ending December 19.

To ensure hourly employees are paid properly, it’s important that all hourly time is entered and approved by the noon deadline on Monday, December 21. Tips on how timekeepers and employees can prepare for the accelerated deadline can be found here.

Are mindfulness apps effective?

Mindfulness is defined as the practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one’s thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment to moment basis. There are many apps that can help to practice mindfulness, but not all of them are useful. Behavioral Health Partners’ December blog explores the effectiveness of mindfulness apps.

Go Green: Tips for the holidays

University Facilities and Services offers some tips to help you celebrate the holidays with both sustainability and festive cheer in mind.

Send birthday wishes to Loretta Ford by Friday

Loretta Ford, the School of Nursing’s founding dean and cocreator of the nurse practitioner role, turns 100 years old on December 28, and the school is collecting birthday cards and online messages to send to her. Online submissions and mailed cards must be received by Friday, December 18.

The birthday package will be a surprise; send your card to:
Dean Kathy Rideout
601 Elmwood Avenue
Box School of Nursing
University of Rochester
Rochester, NY 14642
Attn: Loretta Ford (put this somewhere on the envelope)

You may also submit your birthday wishes for her online. Visit www.son.rochester.edu/marketing/loretta-ford.html, choose the template you’d like to use and add your name and personal message. These messages will be printed out and mailed with the physical cards in time for her birthday.

Meditation, mindfulness, and yoga retreat

These offices report special hours for the coming weeks

Access Center (Medical Center): Phone hours from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. December 24 and 31. Closed December 25 and January 1. 

Animal Resource Office: Open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. December 24 and 31. Closed on December 25 and January 1

Bursar’s Office on the River Campus: Closed December 24, 25, and January 1. 

Douglass Commons, Spurrier Hall, and Genesee: Closed during Winter Stay.

Event and Classroom Management Help Desk (Hoyt Hall G-15): Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, from December 19–January 31. Closed December 24, 25, and January 1. 

Graduate Medical Education Office (G-7654): Open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. December 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, and 30. Closed December 24, 25, 31, and January 1. 

The Greene Center:  Available virtually Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed December 25 and January 1. Collaboration Hours have ended for the semester and will resume on February 1.

International Services Office: Closed December 25 and January 1. Other fall and winter holiday hours can be found here.

Medical Center ID Card Office: Open 8 a.m. to noon December 24 and 31. Closed December 25 and January 1.

Office of Research and Project Administration: Closing at noon on December 24. Closed December 25 and January 1. 

Ortho Access Center (Medical Center): Open 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on December 24; 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. December 31. Closed December 25 and January 1.

Patient Financial Services (Medical Center): Closing at 3 p.m. December 24 and 31. Closed December 25 and January 1.

Rehab Access Center (Medical Center): Open 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on December 24; 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. December 31. Closed December 25 and January 1.

River Campus ID Office: Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through December 23. Closed December 24 through January 3. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. January 4 through 29. 

River Campus Interfaith Chapel: Working remotely through mid-January. The sanctuary will be open for Jummah prayer on Fridays at 12:30 p.m., and the River Level will be open for Newman Catholic Mass on Sundays at 10:30 a.m.

Shared Resource Labs:

• Genomics Research Center: Limited staff from December 23–January 4. Closed December 24, 25, and January 1. 
• Multiphoton and Analytical Imaging Center: Closed December 23–January 4.
• Center for Advanced Light Microscopy and Nanoscopy: Closed December 23–January 4.
• Mass Spectrometry Research Lab: Not accepting new projects from December 21–January 4. 
• Electron Microscopy Shared Resource Lab: Closed December 24, 25, 31, and January 1.
• Flow Cytometry Resource: See the PPMS calendars for details

Strong Memorial Hospital Cashiers Office: Closing at 3 p.m. December 24 and 31. Closed December 25 and January 1. 

Strong Memorial Hospital Social Work Patient and Family Services, and Care Management: Open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. December 24 and 31. Closed December 25 and January 1. 

Student Employment Office: Limited hours the week of December 28. Closed December 24, 25, and January 1. Staff will be checking emails and processing hires periodically throughout the week. Reach out to seo@rochester.edu with questions.

UHS Medical Center Office and River Campus Office (UHS and UCC): Closed December 24, 25, 31, and January 1. 

UHS Winter Break hours: The River Campus office is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday, through January 8. The office will return to the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting January 11. At this time, the UHS River Campus Office will not return to evening hours until fall 2021. The Medical Center office is also open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday, through January 8, and will return to the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting January 11. The Eastman School of Music office is closed for Winter Break and will reopen on February 1.

United Business Office (Medical Center): Closing at 3 p.m. on December 24. Closed on December 25 and January 1.

URMC breastfeeding and lactation services: Open from 8:30 a.m. to noon December 23 and 31. Closed December 24, 25, and January 1. 

Wilson Commons: Open daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. through January 22. During this time, daily dining options include The Pit from 11 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. and Starbucks from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Food Pantry will be open for pick up only on Monday, Thursday, and Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. Grocery bags can be ordered online in advance. For the latest information, check the posted hours online. The Wilson Commons elevator will be unavailable due to planned maintenance on December 21 and 22, necessitating the use of alternate routes. Check Facebook, Instagram, or posted signs for details on how to access the building and services on those days.