Vaccination program update and response from President Sarah Mangelsdorf and URMC CEO Mark Taubman
On Friday, January 29, a few Rochester-area media organizations reported that some board members, donors, alumni, and others were inappropriately sent advance notice of a COVID-19 employee vaccine clinic on January 14 and 15. Although these individuals met New York State’s eligibility requirements, they should not have been given priority notice for this or any other URMC clinic. As soon as URMC leadership was made aware of this effort, they suspended it. Since the Medical Center began COVID-19 vaccinations in December, the URMC vaccination program—together with the Finger Lakes Regional Vaccine Hub—has been committed to ensuring that the vaccine is distributed equitably and in strict accordance with the eligibility guidance provided by New York State. These efforts include vaccinating eligible individuals from traditionally underserved urban areas through URMC’s downtown clinic, vaccinating individuals unable to travel to vaccine clinic locations through a mobile vaccination unit, and staffing the Finger Lakes Vaccination Hub itself.
In response to Friday’s news reports, University President Sarah Mangelsdorf and URMC CEO Mark Taubman jointly issued a message of acknowledgment and apology to the University of Rochester community and reaffirmed the University’s commitment to an efficient and equitable vaccination program. A vaccination fact sheet accompanied this message to demonstrate the scope of the URMC vaccination efforts since late last year. Read the message.
In today’s issue:
Registration is now open for the MLK Commencement Address with speaker Ibram X. Kendi
What to do if you experience unemployment fraud
Buzz Lab Boot Camp, Innov8 applications due this week
Since Monday’s notice in @Rochester, there are no new cases of COVID-19 to report. Please note that the University’s COVID-19 Dashboard is updated daily. Whenever a new case is known, the contact-tracing process begins immediately with confirmed exposures being contacted and required to quarantine.
It’s extremely important for the health of the University community that individuals continue to adhere to the face masking and social distancing protocols. Even as some individuals are now receiving their first or second dose of the vaccine, these practices to prevent the transmission of the virus cannot be relaxed.
If you think you’re experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, it’s important to report them through Dr. Chat Bot immediately. Even if you think your symptoms might be something else—like a cold, seasonal congestion, or allergies—it’s still important to tell University health professionals and contact tracers what you’re experiencing.
Faculty and staff reports of unemployment scams increasing
The Office of Human Resources has seen an increase in the number of cases of unemployment fraud reported by our faculty and staff. If you receive an email or document through the United States Post Office indicating that you have applied for unemployment and you have not, this could be a fraudulent claim using your name and information. There is no evidence that this is due to a breach of University employee data or the New York State Department of Labor (DOL), but is a national issue that may be the result of prior data breaches of other institutions over time. To report a potential case of fraud, please see the DOL unemployment website. Be sure to also alert HR at Ask-URHR@Rochester.edu. Once notified, the Office of Human Resources will monitor claims submitted to ensure the claim is denied and will notify the Department of Labor through the employer reporting process.
Registration open for MLK Commemorative Address by Ibram X. Kendi
Best-selling author, professor, and antiracist activist Ibram X. Kendi will deliver the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Address on Wednesday, February 24. Registration is now open for Kendi’s interactive talk, which will be held at 7 p.m. EST. The event is open to the public, with no attendance limit. Those who register will be sent an email with the Zoom link.
Claim your membership to National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity
As part of the University’s continued mission to learn, discover, heal, create—and make the world ever better, the Office of Equity and Inclusion has recently obtained a University-wide institutional membership to the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD). Through that membership, faculty, postdocs, and graduate students will have access to critical tools for their scholarship and for cultivating an equitable, respectful, and welcoming culture at Rochester. The NCFDD is an independent professional development and mentoring community with members from over 450 colleges and universities. To claim your membership, go to FacultyDiversity.org/Join and select the University of Rochester from the list of members. If you have any technical questions, you can email NCFDD at Membership@FacultyDiversity.org.
Andrew Brooks ’00M (PhD), who developed the first saliva test for the coronavirus, died on January 23. In April 2020, Brooks made worldwide news when the Food and Drug Administration gave emergency approval to his technique, which promised to radically increase the speed and safety of the testing process.
Attend an information session about the spring dance concert
This year, the Program of Dance and Movement’s spring concert will be a film festival, “Opening the Frame: An Evening of Dance on Camera.” There are opportunities to create, assist in production, and perform. Students in Arts, Sciences & Engineering interested in participating can attend an open call on Saturday, February 6, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST. Contact rose.beauchamp@rochester.edu for the Zoom link.
Financial Health Bite: A parent’s guide to kids and money
The Office of Total Rewards hosts an informational webinar on Wednesday, February 3, at noon EST about the relationship between children and money from a parent’s perspective. In this workshop employees will learn ways to teach their children good money habits and how to make sound spending, saving, and investing decisions. The webinar will be conducted by a representative from MetLife. Enroll online.
'Lunch and Listen' program for Medical Center staff and clinical workers
The next “Lunch and Listen” concert from Eastman Performing Arts Medicine and the Office of Patient Experience takes place today, Tuesday, February 2, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST. Medical Center staff and clinical workers can join via Zoom to hear artists from the Eastman School of Music, and call in to make requests. This week’s concert features guitarist Patrick Peralta, who is currently pursuing a doctoral degree at the Eastman School of Music.
Buzz Lab Boot Camp, Innov8 applications due this week
The Buzz Lab Boot Camp is a six-week workshop series designed to help entrepreneurs, small business owners, and aspiring small business owners in the greater Rochester community learn skills and strategies to build their businesses. This free program will run virtually on Saturdays from February 6 to March 13, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST. Apply online by Wednesday, February 3.
Innov8 is an eight-week program designed to help emerging entrepreneurs develop their business concepts, hone business strategies, and build a business plan with actionable steps. This program provides entrepreneurial training and modest grant funding to University students, faculty, staff, and alumni interested in developing or commercializing any type of business idea. The spring 2021 cohort will run virtually from February 19 to April 9. Apply online by Friday, February 5; team spots are limited.
The M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence is offering youth, ages 12 through 24, grants of up to $1,000 to design creative solutions for fear, hostility, and divisions within their community. Applications are due by Monday, February 15. Learn more and apply here.
Advanced certificate in data science information session
Join the Goergen Institute for Data Science on Tuesday, February 9, from 1 to 2 p.m. EST for a virtual information session on the advanced certificate in data science. The advanced certificate program is designed for individuals who have a working knowledge of data science gained through industry or academic experience but would like to formalize their training with a deeper mastery of the fundamental concepts in the field. Current University employees and graduate students are welcome to apply and will receive application fee waivers. The program is designed to be a total of 16 credits and can be completed in 2–4 semesters of study. Join via Zoom.
@Rochester is produced daily by University Marketing and Communications. You are receiving this message as a member of the University of Rochester community or as a subscriber. Please do not forward this newsletter to other distribution lists.
