Five new positive cases of COVID-19

Since Friday’s notice in @Rochester, there are five new cases of COVID-19 to report: five River Campus students. 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 have now received 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—for non–Medical Center faculty, staff, and all students and for Medical Center employees—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.

Security Tip: Scammers posing as the IRS and what the IRS won't do

Got an email from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)? It’s a scam! Messages containing links to an IRS.gov-like website and claims to have pertinent information about a taxpayer’s refund, electronic return, or tax account are spreading nationally. Scammers may also incite recipients to take action through a temporary or one-time password to gain access online and submit their refund. Never click the link or provide information; this is how you open the door to compromise your computer and invite malicious malware. The IRS won’t contact you through email, text messages, or social media channels, and they won’t demand immediate payment or request personal or financial information. Visit www.irs.gov/privacy-disclosure/report-phishing for more information and how to report suspicious email.

UR Financials, UR Procurement, and UR Student upgrade successful

UR Financials, UR Procurement (Procure to Pay, P2P) and UR Student have all successfully completed their semiannual upgrade this past weekend. There are no changes for Procure to Pay (P2P) users. UR Student will continue testing secondary features over the next few weeks. Read the UR Student newsletter for details on changes that may affect you.

• 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
• University’s COVID-19 Resource Center
• Medical Center’s COVID-19 update page
• COVID-19 Concern Report

Introducing 'Together for Rochester' for students

Over the next few weeks, University Advancement is showcasing how the University community can all help make life better. Share some kindness with a “Moment of Meliora,” see how the University community is stepping up, and learn how to earn some limited-edition tie-dye apparel. For more information, visit Rochester.edu/together-students.

Become a peer advisor

The College Center for Advising Services is hiring peer advisors for the 2021–22 academic year. Peer advisors help manage the CCAS counter, meet one-on-one with students, and participate in special events throughout the year. Students who possess excellent communication and leadership skills or have the potential to develop these skills are encouraged to apply. Ongoing training will be provided to peer advisors in order to develop their professional abilities and further prepare them for this role.

Applications are due March 31 and can be submitted through JobLink using Job ID 22179, and Job Title: Peer Advisor-16004. Students must also have a University staff or faculty member submit a letter of recommendation for this position; letters should be emailed to peeradvising@ur.rochester.edu.

Meliora Scholars program applications now accepted

BIC-Ture This: A queer art-making series for LGBTQ students

Join the Paul J. Burgett Intercultural Center for the next “BIC-Ture This” class: Queer Comics and You. The virtual class, which brings together LGBTQ+ students, takes place Wednesday, March 24, from 7 to 8 p.m. EDT. Register by Thursday, March 18. Pencils, Sharpie marker, and paper will be provided.

Campus Dining survey

Connect for Support program changes

Connect for Support, a program designed to provide faculty and staff with coping strategies and to create a space to connect and support one another, is changing its weekly format. Beginning March 16, there will only be one group session for employees to join. These sessions occur weekly on Tuesdays from noon to 1 p.m. Connect for Support is facilitated by a counselor from UR Medicine EAP. Email Well-U with any questions. Register here for any or all sessions.

Benefits overview webinar tomorrow

Are you newly hired or newly benefit eligible? If yes, the Office of Total Rewards is hosting a live webinar Tuesday, March 16, to review and explain all benefit options. The webinar will begin at noon and representatives will be available to answer questions live throughout the presentation.

An AMA on Open Access

Open access (OA) refers to resources such as books and articles that are available for anyone to read or cite without personal or institutional cost. If you have been sitting on questions about OA principles and practices, your opportunity to ask them has come. Moriana Garcia, scholarly communication librarian, and Lindsay Cronk, director of collection strategies and scholarly communication, from the River Campus Libraries, are holding an Ask Me Anything-style Zoom on OA, on Thursday, March 18, from 1 to 4 p.m. EDT.

Martin Luther King Jr. grand rounds lecture on neuropsychopharmacology

Roland Griffiths, the Oliver Lee McCabe, III Professor in the Neuropsychopharmacology of Consciousness and the director of the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, will present “Psilocybin: History, Neuropharmacology, and Implications for Therapeutics” on Wednesday, March 17, at noon EDT.