Amid ever-changing COVID-19 guidelines, University staff have worked to organize a safe and meaningful hybrid commencement for the Class of 2021. Ceremonies begin on Friday, and for the next week or so we’ll be celebrating the graduating class and all they’ve accomplished. Each day, you can check out the Class of 2021 Spotlight section below to read about some of our outstanding graduates.
Visit the Class of 2021 website for details about this year’s commencement ceremonies and for a downloadable toolkit of materials to share your support on social media. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #UR2021.
Also in today’s issue:
As part of National Nurses Week, nurses can get a free cup of coffee today at the Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters in the lobby of the Medical Center or in Café 601
Faculty, students, and staff can attend the next session in the Scholars at Risk series
Hajim School Design Day is taking place virtually this year
Since Tuesday’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.
The Medical Center is continuing to make vaccine clinic appointments available to all University faculty, staff, and students. Visit the URMC COVID Clinic List to register.
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.
Rochester will host the Liberty League championship semifinals in both softball and baseball today, Wednesday, May 12. The softball team will host Skidmore College at 3:30 p.m. on Southside Field; the baseball team will host Clarkson University at 3:30 p.m. on Towers Field. Full-time University students can sit in the bleachers by home plate at both locations. Admission is free.
Flags will be lowered for Andrew Straw
University flags will be lowered Tuesday, May 18, for Andrew Straw, an associate in the Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, who died on April 28. Straw joined the University staff in 2012.
Virtual writing retreat for AS&E grad students and postdocs
Having trouble feeling motivated or finding time to write? Join a virtual writing boot camp. Log onto Zoom to meet other writers, set writing goals, and most importantly, write. For those who may need a bit more support, a writing tutor will be available. This event is open to grad students and postdocs in Arts, Sciences & Engineering and takes place Tuesday, May 18, through Thursday, May 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. EDT each day. Register online to attend. Email Liz Tinelli with questions.
Deadline is May 19 for College students to submit mailing address form for diplomas
Graduating seniors in Arts, Sciences & Engineering must submit the Mailing Address Request Form by Wednesday, May 19. Not submitting the form will delay the delivery of your diploma. Diplomas will be mailed the first week of June and should arrive at their destination in 4 to 6 weeks. You will also receive an email in June regarding the availability of a CeDiploma, a Certified Electronic Diploma to purchase and download if desired. You will not be able to request a CeDiploma until the email stating that it is available for download has been received.
If you have an international address, be sure to submit your address exactly as required by any delivery service for your country, including an international phone number. If a diploma does not make it to the destination provided on the form it will be the student’s responsibility to pay for a second shipment, international or domestic. Diplomas will not be mailed to a campus CMC mailing address.
Apply to be a Neighborhood Ambassador
Are you living off-campus for the 2021–22 school year and looking to make a difference in your new neighborhood. The Off-Campus Living Program, under the guidance of the Office for Residential Life and Housing Services, created the Neighborhood Ambassadors Program to assist Rochester students with their transition to off-campus living. Neighborhood Ambassadors provide a point of contact for the student residents on their assigned streets, provide access to community resources, and build community through programming and service. Learn more and find the application here.
Staying active can build muscle and improve heart health, but did you know that it also promotes greater lung efficiency? If you are living with asthma or COPD, sign up for Well-U’s condition management coaching programs and discover ways to safely incorporate regular exercise into your life and avoid flare-ups.
Join the Center for Urban Education Success (CUES) for a conversation with Calvin Cole, a research assistant professor of orthopedics; Joanne Larson, the Michael W. Scandling Professor of Education at the Warner School of Education and associate director of research at CUES; and Eric Robinson, athletic director at East High School, for a lecture on the strategies the Center for Human Athleticism Musculoskeletal Performance and Prevention developed for East High students who play sports. The talk takes place Monday, May 17, from noon to 1 p.m. EDT. Register in advance to attend; a link to access the online program will be included in your confirmation email upon registering.
Scholars at Risk discussion series
As a member of Scholars at Risk, the University invites interested faculty, students, and staff to participate in the United States Section, which examines the subtle pressures to academic freedom more commonplace across US campuses. Sessions in the “Lines, Line-Drawing, and Consequences” series are held every other Wednesday at noon EDT and explore issues including distinguishing academic freedom from free speech, external pressures on campus discourse, and navigating foreign partnerships. The next session, “Right to be Wrong?: When Academic Audiences Object to Academic Expression,” is scheduled for today, Wednesday, May 12.
Virtual Hajim School Design Day
A human-powered submarine. Life-like simulated kidney tissue for pre-surgical practice by medical residents. Analysis of a COVID-19 survey to understand the community’s socioeconomic needs. Even a mobile map that motivates you to exercise—by rewarding your “virtual” pet. These are among 78 senior design and capstone projects by engineering, data science, and medical device design students for Hajim School Design Day, that can be virtually explored and commented upon through Thursday, May 20.
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