[FRIAM] Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now - Tomas Pueyo - Medium

Thu Mar 12 22:57:02 EDT 2020

All

ST johns is sending its students home for spring break with the expectation that they will not return until the fall. 

March 11 | Notice to Santa Fe Students  <https://www.sjc.edu/covid19> 

(Note: This email was forwarded to parents of current students on March 11.)

Dear Students,

We’ve been hearing student concerns throughout the morning about needs for more information and for more support from the College in helping make difficult transitions to off-campus life. We will provide both of those things right away.

First, an update on where we are. As of this morning, New Mexico has confirmed its first three cases of COVID-19, the Governor has declared a public health emergency in New Mexico, and the World Health Organization has declared the disease to be a pandemic. These are major developments and now lead us to our next phase of thinking: we ask that you all plan your travels with the assumption that it is more likely that you will not come back for the rest of the semester, than that you will. Rest assured that we will be providing remote/online classes that will keep you up to date with the Program and your credits.

Starting tomorrow, the Dean’s Office will be cancelling all classes except for Thursday night seminar and senior orals. The reasons for this are twofold. First, we want you all to have as much time as possible to plan your departure—and we understand that the time crunch you are under already is severe. We also want you to have one seminar before leaving campus, just in case it is your last in-person seminar of the year—or, if you are a senior, of your career at St. John’s College, which we know is an emotional thing to grapple with.

In order to help you through this transition, we will be cancelling all non-essential duties of our staff and faculty who are not in high-risk categories so that they can help you pack up your belongings, move boxes to the post office, and assist as needed with unique, individual issues and needs that are arising. Expect to see us in your halls, common areas, and rooms starting tomorrow and Friday.

The Student Life Office is currently purchasing all of the packing material that you will need, at no charge to students. They have also arranged for shuttles to be available on Friday and Saturday to bring belongings to a local storage facility. Wagon Self-Storage is offering special rates that will be honored through the fall. Food service hours in the dining hall will continue until Saturday, March 14 at 10 a.m. The mail room will have extended hours on Thursday and Friday until 6 p.m., and will now be open on Saturday from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. to assist with shipping needs. Student Life will be in touch with additional updates.

We are happy to share that we will continue paying work-study students while you are away, as we know how critical these funds are to your education and experience here at St. John’s. Please be in touch with your supervisors regarding remote working options. For those of you who are paid through non work-study funds, we will be able to pay you if we can find remote work for you to do. We are asking all of our staff who supervise and mentor you to try and find this remote work for you if you want and need it.

We will also ensure that senior orals, don rags, and other academic or celebratory events will happen online and some, like commencement, will require special consideration, conversation, and thought. We ask that the entire community begin to think creatively about how these approaches can sustain our characteristic ways of communicating, sharing, and learning. The Dean’s Office and the faculty are working through those details now, and will provide a comprehensive update by March 20.

We will do everything we can to preserve our sense of being a small, supportive, and celebratory community of learning. During the next two months, we do not plan to let that sense of community go. It is who we are. We hope to find creative ways through video, social media, and e-communications to keep our bonds strong; to celebrate your accomplishments; and to learn from one another. We hope you will help us by vibrantly participating.

Every one of your situations is unique, and we know that we have not been able to imagine and address all of them. If you are in a situation with special challenges, please reach out to Student Life and ask for assistance. Student Life will continue to share your concerns with the President’s Office and Dean’s Office so that we are aware of your challenges and can begin working on solutions for you. We do not want any students to be stranded or in dire situations during this challenging time, and we will continue to work to ameliorate this for those of you with special needs.

And in case it bears repeating: over the next couple months, as COVID-19 is likely to continue, please do your best to self-isolate if you exhibit symptoms that align with COVID-19 (fever and respiratory issues); wash your hands for 20 seconds on a regular basis; stay away from large gatherings as much as possible; and be extra vigilant if you will be in contact with those who are above the age of 60 or are immunocompromised.

Which brings us to our final point: we realize that we failed to communicate yesterday some of our main reasons for our decision to have you all leave campus as soon as possible. In short, we believed that COVID-19 would hit New Mexico imminently, and would likely grow in significance while you were on spring break. Had we waited until you were gone to ask you to not come back to campus, it would have increased your hardship in significant ways. We also had come to realize that, if we had allowed you to all come back, our lack of truly isolated units with personal bathrooms and kitchens might be more threatening to your health than your own home.

We know this is very short notice. We know that many of you are in challenging circumstances. And we will do all that we can to support you over the next few days, and over the next two months as we work together to maintain our community, the Program, and our individual and collective well-being.

President Mark Roosevelt
Dean Walter Sterling

Nicholas Thompson

Emeritus Professor of Ethology and Psychology

Clark University

 <mailto:ThompNickSon2 at gmail.com> ThompNickSon2 at gmail.com

 <https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/> https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/

From: Frank Wimberly <wimberly3 at gmail.com> 
Sent: Thursday, March 12, 2020 8:34 PM
To: Nicholas Thompson <thompnickson2 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now - Tomas Pueyo - Medium

Sounds like some kind of paradox.

---
Frank C. Wimberly
505 670-9918
Santa Fe, NM

On Thu, Mar 12, 2020, 8:32 PM <thompnickson2 at gmail.com <mailto:thompnickson2 at gmail.com> > wrote:

Well, if nobody came I could come. 

n

Nicholas Thompson

Emeritus Professor of Ethology and Psychology

Clark University

 <mailto:ThompNickSon2 at gmail.com> ThompNickSon2 at gmail.com

 <https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/> https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/

From: Frank Wimberly <wimberly3 at gmail.com <mailto:wimberly3 at gmail.com> > 
Sent: Thursday, March 12, 2020 7:24 PM
To: Nicholas Thompson <thompnickson2 at gmail.com <mailto:thompnickson2 at gmail.com> >
Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now - Tomas Pueyo - Medium

I'll give you a report.  If anyone else comes.

---
Frank C. Wimberly
505 670-9918
Santa Fe, NM

On Thu, Mar 12, 2020, 7:22 PM <thompnickson2 at gmail.com <mailto:thompnickson2 at gmail.com> > wrote:

No.  Much tho it grieves me. 

Nick 

Nicholas Thompson

Emeritus Professor of Ethology and Psychology

Clark University

 <mailto:ThompNickSon2 at gmail.com> ThompNickSon2 at gmail.com

 <https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/> https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/

From: Frank Wimberly <wimberly3 at gmail.com <mailto:wimberly3 at gmail.com> > 
Sent: Thursday, March 12, 2020 6:25 PM
To: Nicholas Thompson <thompnickson2 at gmail.com <mailto:thompnickson2 at gmail.com> >
Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now - Tomas Pueyo - Medium

Shall I pick you up?

---
Frank C. Wimberly
505 670-9918
Santa Fe, NM

On Thu, Mar 12, 2020, 6:07 PM <thompnickson2 at gmail.com <mailto:thompnickson2 at gmail.com> > wrote:

Dear Frank, 

I am not so much afraid of the students as I am of my colleagues.  The Ken-thing really put the fear of god in me.   I am not afraid of people who are careful.  I am afraid of people who – because, say, they have REALLY been looking forward to their vacation – have decided that the epidemic is not a problem and therefore are not themselves being careful.  

Nick 

Nicholas Thompson

Emeritus Professor of Ethology and Psychology

Clark University

 <mailto:ThompNickSon2 at gmail.com> ThompNickSon2 at gmail.com

 <https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/> https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/

From: Frank Wimberly <wimberly3 at gmail.com <mailto:wimberly3 at gmail.com> > 
Sent: Thursday, March 12, 2020 5:53 PM
To: Nicholas Thompson <thompnickson2 at gmail.com <mailto:thompnickson2 at gmail.com> >
Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now - Tomas Pueyo - Medium

Have you decided about what you want to do about Friam?

I will go regardless if the coffee shop is open but will be very careful.

F

---
Frank C. Wimberly
505 670-9918
Santa Fe, NM

On Thu, Mar 12, 2020, 1:09 PM <thompnickson2 at gmail.com <mailto:thompnickson2 at gmail.com> > wrote:

https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca 

This is the best article I have read which makes clear what is going on, and why it is important to go into lockdown mode now until testing and masks and other equipment are universally available.  I think schools and colleges should stay on vacation for the time being with the promise of summer sessions to make up for lost time. 

nick

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