Hi everyone, I hope you’re all having a good week.
I’ll start with a few quick COVID updates and end with a story.
There are now just two weeks to go before Thanksgiving break.
We’ve seen a recent uptick in cases, which means it’s
important to be extra careful—especially because we are now in the window where contracting
the virus here could mean potentially bringing it home.
We are monitoring things closely and will let you know if we have to make any last-minute
changes, which hopefully will not be necessary.
An important part of helping our students make a safe return home involves pre-departure
testing.
For students living on-Grounds, departure testing will happen through the regular mandatory
asymptomatic testing schedule, which will continue through November 20th.
We will also be testing all off-Grounds students before November 20th as well.
All students should have received information about their testing appointments earlier this
week.
If you are a student who receives an early testing appointment and would like to take
an additional test before traveling, the University will also offer options for voluntary testing.
You can find more information on our Monitoring and Testing page at the address on your screen.
It’s important to remember that a negative COVID test is not a free pass—it
just reflects your COVID status at the time you were tested.
So please keep doing what you’ve been doing all semester—wearing a mask, maintaining
physical distance, and avoiding large gatherings—after your test and as you travel home.
If you test positive for COVID or have been in close contact with someone who has, you
will need to follow our procedures on isolation and quarantine.
We encourage everyone to have a plan for where they would isolate or quarantine if necessary,
and we will have space available for students living in University housing who test positive
before they leave.
Finally, please remember that we are asking all students who go home for Thanksgiving
not to return until the start of the spring semester, unless Charlottesville is your permanent
home or you have extenuating circumstances that lead you to need accommodations here.
Everyone else should go home when in-person classes end and finish exams there.
If you’re an undergraduate, we will be ready for you at the end of January and we can’t wait to
see you then.
Speaking of next semester, faculty and staff across Grounds are already hard at work planning
for the spring.
We'd like to take the lessons we’ve learned this fall and use them to make the spring
semester the very best it can possibly be.
But to do that, we need your help.
If you have thoughts about what worked well this semester, what didn’t, and creative
ideas about things we can do to make next semester a success—especially as the winter
weather makes it harder to spend time outdoors—please share those ideas by going to the link on your screen.
While some important decisions have already been made, we are always looking for good
ideas and ways to get better.
The good news, as I’ve said before, is that we will be starting from a very strong position.
And I’ll end with a quick story to show you what I mean.
This past weekend, my wife Katie and I were mountain biking out at the Rivanna Reservoir.
As we were finishing up, we ran into a group of students taking a picture, without
masks on.
They said hello and we waved to them.
Later, I received an email from one of the students explaining that she and her friends
weren’t wearing masks because they all live in the same house and were staying far away
from others while they took the picture.
I tell this story not because you need to email me if I happen see you without a mask.
But instead because the fact that this group of students went out of their way to explain why they weren’t
wearing masks and how they were still being responsible is one more example of how seriously
so many of you are taking this.
And it’s a big reason why we’ve been so successful as a community up to this point.
So to the group I saw over the weekend, I appreciate the note as well as the offer of
cookies.
And to all of you who have done your part, even when no one was watching, thank you.
You’ve made it clear again and again just how special this community is and how lucky
we all are to be a part of it.
And now, here’s fourth-year Nia Augustine who will be filling in for Zeno in our final
two episodes.
Zeno has headed home for the semester to finish out his classes and exams there, and I am
grateful to him for the fantastic work.
Now over to you, Nia.
Hey Everyone, it's Nia and I will be taking over for Zeno for the rest of the semester.
I am excited to be part of the #Youva team, where I can bring to you updates on Covid
and news on grounds.
Along with some self-care tips to help you get through it all.
In Covid news, last week Zeno and Dr. Meredith Hayden provided a wealth of information about
potential travel outside of Charlottesville for the holiday and winter break and how to
keep you and your family and friends safe this holiday season.
The Return to Grounds site continues to be updated, and has lots more information about
pre-travel testing for students.
And while you may be sick of people telling you to get your flu shot, Student Health & Wellness
is making it easier to get it done with a mobile flu shot clinic at the Student Activities
Building Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Check out their website for more information.
And while you are taking care of your physical self, don’t forget to take care of your
mental self too.
It's been a roller coaster ride of a semester.
From Covid, to the election, to the regular stressors of being a UVA student, the struggle
is real this fall!
With exams looming and the potential for lots of family time coming up, which could be good
and bad, this is a good time to focus on some self-care and stress-management strategies.
One practice that I use to deal with the stress of being a 4th year is acknowledging my feelings
in the moment.
Because of COVID, I’m not having the typical
4th year UVA experience.
I know there are worse things, but I’m sad and disappointed.
I allow myself to feel those emotions and in those moments of feeling it all, I try
not to judge myself.
So, when you are feeling it all, do not judge yourself or the experiences of others.
And if you need to scream feel free to do so.
Just make sure it’s not on the steps of the Rotunda.
With Thanksgiving around the corner, it’s the season to express gratitude.
Showing gratitude means that you are acknowledging the goodness in your life and when you write
it down you are able to feel more positive emotions.
So, one of the other tips is to write 5 things you are grateful for in the morning or at
night.
It can literally be anything, like I am grateful for waking up this morning or, I am grateful
for my barista at MarieBette for getting my 5% half and half and 95% coffee order right.
Be kind to yourself, be patient with others, and express your gratitude out loud.
Speaking of gratitude, Wednesday marked Veterans Day.
Here is how some of our local ROTC corps paid tribute to American veterans.
Veterans Day it’s been a tradition here since ROTC has existed here at the school.
We celebrate it every year.
We really are saying “thank you” to those that have served.
It’s definitely something that UVA takes pride in and we’re happy that we can still
do it in person this year.
What we’re going to be doing is the Air Force cadets, Army personnel and Midshipmen
will be coming in and helping participate in a 24-hour vigil to help remember our POW
and MIA personnel.
We take a lot of pride in those night shifts.
It’s peace and quiet and you really get to remember when you’re up on stage marching
back-and-forth this is what I’m doing this for.
I’m taking an hour of my day to just say “thank you so much for your sacrifices and
your bravery” And to conclude the vigil, we do our Veterans Day Ceremony.
There will be about 10 distinguished guests and visitors that were invited.
It’s definitely our way to just say that we respect you and we remember you.
This is a time that we really come together as a community and say “thank you” to
all those vets.
Thank you, veterans.
In other Thanksgiving news, if you can’t be with family or friends this Thanksgiving,
the Office of the Dean of Students, UVA Dining, and the Food Insecurity Resource Group will
host its annual Hoos-Giving Meal again this year.
Last year the University served over 160 students, faculty, and staff lunch on Thanksgiving
We’ll be doing the same thing again this year from 12-2pm, in the Newcomb dining
hall.
There will be options for both in-person socially distanced dining as well as a to-go options.
More information about this and other upcoming events are available on the student engagement
calendar.
Now, before we go, let’s talk a little bit about volunteering.
Even though it might look a little different this year, giving back to your community is
as important as ever, especially when so many families are struggling with the pandemic
and with economic hardship.
Madison House or the UVA Volunteer Center can help you find ways to make a difference.
There are tons of partner organizations in the community to volunteer at and this week
we checked in with one of them, Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry.
Let’s take a look.
Loaves and Fishes is a non-profit food pantry.
We are a distribution agency of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank.
In April and May we saw a real surge and it was very much tied to the government shut
down of work and so we saw about a 35 percent increase in need from brand new houses.
We are fortunately able to provide enough food for all the people who come here for
help.
Hunger is a need in the area and the virus can scare a lot of folks but that doesn’t
alleviate the need for people to put food on their tables and someone has to be here
to be able to serve in that way.
Our mission is to give food with kindness and compassion and that’s really important
for Loaves and Fishes is that people who need our help don’t feel like they’re any different
than we are.
That’s deep in our hearts and we want to make sure that everyone who volunteers or
works here is in the same space.
So much of life can easily just be focused on myself, but stepping out and serving others
is something that’s greater than themselves and once you start doing it, it builds on
itself and you start looking forward to it and you realize the benefits of being selfless
and prioritizing other people’s needs.
If you can find time for that I think it will be time well spent and I think you’ll find
yourself the better for it.
So anybody who’s interested in getting involved in Loaves and Fishes or any other charity
in the area, I encourage you to go to the UVA Volunteer Center website and sign up.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Check out the @YOUva team on Instagram or email us at youva@virginia.edu with questions,
concerns, and good news.
Some parting words: “You can't fill anyone else’s cup if yours is empty.”
Thank you for listening and this is Nia Augustine.