Dean Bate Appointed Chief of Staff to President Paula Johnson
Carol Bate, the current senior associate dean of students, is being appointed chief of staff in the Office of the President starting mid-January. With seven years of experience at Wellesley, Dean Bate has served multiple roles in the Division of Student Life and co-chaired Wellesley in the World. According to the email announcing the change, in her roles, she has improved physical residential spaces, technology, and student involvement and wellness initiatives, as well as leading student life on COVID-19 testing. As chief of staff, Dean Bate said she will further major campus and institutional initiatives.
Science Complex
The Science Complex is slated to be fully completed and open for students to use at the start of the Spring semester. Construction was disrupted by the pandemic and supply chain shocks, but the new buildings will soon be completed after five years of planning and construction. The Science Complex hosts 36 classrooms, 108 laboratories, and 158 faculty and staff offices in a space of nearly 100,000 square feet. The new buildings will be open to the College and students in late January after move-in and construction of the buildings are completed. The College will celebrate this milestone with various events throughout next year.
Positive COVID-19 Cases following Thanksgiving Break
Following Thanksgiving break, the number of students testing positive for COVID-19 has risen. In the week of Nov. 21-27, there was one new positive case among a staff/faculty member. During Thanksgiving break, many students, staff and faculty traveled back home to spend time with their friends and families, with many traveling out-of-state. Consequently, the number of new positive cases in the week of Nov. 28 to Dec. 4 reached 11, with six students and five faculty or staff members infected. If a pool of students, faculty or staff members tests positive, they are required to retest with Binax antigen and individual PCR tests. In their Weekly Update, the dean of students reminds members of the College to wear masks in groups and get their booster shots. Additionally, out-of-state travel is still prohibited until the end of the semester.
Suspicious Person of Interest
A student was approached at 9 pm, Sunday, Dec. 5, near Munger Meadow by a woman in a white delivery van who claimed to be a food delivery driver. The woman claimed that she was looking for Freeman Hall and requested the student enter the vehicle so that they could give instructions to the dormitory from the passenger seat. The student refused and reported the incident to Campus Police.
Student Tests Return False-Negative
After a student tested positive for COVID-19 on Nov. 30, the affected block entered in-room quarantine per school policy. One of the students in the block was released from quarantine on Dec. 3 after two negative tests, but tested positive two days later for COVID-19 on Dec. 6. Prior to the student’s positive test, they had exposed several other students outside of the block. Students are advised to follow recommended COVID-19 guidelines in order to prevent the spread of the virus.
