Bulletin No. 72
Date/Time sent: 11/15/2021 9:00 amE ala! E alu! E kuilima!
Awaken! Come together! Join hands!
Statement of Gratitude
“Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer.
And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.”
~ Maya Angelou
Aloha mai kākou!
This, as some of you might know, is also national “Gratitude” month. Yes, an encouragement to us all to embrace the power of gratitude. In every weekly bulletin, since the start of the COVID pandemic, I have begun with a gratitude statement because it means so much to me to simply on just say “Mahalo!” but also to remind everyone (and myself) to not focus on just the negative but to appreciate what is special and positive in our lives. Practicing daily gratitude has helped me to weather these long 20 months by helping to ground myself and to know that we are still connected. I urge you to share your gratitude, to lift the spirits of loved ones.
Please keep an eye on your emails & UH Announcements regarding our modified Fall 2021 Commencement to be held on Saturday, December 11th. Your participation is requested.
Please take the time to scroll through this weekly bulletin. The first message is from President Lassner. This message is followed by several important ANNOUNCEMENTS/REMINDERS for both students and employees.
Mahalo nūnui for taking the time to review this week’s bulletin.
E mālama pono!
Maenette Benham, Chancellor
Holiday message from President Lassner
Dear UH ‘ohana,
The holidays are rapidly approaching, and hope is growing that we’ll all be able to celebrate safely with good cheer and without spreading COVID-19. Besides the passive decreases in case counts and hospitalizations across our islands, another reason for hope is that parents of children 5 to 11 years of age are now able to have them vaccinated against COVID-19. If we start now, our children can all be fully vaccinated by the end-of-year holidays.
Vaccinating our children is one of the most powerful tools we have to keep them safe and also help protect our entire community. If parents move quickly to vaccinate their children, more families will be able to celebrate the holidays safely. And children will be even more prepared to return to the classroom and other activities in 2022 with a high degree of protection against COVID-19.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends a child-sized dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine that is one-third of the adult dose. Testing showed that at that lower dosage, 5-11-year-old children developed a strong antibody response to COVID-19. Parents and families should be aware that while infected children often experience only mild COVID-19 symptoms, they are still at risk for long term effects, such as major organ inflammation that can last for months. And asymptomatic children who are infected can transmit the coronavirus to family members and others. Fully vaccinated K-12 students who attend our DOE schools do not need to quarantine at home for 10 days if they are asymptomatic and if they are identified as a risk through contact tracing of others.
If you’re a parent with concerns, you can get further information from a pediatrician who knows your child’s health status and can advise you on any individual issues of safety. Click here for a vaccination location near you.
E mālama pono,
David Lassner
UH President
Announcements and Reminders
10th Student Research and Creative Works Symposium
Donʻt miss the opportunity to engage with student scholars and creatives as they present their brilliant senior projects, research studies, and community outreach work. Register on the Symposium website for the Nov. 17 virtual event. Our City & County of Honolulu Council member Augie Tulba sent along this video to celebrate our students here. Much mahalo to Dr. Camonia Graham-Tutt and her team!
Download and Use LumiSight. Must show verification.
Students, employees, and visitors: It is essential that you download LumiSight UH to your smartphone. Register and upload all relevant COVID-19 information. Prior to coming to campus please check-in using your LumiSight APP remembering to respond to all health questions. BE PREPARED TO SHOW YOUR “GO GREEN” SCREEN at our campus verification stations. If for some reason you forgot to sign-in, please do so before entering campus or see our friendly student assistants at any of the verification sites. They will assist you with signing in or getting a day pass. NOTE: you must have proof of COVID vaccination or negative COVID test to retrieve a day pass. Welina mai – Welcome to campus!
Travel protocol reminder
As the holidays and the end of the semester quickly approach, we know that travel may be high on your to-do list.
To mitigate the risk of introducing post-travel infections onto our campus, University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu leadership is strongly recommending that all students and employees, vaccinated and unvaccinated, who are returning from out-of-state travel, business or personal, upload to LumiSight UH proof of a negative COVID-19 test before returning to campus. For your safety, health and well-being please follow all State of Hawaiʻi Safe Travel guidelines and UH COVID-19 Guidelines, including being cleared by the LumiSight UH daily health check app to be on campus and wearing face masks indoors when on campus.
For employees and students who are reporting to work/to classes immediately after returning from out-of-state travel, it is strongly recommended that you obtain two negative COVID-19 test results: the first should be obtained within 24 hours of your return and before returning to campus, and the second should be obtained within three-to-five days of returning from travel.
Let’s be mindful, respectful, and responsible of and to our campus community as we celebrate family, holidays, commencement, and continued good news in the upcoming months.
If you have any questions, please email covid19@hawaii.edu.