The Cornell Quaranzine

11/18/2020

Dear Community,

It’s amazing to think we’re getting closer and closer to the end of fall semester. So much has been accomplished, both individually and collectively as a community. Publications have been submitted to journals, applications have been sent out, papers have been written, assignments have been graded. And despite the odds, the University’s public health plan, which you all played a key role in, enabled our campus to remain open. While it’s true that many questions remain unanswered about the Spring semester, and much seems to be out of our individual control, we want to encourage you to take the next week to do something that is within your control- practice gratitude. What are you most thankful for from the Fall semester?

Wishing you wellness,

The Skorton Center for Health Initiatives at Cornell Health

* The Cornell Quaranzine will be paused during the week of Thanksgiving, and will resume on December 2nd.

*If you would like to continue receiving issues of the newsletter each week, follow this link!

Gratitude is an attitude you can cultivate by noticing and appreciating the things in your life that are good or are going well. Intentionally practicing gratitude increases happiness and has positive effects on our personality, emotions, sociability, health, education and work. We want to supply you with some prompts to use to practice gratitude for the next few days (and beyond). For each prompt, set a timer for 5 minutes and type or write away. Try to pause at the same time each day to focus on one of the prompts. Notice how you feel afterward.

1. Who is one family member you are grateful for? Write down their name and why you're

grateful for them.

2. What do you appreciate about yourself the most?

3. What is something that you're grateful you accomplished this semester?

4. What is one personal possession that you take for granted? Why are you grateful for it?

5. What is a skill you have that you're grateful for? How did it help you this semester?

6. What are you grateful that you accomplished today?

7. Who is a mentor or teacher you are grateful for? Write down their name and why you're

grateful for them. Have you spoken to them recently?

8. What are your best memories from this past semester?

Click above to watch the Ted Talk by David Steindl-Rast, American Catholic Benedictine monk, author and lecturer on the subject of gratitude

Although World Kindness day was this past Friday November 13th, the need for kindness in our world goes well beyond just one day. Every time we turn on the news, we see different segments of our country and different parts of the world, deeply hurting. Use this article from CNN to learn about ways to be kind to yourself, your loved ones, your community, and the planet today or any day. We could all use a little more kindness this year.

It is difficult to fully grasp the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on us. Not only has coronavirus led to intense physical suffering and a profound loss of human life, but it has also posed significant spiritual challenges. This unique moment has called our attention to the need to cultivate spiritual practices that will sustain us through this prolonged period. All of us must face the question: in a time of solitude and physical distancing, how might we develop practices and habits that help us connect with ourselves and others in meaningful ways?

The Office of Spirituality and Meaning-Making has pulled together a list of resources that begin to address this question . This list is by no means exhaustive, nor can CURW fully vouch for or endorse all the content on each of the linked websites. Our hope is that these resources might provide a good first (or second, or third) step in your spiritual journey through this season.

We recognize that the lead up to this election cycle and the current post-election period coupled with everything else that has come along with 2020 are contributing to heightened feelings of concern, exhaustion and anxiety especially within BIPOC, LGBTQ+, international and members of other historically marginalized communities. To help address these concerns, the Graduate School Office of Inclusion and Student Engagement and the Graduate and Professional Student Diversity Council invite you to join other members of the Cornell community for a discussion on Strategies for Managing 2020 Anxiety- Individually and Collectively.

Facilitating this discussion will be Dr. Marta Guzmán, who serves as a psychologist for the Cornell Faculty and Staff Assistance Program. Dr. Guzmán will provide guidance on strategies to manage and cope during this uniquely stressful time, and how to nurture hope.

Learn more about Dr. Marta Guzmán and register the event here: https://gradschool.cornell.edu/event/strategies-for-managing-post-election-anxiety-individually-and-collectively/

Students, staff, and faculty who are remaining in Ithaca and who are continuing to participate in Cornell's Covid-19 Surveillance Testing Program and authorized to be on campus are welcome to join us for a smaller version for the 33rd Annual Traditional American Thanksgiving Feast. Although this unusual semester has posed challenges for many of us, we hope you can join us for a meal that has been an ongoing tradition at Cornell for over 30+ years. Please be sure to read all the details below prior to attending the dinner.

To learn more about pricing and reservations for this event, visit https://events.cornell.edu/event/traditional_american_thanksgiving_feast_2020

Jupiter and Saturn will be visible in the early night, between the 18th and the 21st, all throughout the Northern Hemisphere, as well as Mars, Neptune, and Uranus.

The Leonid meteor shower will be extra-visible and Venus and Mercury will be bright enough to see in the early mornings during this period. Read more at: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/see-all-seven-planets-and-the-leonid-meteor-shower/

Though Cornell boasts state-of-the-art facilities, great faculty, and numerous opportunities for students to find instruction in any subject, it also has some of the dreariest weather in the northeast. With long, cloudy winters around the Ithaca area, many students, staff, and faculty suffer from the blues, a mild depression brought on by a decrease in exposure to sunlight as autumn deepens. This fact sheet is intended to provide you with information concerning the symptoms and effective methods on how to treat the winter blues.

Read more at: https://health.cornell.edu/sites/health/files/pdf-library/winter-blues.pdf

Website: https://health.cornell.edu/services/mental-health-care/group-counseling

Cornell students have done an amazing job and made a Fall 2020 on-campus experience possible. Now it’s time to transition to remote learning for the final weeks of the semester.

Cornell’s Learning Strategies Center is here to help students think through steps they can take to learn effectively in a remote environment. Explore these resources at lsc.cornell.edu. Successful learning at home includes creating appropriate space - physical, temporal, and emotional in order to optimize efficiency and finish the semester as strong s possible .

Here is some guidance about how to create a good remote learning environment:

Physical Space Needs, Time Needs, and Emotional Space Needs.

Learn more at http://lsc.cornell.edu/for-families-how-to-support-students-remote-learning/

The Tompkins County Health Department has identified additional positive cases related to the cluster that was described in a recent communication. All students who have been identified as close contacts are currently in quarantine and undergoing testing; however, we anticipate that additional students may be contacted by the health department as contact tracing continues. The additional cases will be reflected on the university’s COVID-19 tracking dashboard .

As a precautionary measure, the university has moved the Ithaca campus to COVID-19 Alert Level Yellow in hope to curtail further spread of the virus. While the overall prevalence of the virus remains low, this is a reminder for our entire community about how critical it is to follow all public health guidance at all times, on or off campus. As you go about your studies, work, and activities, please remember to wear face coverings, maintain physical distance of six feet or more whether indoors or outdoors, and practice frequent handwashing. Most importantly, gatherings should be limited and, whenever possible, be held outdoors.

Mike Kotlikoff

Provost

Ryan Lombardi
Vice President, Student and Campus Life

If you find yourself struggling or in need of someone to talk to, know that you are not alone.

The following resources are here to support you:

Cornell Resources

• Cornell Health phone consultation (24/7): 607-255-5155

• EARS peer-counselor phone consultation 7-11pm Now-11/22; closed 11/23-11/29

Ithaca Resources (24/7)

• Ithaca Crisisline: 607-272-1616
  

• Advocacy Center (sexual/domestic violence): 607-277-5000

National Talk-Lines (24/7)

• Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255

• Trevor Project hotline (LGBTQ+): 866-488-7386

• LGBT+ National Hotline: 888-843-4564

• TransLifeline: 877-565-8860

National Text/Chat Services

• National Crisis Text Line: Text HELLO to 741741

• Steve Fund crisis text line: Text STEVE to 741741 (connects you to a counselor of color)

• Trevor Project text line (LGBTQ+): Text START to 678678

National Suicide Prevention "Lifeline CHAT" service: suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat

• Contact Catherine Thrasher-Carroll, Mental Health Promotion Program Director, at ct265@cornell.edu.

• Contact Johan Kjorven or Adaeze Okorie, Public Health Fellows, at jk988@cornell.edu and aio22@cornell.edu
  

• Medical and Telehealth Services for Students in Ithaca

• Medical and Telehealth Services for Students Outside Ithaca
  

Website: health.cornell.edu
Phone: (607) 255-5155
Twitter: @CornellHealth