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August 19, 2020 VOLUME XL, ISSUE 14 Online-Only Edition
VitalCheck, Fordham and You
By GUS DUPREE Asst. Sports & Health Editor
As the outbreak of COVID-19 continues to spread across the U.S., colleges and universities have been faced with the challenge of educating students while also keeping them safe. As Fordham prepares
for an in-person and on-campus semester, the university has taken health precautions that will impact students, faculty and employees’ experiences on campus. Community members planning on returning to campus will be required to utilize a screening program called Vi-
talCheck. All students also must go through a COVID-19 orientation, regardless of whether or not they’re returning to campus. Keith Eldredge, dean of students at Lincoln Center, clarified that VitalCheck is not an app but rather an online database. Every
morning, community members will receive “a daily text” by VitalCheck.
see VITALCHECK page 8
GABE SAMANDI/THE OBSERVER
Fordham community members will receive a daily text from VitalCheck and answer a collection of questions in order to get a pass necessary to enter campus for the day.
Tasked With Childcare, ‘Teaching seemed insurmountable,’ Professor Said By JOE KOTTKE News Editor
Features
News
Communities at risk as schools reopen
Faculty clarified student questions about the fall semester
Locals Left Behind Page 3
Town Hall Recap Page 4
More than 280 Fordham employees signed and sent a statement regarding COVID-19 and care work on Tuesday, Aug. 4, addressing Fordham’s “lack of attention to race, class and gender disparities among employees” in its reopening plan. The statement highlights the
absence of support for employees who have become caregivers during the pandemic, saying that the unpaid role falls “disproportionately upon female and economically disadvantaged employees.” “For most of us, in-person teaching seemed insurmountable,” Carey Kasten, associate professor of Spanish, said. “How to teach on campus when our children are home and in need
of help to login to virtual classes? How to hire a sitter during a pandemic, when you do not know the number of hours/which days your child will be in school (not to mention questions of exposure and contact tracing)? There were and still are many questions of this nature.” see CAREGIVERS page 7
Arts & Culture
Checking in on Fordham's favorite eateries
Sports & Health
Opinions
How residence halls are adhering to COVID-19 precautions
First-years face a unique welcome to campus
Distancing in Dorms Page 8
Quarantining in NYC
Local Restaurants
Page 15
The Student Voice of Fordham Lincoln Center
Page 10