4:54
You re listening to Utah Public Radio. I m Kerry Bringhurst. Joining me is Utah State University President Noelle Cockett, and we wanted to talk today about the increased opportunities for staff and employees to be immunized. And President Cockett, is that something that will be required of your staff and faculty?
NC: We are certainly not requiring the vaccination as a condition of employment or as a condition of registration for students. But every time we ve sent out opportunities for people to, you know, get a vaccination, there s been a lot of interest in that. I actually did have the opportunity to be vaccinated as a frontline responder because of the work that I ve done in our testing centers. So I actually had my second dose of Pfizer on Monday, got a little chill with a little bit of a fever, but by the next day felt really good. And it s a really wild feeling. I was thinking, “Well, you know, I m gonna come on campus more.”
4:22
This is Utah Public Radio, I m Kerry Bringhurst. Utah State University is providing access to a parking lot near Aggie Village for the Utah Department of Health to provide free testing for COVID to families of USU students and employees who are not part of the university system.
Joining me is USU President Noelle Cockett. What can you tell us about this new partnership with the Utah Department of Health?
NC: One of the reasons that we wanted to target Aggie Village is because of our wastewater treatment. It is showing a little bit of a spike there at Aggie Village. We re hoping, again, to be able to help people know who is positive and then they can, you know, adjust what they re doing accordingly.
5:08
This is Utah Public Radio. I m Kerry Bringhurst. Joining me today, as we do most week s conversation, with Utah State University President Noelle Cockett.
And President Cockett, thank you so much for joining us for just maybe an update of the news this week, releasing some information about upcoming commencement. I know last year at this time, wow, you probably feel a little more connected with how to move forward this year than you did last year when it comes to commencements at Utah State University.
NC: Well, it s been a long year if we re remembering what happened last year versus this year. So, yes. We had planned to have a regular graduation with hooding, then college ceremonies and the overall commencement of the university in the Spectrum. And all, you know, those celebrations as we had done in the past. And then March, COVID and everything had to be rethought.
Credit CDC
You’re listening to Utah Public Radio. I m Kerry Bringhurst. Utah State University students statewide have returned to campus learning this week. Joining me is USU President Noelle Cockett.
And I understand a number of those students are taking seriously the request to be tested to determine if they have the COVID-19 virus. You ve done about 600 so far. What are we looking forward to?
NC: We ll be up to two and maybe even to 3000 here in the next couple of days. There were five positives, but that s a positivity rate of less than 1%. That s very encouraging, because that is certainly not at the level of positivity that we re seeing, you know, for those that are coming into the IHC, etc.