September 2, 2020
A note from the Dean
Dear Faculty and Staff Colleagues,

Last Thursday, we welcomed President Gregory Fenves to Oxford College and many of you were able to join us in-person or virtually for the special town hall with President Fenves, me, and our wonderful moderator, Allyson Studer. Thank you all for warmly welcoming President Fenves. It was nice to have much of the community gathered.

I am pleased to mention that we are planning two town halls over the next week with our students. We will hold a virtual town hall with off-campus students (the approximately 550 students learning remotely this semester) on Thursday, September 3, followed by a virtual town hall with on-campus, residential students next Tuesday, September 8. The purpose of these conversations is to check in with our students and understand their needs for a successful, engaged, and supported fall semester.

At Oxford, we pride ourselves on the connections and relationships we faculty and staff build with our students. Thank you for leveraging every opportunity and avenue you have available to connect with and reach out to our students in the coming days and weeks. Each one of us plays a key role in building and maintaining the close-knit community we value at Oxford, and your contacts in-person or online with students are invaluable to them.

Thank you for all the ways you support Oxford College.

Best,
Doug
Notes from Chaplyn
We are always changing as is everything around us. That has certainly proven true in 2020. One of the reasons this year has felt so heavy for me (despite many of the obvious ones) is the grief associated with it. So much has been changing, and with change comes grief. Change often asks us to let go of the way we knew things, abandon our places of comfort, and face loss. All of this brings grief to the forefront of our lives. Grief is not about clear or predictable stages, but it is, as Thomas Ellis says, “a natural process of dynamic changes that will ebb and flow as they may” (Ellis, xiii). For the next few notes, I want to talk about grief. You may find of interest a joint project from The Offices of Religious & Spiritual Life at Emory University Healing Through the Arts.” Along with students and faculty, our teams have envisioned a project where we invite any member of the Emory community to submit their interpretations of grief and healing through art. This will launch the week of September 14, so watch for EaglePost and the Campus Update that week for more details. Be well, friends.
Faculty and Staff publications
Chaplain Lyn Pace wrote a week of meditations for the book Disciplines: A Book of Daily Devotions 2021. The book is published annually by The Upper Room, based in Nashville, Tenn., and the 2021 edition was released on September 1, allowing time to receive and be ready to use in the new year for yourself or to buy as an uplifting gift for others. The book is available for purchase in print or digital form via The Upper Room website or Amazon.
 

 

 
Virtual Winship Win the Fight 5K

Oxford College is participating in this year's virtual Winship Win the Fight 5K benefitting the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. Our Oxford team will be Team Hardin and will run and walk in celebration of Pernilla Hardin, Oxford College head men's and women's tennis coach, and those treated at the Winship Cancer Institute.

We have set a goal of 30 team members and, with the encouragement of Coach Hardin's husband Rob Hardin, we have increased our team fundraising goal to $15,000! You can help us reach this goal by registering to run/walk, or by donating to the team at the online team page.

The race this year will be virtual and is being promoted for the week of September 26-October 3. We want to plan a safe 5K group run in Oxford the weekend of September 26-27 with the annual post-run "runch" to be hosted by Catherine Bagwell. More information on this Oxford run and the runch will be sent to team members closer to the date.

We have the ever-popular Oxford Team T-shirts available again this year. The performance tees (no cotton) are $10 for those registered for the race and $15 for non-participants. The additional funds will go toward our team fundraising goal. The deadline to order a T-shirt is Friday, September 4. The shirts sizes are Unisex XS-4XL. To order, please complete the online order form (once for each shirt ordered).
The shirts will be available September 21-25, so bring cash or check to pay for your shirt when you pick it up on or before September 25 in Seney Hall 408. There is also an option to have the shirt mailed to you if you cannot get to the Oxford campus.
Oxford in the news
Emory News Center highlights Woodruff Scholars at Oxford College in the article Emory’s new Woodruff Scholars bring intellectual accomplishments and servant leadership to Atlanta and Oxford campuses.
Don Beaudette, assistant professor of political science, co-wrote the op-ed piece "Mourning Two Civil Rights Heroes Across the Atlantic" published August 23 by the History News Network.
Zachary Binney, assistant professor of quantitative theory and methods, has been interviewed by multiple national print and television outlets regarding COVID-19 and the efforts of professional sports teams to resume practice and competition due to his expertise and interest in public health and athletics. The following are some of his recent appearances:
Alumni in the news
Emory Nursing Magazine profiles Donté Flanagan 04Ox 06N and his experience working with COVID-19 patients as a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) in New Orleans in "Breathing Room: Donté Flanagan brings critical expertise to help coronavirus patients." Read more about "Doc Flanagan," his memoir Dream Big and Awaken to Your Possibilities, and his career after Oxford and Emory on his website.
OCTS $200 mini-grant application deadline September 15
If you are planning to invite a guest speaker to visit your class virtually this fall, you may apply for a mini-grant of $200 for the speaker's honorarium. [Note: Discovery Seminar instructors should use the funds provided by Academic Affairs should they want to invite a speaker to their seminar.] Please complete the briefonline applicationby September 15. The number of grants awarded and the ability to award multiple grants to an individual faculty member will depend on the (forthcoming) OCTS budget for 2020-21. 
Emory partners with Komae for childcare app
Emory University has partnered with Komae, a cooperative childcare app, as a new option for our working parents. On Komae, families can set up pods to rotate care and homeschooling or schedule single sits. Trade "points" by the hour and your care is free. Learn more online here. Komae will enable parents to identify and vet families with similar parenting styles and COVID-19 hygiene practices to match and share childcare and home education. Read the user guide with more detailed information and graphics.
Condolences
Sam Ramsey 59Ox 61B passed away on August 25. The Covington News featured a tribute to the former Covington mayor and his life of service and dedication to the Newton County community. Our deepest sympathies and thoughts are with his wife Becky and his family.
SEPTEMBER
Oxford Staff Organization (OSO) meeting
9:00 a.m.
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