Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,
Good morning from a warm and muggy Elkins Park!
WELCOME BACK! - I’d like to welcome back all of our students returning to campus – I recorded a welcome video stressing the importance of our Safety Strategy and what will be accessible on campus during this fall semester. While I won’t win the academy award for the video, I encourage all of you to check it out.
FACULTY FOCUS - This week’s faculty focus features Bisant Labib, OD ‘14, Resident ‘15, FAAO. Learn more about why she believes humor has the ability to transform any negative situation or emotion into a positive one. It’s well worth the read!
N95 MASK DONATION - Salus recently received a much-needed donation of more than 285 N95 masks from Medical Students for Masks – an organization dedicated to protecting frontline healthcare workers. Read more at salus.edu/PPE-Donation.
OUR NEW FACULTY MEMBERS - We have a couple new faculty members I’d like to welcome to the Salus Community: Eileen Hunsaker, MS, CCC-SLP, recently joined the University as director of Clinical Education for the SLP program and Chad Killen, OD ‘19, Resident ‘20, who became a PCO instructor.
UNIVERSITY DEVELOPMENT DAY - This morning, we’ll conduct a virtual faculty-wide Development Day from 9-11:30 a.m. Please join in on Blackboard Collaborate.
VOTE! – As the country prepares for the presidential election this coming November, I want to ensure everyone has a chance to vote, no matter what your political affiliation is. If you’re going to vote by mail, which I encourage, given the pandemic, I urge you to get your mail-in ballot early so it will be counted. Here are the steps to vote by mail in Pennsylvania:
1. Request your mail-in ballot with a mail ballot application.
2. Fill out the application completely.
3. Submit the request to your local election office. You should request your ballot as far in advance of the election as possible. The deadline to request a ballot by mail is (received by) Tuesday, October 27, 2020.
4. When your ballot arrives, read it carefully and follow the instructions to complete it and return it.
FINAL THOUGHTS: This week we all were witness to yet another shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake. This time in Wisconsin. I am again angered and dismayed by the event and that our nation once again finds itself reeling from the tragic shooting of a Black man by police, as three of his children looked on. Mr. Blake, who is now paralyzed as he fights for his life, is just the latest in a long line of Black men and women who have been shot and severely wounded or killed by police.
We continue to stand with all those who demand justice, equality and accountability for Black lives in our country – lives like those of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony Robinson, Denise Hamilton, Earnest Lacy, and Sylville Smith. I want to reiterate what our DEI committee noted in their email yesterday encouraging all members of the Salus community to check on each other, and especially on our Black students, friends, and colleagues. Ask questions such as “How are you feeling? What do you need from your us – your classmates and colleagues?” We will fully support our Black students, faculty and staff and try to use this tragedy to come closer together as a Salus community, not get pulled farther apart.
On a much more positive note, this weekend should be pretty nice, so please take some time to relax, reflect and get outside. Remember to continue to socially distance, wash your hands frequently and wear a face mask when around others. Also, please remember that what you do off campus effects all of us on campus, so please be vigilant. This pandemic, while it seems to be lasting a lifetime, will end - we just need to stay on top of things until it does.
Stay safe, be smart and remain Salus Strong!
Mike
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