ForesterNet

Foresters,

Good evening! I know that many of you are eager to make your travel plans to campus, and get those first COVID tests scheduled, so please read this email thoroughly for instructions for both residential AND commuting students. (Remote students will be provided information at a later date.) Near the end of this email, you will have the opportunity to sign up for your time slot on your arrival/check-in day.

Due to the change in athletic conference competition, we’ve edited the arrival table from the conclusion of the Spring 2021 Plan that was released last month. The new table is printed below:

Please note that arrivals must* occur on weekdays before 4:00pm in order to facilitate on-arrival COVID testing during the testing clinic’s open hours (*with two exceptions: later testing hours on Monday, January 25 to account for international flights, and an extra testing day scheduled on Saturday, January 30 to accommodate returning students). Local students commuting from home or a rental unit must also ‘check-in’ during the week before classes begin​, as scheduled in the table above. No other early arrivals will be granted. And, any residential student that chooses to host a fellow student before their arrival date will be charged with violations of the Forester Commitment’s guest policy.

Check-in and COVID-testing for all residential and commuting students will occur at the Sports and Recreation Center. There, a comprehensive, socially-distant, highly structured check-in process will allow students to get rapid-tested for COVID, pick up keys, have their ID card made (if applicable), receive their welcome kit, be reminded of campus expectations, and obtain any other relevant arrival information or materials. Students will not be allowed to leave the check-in site until they have accomplished all tasks and their rapid COVID test results are clear. For move-in, students will be limited to two move-in helpers who will be required to follow campus and CDC guidelines; helpers will not be allowed inside the Sports and Rec Center and must depart campus within four hours of arrival.

Sign Up for Your Arrival Slot:

Starting at 12noon central time tomorrow (Wednesday, January 6), the following sign-up sheets will go live. Please choose your time by Monday, January 11 at 5pm or you’ll be assigned one shortly thereafter.

-       Arrivals on ​Monday, January 18: Resident Assistants, Orientation Coordinators, and hockey, basketball, swimming and diving, track, tennis, and softball student-athletes: Click here to sign up for a slot.

-       Arrivals on ​Friday, January 22: First Connection Mentors and Orientation Leaders: No sign up needed. Follow the arrival instructions supplied by your sponsoring department and arrive between 8:00am-4:00pm at the Sports and Rec Center.

-       ​Arrivals on ​Monday, January 25: First Connection participations: See your email from Karen Taboada-Buur in December that requested your RSVP and travel information.

-       Arrivals on ​Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, January 25-26-27: Commuting sophomores, juniors, and seniors: Click here to sign up for a slot.

-       Arrivals on ​Thursday, January 28: New first-years and transfers that started in Fall 2020 and Spring 2021: New residential students must arrive between 8am-3pm and new commuting students must arrive between 3-5pm. Click here to sign up for a slot.

-       Arrivals on ​Friday and Saturday, January 29 and 30: Residential sophomores, juniors, and seniors: Click here to sign up for a slot.

Reminders Before Arriving:

·       Sign up for your arrival/check-in slot if instructed to do so above. (Sign-ups are live on January 6 at 12noon central time and due on Monday, January 11 at 5pm central.)

·         Get your influenza vaccine before returning to campus and indicate your compliance on the Forester Commitment.

·         Students should sign the Forester Commitment for Spring 2021 here.

·         Follow CDC guidance to prevent the transmission of the virus always, and especially in the 14 days before coming to campus. Doing so will help keep your peers safe and reduce the changes of testing positive upon arrival.

·         Download and use the #CampusClear medical screening app for 14 days before coming to campus. This will help you get in the habit of doing the screening every morning.

·         Residential students are reminded to pack lightly and prepare a “go bag” to expedite possible moves to isolation or quarantine housing.

In the coming weeks, please watch your Lake Forest College email closely. More information is forthcoming from the Gates Center about New Student Orientation schedules, from Intercultural Relations about First Connection, and from the College regarding general COVID and arrival updates. Thank you!

Andrea

__________________________________________

Andrea B. Conner

Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students
Lake Forest College

conner@lakeforest.edu

847.735.5200

Rosemary House

555 North Sheridan Road

Lake Forest, IL  60045

Pronouns: she / her / hers

Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students,

Thanks to all of you for your dedication and hard work during this taxing, isolating semester.  I’m grateful for your perseverance through a host of challenges that were unimaginable before the pandemic’s arrival.  To faculty and students, in particular, I thank you for preparing and completing the many remote courses that were required this fall.

Even in this difficult time, there is good news to share as you prepare for the holidays.  Our enrollment next semester will total 1500 students or more, a great success in a year when undergraduate enrollment has declined by more than 7% at other Illinois colleges and more than 4% at colleges nationwide.  Our Admissions Office has also received nearly 3,000 applications and almost 60 early deposits for next fall – outpacing last year’s early deposit total – thanks to the ongoing efforts of our talented admission officers, faculty, staff, coaches, and alumni.  Our special campaign to raise funds to offset coronavirus costs has been similarly successful, raising almost $550,000 to date, more than halfway to our $1 million goal.  The historic Brown Hall project is proceeding on schedule and will be completed by next August.  And three hundred students will start courses next month in the College’s first January term in many years.

A vital development will also help to curb the coronavirus, as the first vaccine to receive emergency approval is starting to be distributed, and a second vaccine is near approval.  Here in Lake County, Illinois, essential workers – including the College’s healthcare staff – should receive the vaccine by January.  The Lake County Health Department expects to expand distribution over the next few months, and it is very possible that vaccines could be available to everyone on campus before the end of April.

The College’s Spring Semester Plan is a careful, comprehensive document that prioritizes the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff, and that benefits from the on-campus experience of peer colleges this fall.  For those who feel anxiety about our forthcoming on-campus spring semester, the lessons from those other colleges should be reassuring.  Until a vaccine becomes available for everyone, the coronavirus will be kept at bay by frequent testing and a strong campus commitment to masks, social distancing, contact tracing, and effective quarantines.  By insisting on those same measures, Lawrence University maintained a positive on-campus testing rate this fall of only one percent, while the rate was 15% in the surrounding community of Appleton, Wisconsin.

Our campus safety in the spring will be enhanced by a relatively small residential population.  Approximately 750 students – only one-half of our total enrollment – currently plan to live on campus, and the vast majority will be in single rooms.  More than 200 other students have decided to take courses entirely remotely without coming to campus.  Our remaining students – who will be non-residential in the spring semester – will commute to campus from their family homes or temporary apartments in the area.  (Note:  commuting students will be tested for the virus as thoroughly and frequently as residential students.  Only fully remote students who do not come to campus at all will be exempt from testing requirements.)

The challenge posed by our low spring residential population is budgetary.  As recently as October, we anticipated that slightly more than 1000 students would choose to live on campus in the spring.  The drop to 750 means the College will lose approximately $750,000 because 250 fewer students than projected will pay room fees.  If those 250 students also decline campus meal plans, then the College will realize additional losses.

This budget shortfall may be exacerbated by a likely increase in the cost of the regular COVID tests that our Spring Semester Plan requires.  A reliable cost estimate should be available by January, and the combination of rising costs and lost room and board revenue may potentially result in a budget deficit of as much as $1.5 million.  It is also possible that the deficit could grow if the federal government fails to provide financial relief that we – and several thousand other colleges and universities – have counted on since September.

Vice President Lori Sundberg and I will work with other senior administrators over the holidays to identify potential cost savings and revenue sources that could help address the likely budget challenge.  Importantly, we do not expect to furlough any current staff, but open staff positions will likely need to remain vacant to reduce salary expenditures.

The scope of our budgetary challenge should be clarified by early-to-mid-January when students’ room and board decisions – and federal funding plans – should be finalized.  The Board of Trustees is scheduled to meet on January 8, 2021 to review and advise on our financial outlook for the spring.  I will also consult with College Council in January, and will keep the campus informed about any significant developments.

In closing, I am confident that our community will respond to the pending budget challenge as successfully as we have navigated through this unique fall semester.  For now, I thank everyone again for your admirable work over the past four months, and wish you peace, rest, and happiness in the coming holidays.

Stephen D. Schutt

President

Lake Forest College

Student Insurance Announcement

Greetings from Gallagher Student Health, a valued partner of Lake Forest College. This email contains important information about your Health Insurance options.

Beginning December 15, 2020 until January 15, 2021 all Full-Time Undergraduate Students who previously waived enrollment in the student health insurance plan may enroll in the insurance coverage!

Waivers cannot be submitted. This is for Open Enrollment ONLY!

If you previously waived insurance and would like to enroll in the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) follow the steps to enroll below.

If you previously waived insurance and do not wish to make a change there is nothing you need to do. Your initial waiver will be honored.

The cost for the spring/summer Lake Forest College Student Health Insurance plan is $1,215.00. The coverage runs from January 1, 2021 to August 14, 2021.

Steps to Enroll:

• Create an Account, if you have not previously done so.
• Click on ‘Enroll’
• Complete the Enrollment Form
• Click ‘Submit’

Please click here to begin your enrollment application.

What changes have been made to the Plan for the 2020-2021 Policy Year?

• The pharmacy benefits manager changed from Cigna Pharmacy Network to Wellfleet Rx.
• The Wellfleet formulary has some Prescription refill limits and pre-authorization requirements.

* The information provided above is used as a general summary of benefits. For a detailed plan description, limitations, and exclusions, visit our website.

To learn more about the Student Health Insurance Plan, your school’s insurance requirements and how to waive or enroll, go to www.gallagherstudent.com/LakeForest.  If you plan to waive, your current insurance must be fully compliant with the Affordable Care Act and provide access to doctors near your school. Please note, you should have your health insurance ID Card available.

Voluntary Dental Insurance and Voluntary Vison Insurance is available to all students on the Gallagher website www.gallagherstudent.com/LakeForest.

Sincerely,

The Team at Gallagher Student Health & Special Risk

Lake Forest Colleges welcomes:

Ojhanae Stallworth, Temporary COVID Testing Clinic Staff

Melissa Werntz, COVID Testing Coordinator, Health and Wellness

Diane Benner, Registered Nurse, Health and Wellness

Susana Peszek, COVID Testing Clinic Staff, Health and Wellness

Ojhanae Stallworth, COVID Testing Clinic Staff, Health and Wellness

Ronan Kaiser, Residence Director, Student Affairs

Grace Drake, Temporary Communications Specialist, Alumni and Development

Kristi Kauth, Temporary Data and CRM Specialist, Alumni and Development

Departing:

Florin Iacob, Maintenance Mechanic, Facilities Management

Owen Hickman, Maintenance Mechanic, Facilities Management

Catherine Bernardi, Associate Director of Engagement, Development and Alumni Relations

Raquel Vescovi, Head Men’s and Women’s Tennis Coach, Athletics