September 28, 2022 Edition

Highlighting Collaborative Relationships

Photo by: Chloé Cabrales

September 28, 2022 Dominican University

Photo by: Azhley Rodriguez

Read more on pg. 6

An ICPA Award-Winning Newspaper

EDITOR - IN - CHIEF

Azhley Rodriguez

CHIEF DESIGNER

Cristian Raya

DESIGNERS

Arleth Arana

Jeffrey Diazleal

Edgar Vega

ONLINE CONTENT MANAGER

Chloé Cabrales

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

Fernanda Arellano

ASSIGNMENT EDITOR Bianca Dinkha

STAFF WRITERS

Fernanda Arellano Chloé Cabrales

Matthew Desmond Bianca Dinkha

Angel Dominguez

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Emily Ford

Elizabeth Nguyen

Advisers

EDITORIAL / DESIGN ADVISER

Shonda Dudlicek

FACULTY ADVISER

John Jenks

Online

WEBSITE

www.dominicanstar.com www.dominicanstar.com/

INSTAGRAM @ the_dominican_star

FACEBOOK

@ DominicanStars

TIKTOK @ DominicanStars

SNAPCHAT @ dunews001

LINKIN . BIO linkin.bio/the_dominican_star

About the Star

The Dominican Star, the student newspaper of Dominican University, is published twice a month.

The Dominican Star is not submitted to any person or organization for prior approval.

Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to voice their opinions to the editor.

All letters must be typed, signed and include a phone number.

Letters should not exceed 300 words and should be emailed to domstarnews@ gmail.com.

Editors reserve the right to refuse submissions that may be deemed as libelous, unethical, in poor taste or prompting legal issues.

The Star reserves the right to edit submissions for length, style and standards of good taste.

This publication presents opinions that do not necessarily reflect those of the editors, reporters, faculty or the administration of Dominican University.

Letter From the Editor

of the Star for the fall semester! We only have three more editions this semester, so make sure to pick up every copy!

This edition features trailblazers who’ve come to Dominican recently, some sports coverage as we try and include recaps of games in case you miss them, updates on the ways DU is supporting its community by providing COVID-19 booster

shots, and a recap of the annual Caritas Veritas Symposium, and so much more!

As always, don’t forget to submit your photos for #PhotosfortheStar on all your social media accounts! We will choose a different theme for each edition, so follow us on all platforms to stay tuned!

I’d like to conclude by saying the Star made some changes online to

a story in our previous edition about an assault on a faculty member at DU.

Dominican’s campus climate is an important topic to cover, and we will continue to report on the ways DU is moving forward.

Azhley Rodriguez Editor-in-Chief arodriguez2@my.dom.edu

Men’s Soccer Loses to Benedictine

break into the game early on and despite Goalkeeper Oscar Cerritos’ (Fr.) countless saves inside the “18,” the Stars fell 1-0 down shortly before the end of the first half. Senior midfielder Nick Kowalczyk (Sr.) worked his way up the field to support forwards John Cronnoly (So.) and Vicente Castro (Sr.), the forward line started to gain some momentum heading into halftime.

At the start of the second half Cerritos made yet another great save off a Benedictine corner

kick. The subbing on of Narcizo Ibarra (So.) and Jesus Lopez (Sr.) brought fresh legs in the second half to help the Stars get right back into the game. Despite the hard-fought game, the Stars undefeated record was broken by the Benedictine Eagles to a score of 1-0.

Regardless of the result the Stars moved forward. The Men’s soccer team kicked off the set of Homecoming games last Saturday making a comeback beating Wisconsin Lutheran College 3-1. The women’s (4-2-2) game

followed shortly after crushing Wisconsin-Lutheran College 9-1.

The Women’s Volleyball team’s (4-6) game at 4 p.m. was unsuccessful after they lost 3-0 to North Central College.

The Office of Student Life hosted this year’s homecoming tailgate festivities including food trucks and a live DJ. Faculty, staff, students, and guests celebrated the Star’s successes.

adominguez1@my.dom.edu

October Home Game Schedule

Wednesday 14th vs Illinois Institute of Tchnology 4:00pm vs Rockford University 7:00pm

Wednesday 21st vs Benedictine University 4:00pm

Saturday 24th vs Wisconsin Lutherian College Homecoming 12:00pm vs Wisconsin Lutherian College Homecoming 2:45pm vs North Central College Homecoming 4:00pm

Tuesday 27th vs Augustana College 7:00pm

Wednesday 28th vs Rockford University 2:00pm

The Men’s soccer Stars visited the Benedictine Eagles Wednesday night. Dominican struggled to

Hi Friends! Welcome to the second edition

DU Welcomes First Latina Theologian Professor

Miami.

Herrera-Montero is a mother, spouse, Latina and at Dominican, she’s known for being the first full-time Hispanic theology professor to teach at DU.

She was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia, where she learned the importance of familia (family) and la lucha (the struggle) from her abuela (grandma).

In Colombia, she earned a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Political Sciences at Universidad del Rosario (Our Lady of the Rosary University) in Bogotá.

For the first time in Dominican history, a Latinx woman was hired as a full-time professor in the theology department.

Before coming to Dominican, Claudia Herrera-Montero served as a lay minister, director of campus ministry and theology faculty member in the Archdiocese of

“[I’m] a Latina theologian because of my abuela and what she taught me. Not only in faith, my love of God, but part of who I am is from the strength and the coraje, the courage of the people, walking together in faith. I think of the community to be built by the abuelas,” HerreraMontero said.

y

Afro Latino is far from being a new term. Yet even now, the understanding of this identity tends to occupy an uncomfortable middle ground. Being Afro Latino is a matter of recognizing the idea that Blackness and Latinidad are mutually related and understanding that our stories cannot be checked into boxes.

After undergrad, she moved to Miami with her family and earned a master’s degree in Pastoral Ministries and a doctorate degree in Practical Theology from St. Thomas University.

After an internship with Sistema Nacional Para el Desarrollo Integral de la Familia in Mexico City, she found her passion for helping families experiencing hardships in Mexico.

“I was there at the right time, with the right people and I was able to ask critical questions

like ‘What does my faith as a Catholic have to do with walking with families or working with an organization that works towards a more just and humane living of families,’” HerreraMontero said. “That’s where I made the connection ... my faith is not separated from who I am and what it means to be human.”

At DU, HerreaMontero will be teaching three classes per semester. These classes include Introduction to Roman Catholicism, Latina Theology and Spirituality, a class inspired by the teachings she grew up with and learned from her abuela, and Catholic Social Thought.

If students take one

of Herrera-Montero’s classes, she hopes they know, “It took an open heart and open mind in the story of salvation to say yes to the extraordinary journey of entering into a relationship with the world. If you take my class, I invite you to open your heart and mind to the journey of learning and working together towards something new.

“The more we learn and reflect on what this subject has to offer, the more we will be able to open unexpected doors and meet wonderful people we did not know before.”

arodriguez2@my.dom.edu

Estamos: The Afro Latino

As an Afro Latina, coming from a Puerto Rican, Argentinian and Mexican background, I have witnessed the divide and my experiences warrant constant need of proving to others who and what I represent. The truth is the Afro Latino perspective is commonly overshadowed within Latinx communities and Dominican University is

no stranger to this. Precious Porras, vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion, says, “The voices of Afro Latino students are not being amplified. As a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), Dominican is stuck in this idea that Latinx folks are monolith and there is no truth to that. Latinx folks come from a wide variety of cultures, places and experiences.”

Porras goes on to explain that, upon arriving at DU, she came here with an understanding of working for an HSI, but soon found out that “We are not really creating spaces where our students of color can thrive. We need to meet where our students are at and understand what they bring to Dominican.”

Despite this, the Center for Cultural Liberation is doing a good job in recognizing and highlighting different Latinx cultures during Hispanic Heritage Month such as the current setup in the social hall that highlights Afro Colombian culture, Porras continues to add.

While steps are being made in the right direction, it is still a long way to go. Dominican is far from perfect, but

it is important to note that “We are doing the work and more work is coming,” says Jamal Patterson, assistant director CCL/Black and African American Student Support coordinator.

Estevan Montano, Dominican University librarian and proud indigenous Latino, says: “Our campus is still growing. There are a lot of opportunities that we can take advantage of for experiencing educational purposes. And part of this is understanding that we need to highlight and celebrate the intersectionality of Latino communities. To go beyond that celebration and create actions, whether it’s policy changes or celebrating holidays and to highlight that we exist.

“We have a common story of language and experience that brings us all together,” Montano says.

We need to continue to build our community and relationships to make our spaces feel more inclusive. It is important to make our students feel supported no matter what background they come from so that no voice is left silenced.

ccalabres@my.dom.edu

#PhotosfortheStar

Protect the Animals

We care about sustainability because it helps make the world livable. We recognize that humans have a huge role in that. Part of that role includes protecting animals. According to the World Wildlife Foundation, animals are essential because they help prevent climate change. For example, herbivores eat grass that can fuel wildfires. Animals are also important as they provide food for many organisms. Carnivores and omnivores rely on animals to live. Animals aid in the growth of plants by replenishing the nutrients in soil. Animals are essential to sustainability. Not only do animals help the environment, but they can also benefit people’s mental health. Studies have found that

animals can make people happier and reduce stress. Even though these animals might not be personal pets, there are many good ways to interact with them. For example, people can go birdwatching which can improve concentration and alertness. If people practice focusing on a specific bird, they can also train their brains to focus on other specific aspects in their life, such as conversations or work.

Even though animals play an important role in sustainability and in helping mental health, many are at risk of extinction. Many animals could lose their habitats. Deforestation, the mass cutting down of trees in an area, can put animals such as birds, bats, and koala bears at risk. Not only can animals who live on land be harmed, animals who live in water can also be put at risk. Water pollution can put fish, turtles, and other animals in danger. Ocean pollution is especially harmful because, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, animals can get stuck in garbage and drown or get sick by eating debris. The loss of animals has a

domino effect. Animals such as bears, wolves, and sea birds who rely on these animals as a food source face starvation.

The challenge is to understand that protecting animals is good for the long-term health of the planet. It may seem ridiculous to consider the survival of a moth or bird species when planning a road or a dam. The loss of those species, however, can have disastrous effects on the environment, the food chain, and to the livability of an area.

There are many ways to protect wildlife. One of the easiest ways is to keep trash out of their environment. Plastic waste can choke them and plastics, when broken down, can be ingested. We can also create environments to help them. This can take the form of building birdhouses or planting native plants that provide food. Another step is to reduce the use of pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides. These chemicals end up in the water and food supply. Homeowners have complete control over how much of these chemicals they use.

Consumers can support companies that do not use these chemicals and not support those who that use them irresponsibly. We can also drive less. Driving releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which can harm animals.

Whenever possible, we should try to walk, take public transportation, or

ride a bike. We can also clean trash from bodies of water including rivers, lakes, and oceans.

Sustainability is about our connection to our environment. We should incorporate actions that protect animals into our everyday lives. If animals thrive, the delicate balance of nature can be preserved. We should all rethink the choices we make. It might be convenient to throw away

a plastic bag. We might feel pressure to keep our lawns green and weedfree, but the harm that we are doing to the animals around us might make our own environment unlivable.

mdesmond@my.dom.edu

The story is translated in Spanish on the next page.

Protege a Los Animales

Nos debemos preocupar por la sostenibilidad porque ayuda a que el mundo sea habitable.

Reconocemos que los humanos tienen un papel muy importante.

Parte de ese rol incluye proteger a los animales.

Según la World Wildlife Foundation, los animales son esenciales porque ayudan a prevenir el cambio climático. Por

ejemplo, los herbívoros se comen el pasto que provoca los incendios forestales.

Los animales también son importantes ya que proporcionan alimento para muchos organismos.

Los carnívoros y los omnívoros dependen de los animales para vivir.

Los animales ayudan con el crecimiento de las plantas al reponer los nutrientes en el suelo. Es

por esto que los animales son esenciales para la sostenibilidad.

Los animales no sólo ayudan al medio ambiente, sino que también pueden beneficiar la salud mental de las personas. Hay estudios que han encontrado que los animales pueden hacer que las personas sean más felices y tengan menos estrés. Aunque es posible que estos animales no sean mascotas personales, hay muchas buenas maneras de interactuar con ellos. Por ejemplo, las personas pueden ir a observar aves, lo que mejora la concentración y el estado de alerta. Si las personas se enfocan en un pájaro específico, también están entrenando su capacidad para enfocarse en otros aspectos específicos de su vida, como sus conversaciones con los demás o su trabajo.

Aunque los animales juegan un papel importante en la sustentabilidad y en ayudar a la salud mental, muchos están en riesgo de extinción porque sus hábitats escasean. La deforestación y la tala masiva de árboles en un área pone en riesgo a pájaros, murciélagos y osos koala. No sólo se puede dañar a los animales que viven en la tierra, sino que también se puede poner en riesgo a los animales que viven en el agua. La contaminación del agua peligra la vida de los peces, las tortugas y otros animales. La contaminación del

océano es especialmente dañina porque, según la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de los Estados Unidos, los animales pueden quedar atrapados en la basura y ahogarse o enfermarse al comer desechos. La pérdida de animales tiene un efecto dominó.

Los animales como los osos, los lobos y las aves marinas que dependen de estos animales padecerán de hambre y morirán si su fuente de alimentación escasea.

Nuestro desafío como humanos es el comprender que proteger a los animales es bueno para la salud del planeta a largo plazo. Puede parecer ridículo considerar la supervivencia de una especie de polilla o ave al planificar una carretera o una presa. Sin embargo, la pérdida de esas especies puede tener efectos desastrosos para el medio ambiente, la cadena alimentaria y la habitabilidad de un área.

Hay muchas maneras de proteger la vida silvestre. Una de las maneras más fáciles es mantener la basura fuera del entorno natural.

Los desechos plásticos pueden ahogar a los animales y los plásticos, cuando se descomponen, pueden ser ingeridos.

También podemos crear entornos para ayudarlos. Podemos construir casas para pájaros o plantar plantas nativas que proporcionen alimento.

Otro paso es reducir el uso de los pesticidas, fertilizantes y herbicidas. Estos químicos terminan

en el suministro de agua y alimentos. Los propietarios de viviendas tienen control total sobre la cantidad y el tipo de productos químicos que utilizan. Los consumidores pueden apoyar a las empresas que no utilizan estos productos químicos y no comprar aquellos que los utilizan de manera irresponsable. También podemos manejar menos. El dióxido de carbono que liberan los carros daña a los animales. Siempre que sea posible, debemos tratar de caminar, tomar el transporte público o andar en bicicleta.

También podemos limpiar la basura que termina en el agua, incluidos ríos, lagos y océanos.

La sostenibilidad se trata de tener conexión con nuestro medio ambiente. Deberíamos incorporar acciones que protejan a los animales en nuestra vida cotidiana. Si los animales prosperan, se puede preservar el delicado equilibrio de la naturaleza. Todos deberíamos repensar las decisiones que tomamos. Puede ser conveniente tirar una bolsa de plástico. También podemos sentir la necesidad de mantener nuestro césped muy verde y sin hierbas, pero el daño que estamos causando a los animales que nos rodean cuando hacemos todo eso hace que nuestro propio entorno se vuelva inhabitable.

This edition’s theme is outfit of the day! The Star is asking members of the DU community to use #PhotosfortheStar on their social media platforms to capture memorable moments spent on campus. Share your photos on social media today!

Photos by: Star Staff

DU Celebrates Caritas et Veritas

Sciences and a professor in the School of Social Work, was presented the Sister Clemente Davlin Diversity Leadership Award for her diversity work at DU.

Medallion for Social Justice was named in honor of two Sinsinawa Sisters, Sister Vincent Ferrer Bradford and Sister Thomas Aquinas O’Neill.

better understand DU’s mission and history.

On Sept. 20, the DU community gathered to celebrate the 13th annual Caritas et Veritas Symposium.

The academic convocation started at 9:30 a.m. in the Lund Auditorium where all members of the DU community, including trustees and alumni, were invited to honor the theme of this year’s symposium: Collaborative Relationships.

In the convocation, President Glena Temple emphasized, “today’s theme celebrates collaborative relationships, and we have many examples in our community of collaboration.

“I thank the presenters for sharing their work and inspiring us with their creativity and commitment.”

Leticia Villareal Sosa, associate dean of the College of Applied Social

“I am honored to receive this award, not because I consider it recognition from an institution that is often been mired in ineffective responses in racializing experiences. But because of what it means to my colleagues who submitted the nomination, the students on this campus who deserve culturally affirming and responsive practices, and all the individuals on campus engaged in racial equity work every day even when things seem hopeless,” Villareal Sosa said.

A second award was presented to the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center. The Bradford-O’Neill

According to Provost Laura Niesen de Abruña, the award is historically given to “local, national or international figures or organizations whose lives and work have contributed significantly to the creation of a more just and humane world.”

After the convocation, the two-part event continued with morning sessions around campus by faculty and students to vocalize different topics of collaborative relationships. These sessions included themes such as Sustainability as Collaboration and the Laudato Si Journey, White Antiracism: Acquiring the Tools for Racial Equity, and more.

For first year students, the event was a chance to meet new people and

Freshman Michelle Zamora Domingues said, “As a freshman, going to Caritas Veritas really made me realize that Dominican is not only an institution, but a community. DU cares for all minorities, since its founding years.”

College of Applied Social Sciences Dean Ben Freville echoed the idea saying, “The event was a great way for the community to come together to discuss and learn the important issues connected to our mission.”

For the second part of the day, Temple invited the DU community to the quad to enjoy free food trucks, games, and live music by a local band, The Redmonds.

arodriguez2@my.dom.edu farellano@my.dom.edu

Photos by: Azhley

Rodriguez, Matthew Desmond and Fernanda Arellano

Students Experience Parking Woes on Campus

Sasha Santiago, director of Campus Safety, said parking is really not an issue. As of last Friday, the University has currently issued 168 parking passes to resident students.

Santiago stated that at this time, parking difficulties are not too prevalent despite the influx of students.

As the school year starts with the highest number of freshmen students, 500 new residents enter the scene.

With the significant increase in residents this semester, questions have arisen regarding living on campus.

“As far as commuter students facing parking difficulties, I was not aware that we were having any. In past years we did not have parking issues on campus, but so far this year we have not had to close the garage or lots due to capacity,” she said.

“Of course, there has been an uptick as folks have returned to campus ‘post-COVID,’ but as of right now we do not anticipate any true parking constraints this semester. We will continue to monitor closely, and work with the Registrar and Dean of Students offices to anticipate any influx in on-campus density to help inform parking capacity,” Santiago said.

This year, so many deposits were made to the point where the University had to close submissions over the summer. Dominican has become a popular choice for local students, as 20

residents hail from Triton College in Melrose Park.

Even students who live nearby choose to live in the dorms.

Junior and international business major Gianna Lavere also had something to say about residential life at DU this semester.

She stated that there has been a slight change in dorming this semester compared to last year.

“Since we got more residents, the halls are louder, it’s harder to do laundry and harder to find parking. But it’s also good as I see more students socializing and making friends. It’s not at all distracting, but it does

get a little crammed in the showers,” Lavere said.

Lavere also voiced a positive attitude toward the students dorming here. She believes that everyone should be given the opportunity to experience dorm life and be a part of a tight-knit community like Dominican.

In addition to this, Lavere estimated the cost of her living expenses this year at around $10,000.

Regardless of cost, Lavere enjoys her time at Dominican and being a part of a supportive and nurturing institution.

bdinkha@my.dom.edu

Student Loan Relief Can Help Pay Off Debt

A new plan announced by President Joe Biden in late August is set to forgive up to $20,000 worth of federal student loans for millions of students.

Applications will open online early October and will take four to six weeks to process and will close on Dec. 31, 2023, per the Department of Education.

However, this announcement comes with some terms and conditions. Not all student loan borrowers are eligible for this debt relief program. Those who have private student loans will be excluded from this opportunity as well as those who are considered “high-income federal loan borrowers.”

People who have federal student loans who make less than $125,000 a year and married couples and/or heads of households who make less than $250,000 a year will qualify for $10,000 of their federal student loans debt forgiven.

In addition, if those who qualify also received a federal Pell grant while they were enrolled in college, then that person is eligible for double the amount of debt

forgiveness, meaning they could see up to $20,000 worth of debt forgiven.

Tracy Spivak, Dominican University’s assistant vice president for Student Enrollment Services, spoke about the details of this program about how this will affect Dominican students.

“The Department of Education has posted all the information that we are aware of on their website. We are still waiting for more detailed information from them. We have been doing our best to prepare for being ready to assist students to apply for the debt forgiveness program when the application process opens.”

The debt relief program is targeted at low- and middle-income families, which means that this program is set to smooth out the transition to repayments while also helping those at a high risk of delinquency.

The controversy comes where the weight of the program falls heavily on those who have been working hard to pay off their loans before the announcement of this program and feel as though they could have used assistance years ago.

The question arises as to whether this debt relief program will help resolve an enormous issue that American students have been faced with at private higher education institutions or if this will simply paste a band-aid over the larger issue.

Aina Oda, 26, a senior at Dominican University expresses her thoughts about the program “in the grand scheme of things it’s an expensive and regressive plan” says Oda, “it’ll backfire on American taxpayers and it is unfair for people who avoided paying college tuition and unfair for those who have already paid off their debt.

“The relief program just barely scratches the surface on the problematic educational financing system we have in this country.”

Jasani Thompson, 19, in her sophomore year at Dominican, expressed similar thoughts: “I think it’s great that students can receive help with their student loan debt because the pandemic was difficult for so many people, but I do see how it’s unfair for those who have worked extremely hard to pay off their debt up until now. Where was this program for them?”

To effectively

substantially reduce future monthly payments for low- to middle-income borrowers, the BidenHarris Administration proposed a rule in the last part of the program.

This rule would allow borrowers to “pay no more than 5% of their discretionary income monthly on undergraduate loans.”

It also guarantees that no borrower who earns equivalent to or under the minimum wage will have to make a monthly payment, forgive loan balances for those who have been making payments after 10 years, and cover the borrowers’ monthly interest so that no borrowers loan balance will grow so long as they make their monthly payments even if the payment is $0 because they received no income.

As a result of this rule, students like sophomore Elizabeth Sobczak, at Dominican, says that she will be utilizing the plan overall for the benefits.

However, the struggle to pay off college debt hits home for many. She said, “I would also like to emphasize that those who have private loans do not benefit from this plan and this is another problem in itself.”

Though there are no exact dates of when borrowers will receive their debt relief, federal loans with an outstanding balance as of June 30, 2022, are eligible for relief.

Dominican will be assisting students with their questions about applying for the program. According to Spivak, “when it does go live, I anticipate we will post a notice on the dom.edu website and social media as well as email current students that they should check the link.”

Spivak said that, “Since this is a government form we won’t be able to answer questions beyond the information that the Department of Education shares with us and we won’t receive any information about application submissions.

“My best advice to students is to ensure they are signed up for the notification link. This is going to be the best way to get information directly from the Department of Education as it becomes available.”

eford@my.dom.edu

DU Offers Booster Shots

Dominican University responds to a changing pandemic with new COVID guidelines and offering updated booster shots to students.

Dominican’s Incident Management & Assessment Team (IMAT), an emergency response team comprised of senior staff members, announced a series of changes to the university’s COVID response earlier this month.

According to the announcement, those with vaccination exemptions no longer need to do regular surveillance testing, nor will the Wellness Center be providing it.

The relaxation of mask and guest policies from last semester will remain in place. Additionally, the

university has simplified the contact tracing process to focus only on confirmed cases, not possible exposures.

DU will continue to require vaccination, and the Wellness Center will continue to provide PCR and antigen testing, according to the announcement. These changes, like those that are occurring across the country, are in response to how the pandemic itself has changed, according to Liz Heintz, assistant director of health services in the Wellness Center.

“We are trying to learn how to accept and live with COVID now that it is here to stay,” she said. “We have learned much more about the infection since 2019 when we were all quarantining and very fearful of contracting the infection.”

Many public officials

have made statements recently as well expressing optimism about the pandemic. President Biden earlier this week remarked that “the pandemic is over” in a “60 Minutes” interview, while World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus gave a more cautiously positive assessment that “the end [of the pandemic] is in sight” in an earlier press conference. The most recent COVID-19 Dashboard released by the university reflects this locally as well; although transmission in Cook County is at medium levels, transmission on campus is currently low.

Student Government Association (SGA) President Carson Harvey feels students can be optimistic given the work being done at all levels. “[COVID-19] still exists,”

he said. “[But] we have been readily combating it and making it less of a threat to our daily lives.”

The new guidelines also coincide with the announcement of updated COVID-19 boosters from both PfizerBioNTech and Moderna.

According to a media statement released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the new boosters “add Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 spike protein components to the current vaccine composition,” increasing their effectiveness. The CDC is recommending the new boosters “from Pfizer-BioNTech for people ages 12 years and older and from Moderna for people ages 18 years and older,” and must be administered at least two months after most recent vaccination dose.

On campus, the Wellness Center made the updated booster shots available to students at the flu vaccine event earlier this month, according to Heintz, but those who missed this

chance to receive the new booster shot will have another opportunity in the coming weeks.

“The plan is to have flu and bivalent [boosters] again available on October 5th,” says Heintz. Students can also locate new boosters offered through the CDC’s Vaccine Finder.

Compared to the push to get vaccinated back at the height of the pandemic, the rollout of this new booster is decidedly quieter, perhaps reflecting the shift in the pandemic noted earlier.

When asked whether students should make it a priority to get the new booster, Harvey’s statement similarly lacks the panic that was so characteristic of earlypandemic rhetoric and better reflects the average sentiment today.

“If students feel it is necessary, the choice is truly up to them as individuals.”

enguyen@my.dom.edu