Testing tent workers and volunteers all smiles as they reflect upon the semester
A few trips a week to the spacious white tent snuggled between Lunder House and the SSW Alumni Center is now habitual for the average Colby student, a ritual that has joined the many daily COVID-19 era fixtures in which we’ve all grown accustomed.
Regardless of the time of day, the aroma of hand sanitizer, tinged with a palpable cheeriness permeates the air of the tent, a fact certainly not lost on the people running the operation and all those who enter.
Since the College administration launched its comprehensive COVID-19 response that came with a 10 million dollar price tag, testing has remained at the forefront of the response evident in the high profile partnership with the Broad Institute, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based laboratory.
Matthew Lillibridge, Director of Health Screening and Testing, highlighted the importance of this relationship.
“Throughout the summer, the College completed an extensive planning process that included consultation from leading health experts from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, MaineGeneral Health, and the Broad Institute,” Lillibridge said.
He also touted the program’s high volume of processed tests and the protocol’s overall robust nature. However, equally important to the success of this plan are the many individual faces who make the expansive testing protocol possible.
These dedicated workers, often unseen in their efforts, have unique perspectives and lives drawn together, united in a common purpose, which Lilibirdge described as supporting the health and safety of the Colby community.
The Colby Echo sat down with a handful of tent workers, eager to hear what they perceive their role to be in the broader effort to ensure students remain on campus and the entire Waterville community prevents a surge in COVID-19 cases.
“Our role here is to reassure students and make them understand it’s okay - from something as simple as a greeting to speaking with students about their day” Lori Fredette, Winslow native, explained.
“I want [students] to come in and understand there is a mom who cares about you if they haven’t gotten to speak with theirs,” Fredette explained.
Fredette said her place on the Testing Tent team was well within her comfort zone as she has been closely affiliated with Colby’s Athletics Program for many years.
“When there was an opportunity to work here,” Fredette said, “I felt it was an easy transition because of my close ties with this community.”
Stacey Hachey, also a Winslow native, echoed those feelings.
“We are happy to rearrange our schedule to volunteer here because it is the most important thing,” Hachey explained, “it’s important they recognize there are familiar faces here when going about their day.”
Both expressed optimism when reflecting upon the student body’s ability to abide by the extensive guidelines, ranging from stringent testing to physical distancing in order to keep on-campus instruction.
“Students seem to be taking it very seriously and I’ve been impressed with their efforts so far in keeping to the rules, both on and off-campus - very little non-compliance.”
Cora Cluckey, a Waterville native and Colby Human Resources employee of 29 years, mirrored Fredette and Hachey’s optimism.
“In fact, Colby students are reliably identifiable, aside from their gear, by their mask wearing even more so than natives - I see very few not following protocols,” Cluckey said.
The faculty and administration alike have been expressing a broad sentiment of satisfaction with student behavior since the College moved down to a Code Green Health Code Level.
As it stands, there are 2 positive cases in isolation and 16 students in quarantine. To date, 57,043 negative tests have been processed according to the COVID-19 Dashboard.
Clucky expresssed a cautious optimism about the continuing success of the testing protocol.
“I think we’ll make it to the end of the semester if I continue to see what I’ve seen from Colby students so far,” Cluckey said.
Her cautious sentiment reflects the concern many have as the Colby community approaches a critical new phase where its ability to protect students, faculty, and staff are put to the test.
As autumn ushers in the annual flu season, many experts have cautioned it is almost certain to worsen the pandemic that has claimed the lives of over 215,000 nationwide.
Questions abound about whether a potential influenza outbreak on campus could hamper the administration’s response to COVID-19. New calls for students to get a flu shot have emerged, and many are seeking to take advantage of the college’s offer for free flu shots later this month.
However, despite the uncertainties the COVID-19 pandemic has brought, the message projected by the band of workers and volunteers at the testing white tent nestled on Colby Green is a hopeful one; they are not wavering in the face of this new challenge and are ever hopeful for better days while also thankful for the opportunity to experience this new one.
~ Aaron Mills `24
