I hope you’ve settled into sheltering in place and have found creative ways to stay connected with each other from a distance. Spring break is wrapping up and our community is moving toward spring quarter. 

When I jog around town and campus in the mornings, it’s eerily quiet. Some of you have asked about the squirrels, ducks, and turkeys — they’re still here and will be when everyone is able to return to campus.

On a serious note, I know these are challenging times for all of us. We’re all dealing with personal issues in addition to handling our day to day routines. We each have stories about how this is impacting our families, friends and neighbors. I know it’s not easy to juggle all of this and be mentally healthy, and all we can expect is to do our best.  Don’t hesitate to reach out to find resources online to help get through if you can. The UC Davis website has many resources for you to explore.  

Our community is gearing up for a quarter of studying, teaching, and working remotely. We’re all adapting to new ways of doing things. I don’t know how long this public health crisis will last; no one really does. Let’s focus on doing what we can to get through it calmly and safely. 

I want to thank many campus departments and units that donated thousands of vital supplies to help UC Davis Health tackle COVID-19. There are a lot of positive contributions coming from all areas of our campus, and we’ll continue to highlight them on our website.

We miss all of you but staying home and sheltering in place are more important. We will celebrate being together when it is safe to do so. 

Until then, stay safe and be well. Go Ags.