Aug. 30, 2024
Dear Maroons,
Last month, I relayed to you that the college had begun testing for certain environmental issues commonly encountered in residential settings. This testing was voluntarily initiated by the college after an online publication implied, without evidence, that there was a connection between the college and cases of young alumni diagnosed with cancer in recent years.
The testing, which is being conducted by Engineering Consulting Services (ECS) Mid-Atlantic, a national, EPA-accredited environmental services company, began the week of July 22.
ECS has completed the first round of sampling for lead, radon and sub-slab vapors.
Analysis is ongoing and we await final results, which we expect to receive in September. When ECS’s findings become available, we will update you here on our community messages page.
The safety and wellbeing of our students, faculty and staff remains paramount, so this summer we convened a committee to explore opportunities to share wellness information with our students, including recent studies that show cancer rates are on the rise among young people nationwide for unknown reasons.
This committee, made up of staff from Student Health & Counseling, Residence Life & Housing, and Marketing and Communications, along with faculty from the Public Health Studies Program and the Health and Human Performance Department, has been working on an educational campaign called Boost Your Health IQ. This campaign aims to distribute health information to students about increased cancer risks, cancer prevention measures and early detection. The committee plans to distribute the information through various means, including a webpage, a table at the college health fair, and educational programming through residential advisors and peer educators.
Sincerely,
Frank Shushok, Jr., Ph.D.
President