Archives for December 20, 2021

Jennifer Pietz, one of the finalists for the New Testament faculty search, will be offering a public presentation 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. today (Monday, December 20). All faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend in person in OCC 010 or via Zoom (see the link in the community announcements email). The presentation will last about 30 minutes with time after for questions and answers. Your attendance and feedback are important parts of the seminary’s hospitality and the search committee’s work. Thank you!

Professor Craig Koester is offering the course Greek Reading (LG4225) online during spring semester. The course will enable students to develop their ability to use Greek for interpreting the New Testament. There will be weekly study of Greek passages from a number of NT books. Students will develop their ability to work with Greek vocabulary and the nuances of Greek grammar. Regular online discussion will provide opportunities to explore how the students’ work with the Greek text can enhance interpretation. A course description appears in the current seminary catalog. Please contact Professor Koester for further information and assistance in registering (ckoester@luthersem.edu).

Chaplain Jeremy Hudson at the University of Iowa has reached out to the Contextual Learning staff to ask us to let our students know about the Summer Clinical Pastoral Education Program at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Applications are being accepted now. Question? Please reach out to to Chaplain Jeremy Hudson at jeremy-hudson@uiowa.edu.

As you complete your fall course work, we are already planning ahead for many of you to arrive on campus for January intensives. In preparation, we have developed a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document for you in the hopes of answering common questions regarding COVID-19 precautions, Fairfield Inn information, and food options on and near campus (spoiler alert: there will be a number of meals available for free each week).

Reported employee cases: 0
Reported student cases: 0
Students in quarantine or isolation: 0

Reported cases only include students and employees who have been on campus within a period of time during which they may have been contagious. According to the CDC this includes two days prior to the onset of symptoms or a positive test.

If you have recently tested positive for COVID-19, or if you are an unvaccinated individual who has been in close contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 (close contact is defined as being within 6 feet of that person for 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period), please report that to the appropriate person. For employees, that person is Michael Morrow (mmorrow001@luthersem.edu). Students should contact David Fenrick; email deanofstudents@luthersem.edu, or text 651-300-3537.

Contact Tracing Protocol

When an on-campus case of COVID-19 is reported, that person is first asked to stay off-campus and quarantine in accordance with CDC guidelines. In addition, the seminary takes two steps for contact tracing:

1. The Minnesota Department of Health is notified, per guidelines for institutions of higher education

2. The person reporting the case is asked to identify “close contacts”; the close contacts identified are notified of the exposure and asked to follow CDC guidelines for testing and quarantining (quarantine applies only to close contacts who are unvaccinated).