April 9, Operational Update
April 9, 2020 Update (View on YouTube)
Transcript:
President Feinstein (00:00):
Good morning everybody. Thursday, April the 9th, and this is our daily operation status
report. A little update from me. Yesterday I was able to meet with the classified
staff council and University Center staff to learn about their challenges and concerns
and also answer their questions. This morning I had breakfast with Roy Otto, our city
manager, to discuss the impacts that the pandemic is having to our city and the local
economy, what we're doing at UNC, and how we can continue to partner through this
pandemic. It was a lively conversation, and I know the city is working very hard to
support our community.
President Feinstein (00:38):
This afternoon I'll be meeting with a small group of faculty from across the colleges
to learn how they are doing and ways in which I can help and our team can help. I'll
provide you an update on how that went tomorrow. So I also want to thank our dean
of students, Tuck Tucker, for providing us a wonderful guest speaker today. With our
new routines, we are often challenged with maintaining our health at home or where
we are living, to share ways to maintain our health during these unusual times. We've
invited a UNC expert to help guide us with our nutrition and exercise, Dr. Dani Brittain.
President Feinstein (01:19):
Dr. Brittain holds a BS in applied health and occupational health and safety, an MS
in departments of human nutrition and kinesiology, and a Ph.D. in kinesiology. She
has done extensive research in health and identity, taught classes in epidemiology,
and is currently a professor at UNC in the Department of Community Health Education.
She also, if she doesn't have enough to do, is the interim associate dean in the College
of Natural and Health Sciences. So I'd like to welcome Dr. Dani Brittain to the conversation.
Dr Brittain.
Danielle Brittain (01:58):
Hi Andy. Thank you so much for inviting me and tech for inviting me to the President's
Cabinet today. I sure appreciate it. It's so important that you all are focusing on
everyone's health, so thank you again. During these challenging times we really need
to make sure that we're taking care of ourselves because if we don't take care of
ourselves, we certainly can't take care of others, and being a Bear means that we
give to others. So taking care of yourself is important. I know many of you out there
are in difficult situations, and some of my information may be the last thing on your
mind, but I promise you that you need to take care of you. My hope is that each of
you will be able to stay well during this time, mentally, physically, and socially
distance for a while.
Danielle Brittain (02:46):
I should preface by saying that in relation to my expertise, I mostly am focused on
physical activity and barriers to physical activity and getting people to be physically
active. I also have a soft spot for being active in my life because it was through
basketball and track scholarships that I was able to go to college. So I'm a huge
fan of being active. And today I'm mostly going to focus on being physically active,
but I'm going to throw in some of those other topics that Andy had talked about. So
physical activity, what is this? Well, technically, if you give a Webster's Dictionary
definition, it's any bodily movement that results in energy expenditure. But often
we use the term exercise or sports and the like. So let me tell you that you are correct
when you say this: exercise and sports, they are a form of physical activity. But
so is housework, so is yard work and so is riding your bike to the store.
Danielle Brittain (03:44):
So how much physical activity do we need? My answer to that is any physical activity
is a good thing. So no matter your situation, movement is good because physical activity,
it results in many improved physical and mental health outcomes such as decreased
heart disease, some cancers, stroke, type 2 diabetes. There's also improved functioning
among individuals who have chronic pain. There's improved self-esteem, reduced symptoms
of depression, increased focus, and improved academic outcomes, students, so keep
that in mind. There's many more health and physical benefits, mental health and physical
benefits. So as you can see, everyone needs to get moving and stay moving. I'm going
to share my screen here really quick. So these are actually the physical activity
recommendations for youth and adults. For children under 17, the recommendations are
that these kids get 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a day, with three
of those days focusing on muscle- and bone-strengthening exercises.
Danielle Brittain (04:52):
So it can include a number of things. Jumping rope, playing soccer. I know soccer
is kind of a team sport. So right now maybe just engaging in kicking the ball around
with siblings or whoever's in your household. But getting active in that way on a
cardio level. So when I say moderate physical activity, that's something that you
do when you can carry on a conversation, but it's a little more difficult. So you
kind of envision a bit of a heart rate increase, but breathing a little harder, but
you can still talk to whoever you're engaging with. Now vigorous on the other hand
is engaging in activity where you really can't carry on a conversation. So your heart
rate, your breathing is up so high that it's not comfortable to carry on a conversation.
So think about that in terms of moderate and vigorous activity.
Danielle Brittain (05:42):
So kids, 60 minutes of moderate and vigorous activity a day, adults 150 minutes of
moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous each day, and then older adults the same as well.
So once again, I say that these are the recommendations that can result in a lot of
health benefits, but also just doing something is so, so important. I'm going to actually
share some different types of programs that you can do at home here in a minute. But
what I want to tell you is that those of us who are working at home and who are doing
our coursework at home, the research tells us that we should take a break at least
once an hour. So why not put a little bit of physical activity into that break? Our
top performers in business in our world take a break every 52 minutes. Why? Because
you're more productive and you can focus better if you take breaks and are active.
Danielle Brittain (06:38):
So this means everyone here on this call, and this means everyone out there, our students,
our alumni, everyone paying attention. So make sure you take your breaks. Now I know
that we live in Colorado and these are the times when we typically are getting in
our last few runs of the season, maybe getting in some hikes in the mountains, and
those types of activities that have been interrupted by closures or crowded national
parks. We remember that governor Polis says that we can still be outdoors for essential
exercise purposes. You can still engage in bike rides, runs, walks, yoga. There's
a lot of good physical activity apps. Some of you might have a tracking device like
a Fitbit or a Garmin, and maybe on those apps you can get involved in a virtual group
where you're having people who help keep you accountable and going to help motivate
you.
Danielle Brittain (07:30):
There's apps for yoga, like Down Dog. There's Strava for finding different running
and cycling routes. Maybe Burkhart uses this one, I don't know. He's a very avid runner.
Or maybe you can get funky and use an app like Zombies, Run! I don't know if any of
you have ever used that, but literally it feels like zombies are running behind you
and chasing you. So something to think about just to be active while being outdoors.
You need to practice the safe physical distancing of six feet or more when you are
outside. So don't forget that piece. And then also wear your hat, your sunscreen for
some protection and of course have a mask on hand for when passing people. But you
can also do things at home. So let's take a look at a few options that are free for
you at home just by going to YouTube.
Danielle Brittain (08:21):
So POPSUGAR is a really, really popular fitness channel. POPSUGAR has a ton of videos
as you can see down here. Cardio. There's some cardio wins. Let me go back to the
home there. Cardio, different types of things related to fitness, beginner — my volume
off there — beginner, more advanced type cardio options. There's also some yoga. There's
Pilates. So all of these are free to you to use. There's also ones related to families.
So if you have kids at home, and you want to do a fun cardio workout together, there's
options for families. And then also, here's — I like dancing. All my Masters of Public
Health students know that we take physical activity breaks to dance. So here's a hip
hop dance and I'm just going to show an — Just play this so you can see it. Oh, well
it didn't play. Hold on one second.
Danielle Brittain (09:39):
OK. That looks pretty intimidating, I'm sure. But just so you know that they give
you the steps up to those movements and put them all together to do some dancing.
So maybe that's interest to our students out there doing some hip hop dancing. Honestly,
I think this is a good routine for Eugene to use when he's retired. So I hope he comes
back and shows us that he can do that routine. Another good one is called Moovlee.
This is for kids. This has a number of different options for getting kids to meditate,
to do yoga, to be active. Here's an active video and this is called Space Run. Space
Run is similar to Kinect.
President Feinstein (10:28):
Dani.
Danielle Brittain (10:29):
Yes.
President Feinstein (10:30):
I think this is more my speed than the previous hip hop video.
Danielle Brittain (10:34):
I was actually saying that in my notes here I have this is for the young at heart,
like Andy. So I appreciate that. So for those of you who have the Kinect, you might
have some games like this, but for those of you who don't, these are free options
for kids. And then of course there's KIDZ BOP. So KIDZ BOP is really cool. What parent
doesn't like KIDZ BOP. Good clean music with some different activities to engage in.
And then finally I do think that this is a really good one. This is on the University
of West Virginia's website. It's in relation to people with all ability statuses.
Danielle Brittain (11:34):
So as you can see some good types of videos available for everybody, and these are
free for you. So I've only shown you a few, but you can certainly do some Google searches
and you can also go outdoors. But remember, any amount of physical activity is good,
and you're going to love the benefits. My second topic is about mindfulness and meditation.
So mindfulness, Jon Kabat-Zinn really helped to popularize the concept of mindfulness.
It's the basic human ability to be fully present and aware of where we are and what
we're doing and not really reactive or overwhelmed by what's going on around us. So
we are in some really intense, challenging times. We are still rushing through our
daily lives, and we're forgetting to be mindful of what we have in front of us and
what is wonderful and special around us. So ask yourself right now, how often do you
engage in multiple tasks at one time?
Danielle Brittain (12:30):
I know we all do this, but then ask yourself, what am I missing when I'm not mindful
of the one task in this moment? So meditation is exploring. It's not a fixed destination.
Your head doesn't become vacuum free of thought or you're completely undistracted.
It's a place where each and every moment is momentous. When we meditate, we venture
into the workings of our minds. Maybe a sensation such as air blowing on our skin,
or maybe we smell something in the room, maybe our emotions. Maybe we hate this. Maybe
we love it. Maybe we crave it. Or maybe you're thinking about something funky. I often
seem to go to the Golden Girls, I don't know why those episodes. So maybe your mind
just goes somewhere. But mindfulness meditation asks us to suspend judgment and unleash
our natural curiosity about the workings of the mind and approach our experiences
with warmth and kindness to ourselves and others.
Danielle Brittain (13:26):
So I encourage all of you to really think about taking some time each day to meditate
and be mindful of your presence in your moments. I've often heard people say they've
tried to meditate. They just can't sit still, or maybe it's too noisy. I get it. I
understand that. I also know that you deserve some time for being quiet. We hurry.
We strive for achieving more, but we don't take enough time to slow down. I promise
you that if you slow things down just a bit, you'll reduce the tension. Your body
will have a reduction in the stress hormone called cortisol, and cortisol has been
shown to be very damaging to our bodies in terms of physical health, including increased
stroke and obesity. So just know that meditation takes practice. It should be judgment-free.
When your mind wanders, know that it's not a bad thing because you'll notice that
you're wandering, and you can come back and that's you being mindful.
Danielle Brittain (14:21):
So just take a couple minutes. I was going to have you practice on the call today,
but I probably am going over time. But just take a couple of minutes to take some
deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth and allow the tension
to decline. This is an example of a meditation app. They have three options for people.
You can also subscribe to have a bit more, it's called Headspace. But I want you to
know that there's been plenty of research, even Steve Jobs meditated. He was 56 when
he passed, but he had the brain of a 27-year-old.
Danielle Brittain (14:58):
Because when you meditate, you can thicken the posterior cingulate, causing more focus
and self confidence in yourself. You can thicken your left hippocampus, increasing
the ability to regulate emotion, learn and remember. You can also increase your empathy,
compassion, and perspective by thickening the temporal parietal junction. You can
shrink the amygdala, decreasing stress and likelihood of fight or flight. So really
consider meditating. I know you'll catch on and feel the benefits, especially when
you go to sleep at night. But small steps and no judgment on yourself.
Danielle Brittain (15:35):
And then finally I wanted to talk slightly about nutrition. We know that physical
activity and nutrition go hand-in-hand. We know that we must fill our body in healthy
ways to function better both mentally and physically. So remind yourself that we should
be striving for a few important reminders. These are the basics. Drink plenty of water.
I often use ginger and lemon and a touch of honey in hot water to get some benefits
of antioxidants and choose whatever makes you feel good. If you don't hydrate, you
need to be creating some sort of accountability or chart maybe on your fridge to be
mindful that you need to drink more water or maybe get a friend or someone in your
household to remind you.
Danielle Brittain (16:19):
Second, really try to have a plant-based diet if possible. I myself, I eat meat and
protein, but if you could have more plant-based options in your diet, that's the best.
A colorful plate, we often talk about fewer browns. But also you can have beans and
legumes and some nice curry sauces related to that and have some good foods that way.
Beans are more economical. For some of you, meat might be more expensive right now,
and this is an important way to get protein is through other sources such as beans
and legumes. And also quinoa this is a really well pack protein. And then also try
to reduce your sugar intake. Americans consume 22 teaspoons of sugar each day, and
it depletes our energy and focus. So if you have a lull in the afternoon, maybe grab
a healthy snack, go for a walk or meditate, get your mind focused again, but take
a break.
Danielle Brittain (17:15):
What I have here is about cooking. Cooking is fun. Kids, families, roommates, whoever.
Cooking is fun together. So grab your partner, whoever's in your home, and look in
the cabinet for those random items that you know are back there, but you haven't been
eating and or create a masterpiece. The Domestic Geek. She is amazing. There's some
really good recipes for you here. Of course this is just one YouTube channel to look
at, to watch for recipe making. But also remember to use purposefully every part of
your food. So don't throw away the stems of cilantro. These have good nutrients and
the best taste of the cilantro. But if you bake a chicken, don't throw away the bones.
Use those to make a chicken broth or a bone broth so that you can use that for another
recipe. Finally, moderation, moderation, moderation. Most of us like snacks and drinks.
Just remember moderation. Now go do something for yourself today. Take your break,
be active, be mindful, drink your water, eat a healthy snack and get outside and maybe howl
at 8:00 PM.
President Feinstein (18:25):
Thank you so much Dani. That was great. In fact I've been using the Headspace app
and another app called Ten Percent Happier for a couple of years and it's been very
helpful to assist me in relaxing and catching my breath from time to time. So I think
it's great advice. So appreciate you being here, appreciate your contributions. Hope
you have a great day too.
Danielle Brittain (18:47):
Thank you.
President Feinstein (18:48):
So now I'm going to ask Dan Maxey our chief of staff to moderate a couple of updates
from our coronavirus task forces. Dan.
Dan Maxey (18:56):
Thank you, President Feinstein, and thank you, Dani, for that useful advice. I'm going
to try to start implementing all of that today. I haven't been doing as good a job
at taking those breaks. It is Thursday though. So there will be no formal cabinet
or coronavirus task force meetings today. Giving us a little bit of time for some
important breaks and some physical activity. As our daily panel gives reports, I want
to remind everyone to unmute your microphones and turn on your cameras. We have some
limited reports today. I'm going to turn things over first to the chair of coronavirus
task force, associate vice president for administration Blaine Nickeson, for our developing
issues report. Blaine.
Blaine Nickeson (19:35):
Good morning Dan, and thank you, Dani, for that update and reminder that even in these
frantic times, sometimes we need to check on ourselves a little bit too. Yesterday,
Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction had a student pass away from coronavirus.
They were 21 years old, and they're now Colorado's youngest victim. They were a seemingly
healthy young man that played on the club baseball team there at Mesa. While this
terrible virus impacts our elderly the hardest, it doesn't care how old you are. I
know our condolences go out to the entire Maverick family at Colorado Mesa and as
they're getting through this tough time. For statewide data, there's a 5,655 positive
confirmed cases here in Colorado, up 4% since yesterday. 1,162 had been hospitalized,
which is an 8% jump from the day before. Unfortunately, the numbers that Colorado
publishes related to hospitalizations are the cumulative number, but not necessarily
the active number.
Blaine Nickeson (20:48):
We don't know if all of those folks are still hospitalized, if the number includes
those that have passed away, et cetera. 29,199 have been tested. That's up 4%. 193
deaths up from 179. The Colorado Sun, which is a great journalism outlet that I recommend,
is reporting that at least 64 of those deaths are from nursing homes, and there's
currently 44 outbreaks at facilities like nursing homes right now. Yesterday I was
hopeful in my report that Weld County was perhaps flattening the curve as the only
reported increase of 11 cases from Tuesday. But unfortunately from looking at the
newest data, that's not the case. Weld County reported 607 cases yesterday up from
545, which is up 11%, and they had six more deaths for a 20% increase. So we're still
in the thick of this, and everybody just stay home, stay safe, and that's the end
of my report. I'll turn it back over to you, Dan.
Dan Maxey (21:55):
Thanks Blaine. Appreciate those updates and the reminder of the impact of this pandemic
on our community. There are no new student impact reports today. But I want to echo
Andy in thanking Tuck Tucker for inviting Dani Brittain to join us today again. Next
I'm going to turn to Provost Mark Anderson to give his report on the impacts to the
academic mission. Mark.
Mark Anderson (22:16):
Thank you, Dan. Good morning everyone. I'd also like to think Dani for a really informative
but also entertaining presentation. Dani, as Andy said, also serves as associate dean
in the College of Natural and Health Sciences and is really doing a great job in that
role as well. I'm sure when she took the position she didn't realize what exactly
she was getting into, particularly with all that's been going on recently. So yesterday
we sent an email to the campus community in the morning about the SU, satisfactory/unsatisfactory, grade
option. We've had 92 students who've already taken advantage of that. Our advising
group led by Stephanie Torrez is really paying attention to those students and reaching
out to some of them to make sure that that is the right option for them. So we're
being very proactive in talking to students from an advising perspective to make sure
that they understand all the implications and the policy is flexible enough so that
students can opt back into an A/F if that is the best option for them.
Mark Anderson (23:33):
We also on Monday opened registration for summer classes. Again, we have moved all
summer classes to an online delivery. We are hopeful, but realistic in thinking that
we might be able to have some face-to-face in the second half of the summer, particularly
the second six weeks. We have contingencies in place, but we're hopeful that by then
we'll have some limited ability to have face-to-face classes.
Mark Anderson (24:02):
Point-in-time enrollments for the summer are lagging behind summer of 2019. So I would
encourage faculty who are listening to reach out to your students, encourage them
if it's appropriate for them to take classes in the summer. We'll be talking with
the deans about that. But I'd like to thank Dani and all the faculty for all the really
wonderful work you're doing. I really think it's critically important to stay connected
to each other and to stay connected with your own health. So thank you for the nutrition
advice as well as the exercise advice. I think the nutrition piece is something I
have to pay much better attention to. So thank you, Dani, and that's all I have for
this morning, Dan.
Dan Maxey (24:49):
Thank you, Mark. I appreciate those updates. We have no reports from Facilities or
Human Resources this morning. So I'm going to turn the floor back over to President
Feinstein.
President Feinstein (24:57):
I want to thank you, Dan, for moderating today and thank the presenters and particularly
Dani for that information. As always, stay safe, be healthy, and we'll see you here
again tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM. Take care, everybody.