Gift from China University of Geosciences will provide 7,200 KN95 masks to Alfred University
A gift from the China University of Geosciences will help Alfred University provide more than 7,000 KN95 masks to students, staff, and faculty.
A gift from the China University of Geosciences will help Alfred University provide more than 7,000 KN95 masks to students, staff, and faculty.
China University of Geosciences, a partner in the Confucius Institute Alfred University (CIAU), donated $5,000 to Alfred University. Daisy Wu, director of the CIAU and visiting professor of music at Alfred University, said the gift will be used to purchase approximately 7,200 KN95 masks and distribute them to the campus community.
KN95 masks are proven to be more effective at mitigating the spread of COVID than cloth or paper masks. Alfred University recently updated its COVID guidelines to require that all students, staff, and faculty wear KN95 masks in indoor congregant settings, including classrooms. The only exceptions are when they are their residence hall room or office, or when they are eating in one of the University’s dining facilities.
“On behalf of Alfred University, I thank China University of Geosciences for their generosity,” said Mark Zupan, president of Alfred University. He expressed appreciation to Wu and Beth Ann Dobie, Alfred University provost, for their recommendation the gift be used to purchase the masks. “Steering the support toward KN95 masks for our campus will represent a terrific way to promote safety on Alfred University’s campus.”
In a Jan. 18 letter to Zupan, Yanxin Wang, president of China University of Geosciences, thanked his counterpart for the support the Alfred University has shown for the CIAU and expressed his desire to assist the University during these challenging times.
“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have met with a lot of challenges in the higher education section in the past two years,” Wang wrote. “To support Alfred University’s COVID prevention effort for the Spring semester, we have asked (Daisy Wu) to assist us with providing necessary help to AU. I believe under your leadership and with the concerted efforts from the Alfred University community, the university will come out of the pandemic strong.”