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Thread: I’ve been trying to piece together my thoughts on the circumstances for months now. What follows is my attempt to get my thoughts out in semi-coherent fashion.
One of the very first things I did in my office as Judicial Council President was to draft a policy to replace me in the event of my death/chronic hospitalization. It’s not that I’m expecting that from an encounter with COVID, but this moment demands that we prepare for worst.
I expected many challenges in college, but grappling with my mortality as a direct result of my presence on campus was not one of them.
I don’t know what the coming months have in store, but I know our future is to some extent defined by a set of present choices. Judging by the actions of some peers, it’s apparently not enough for leaders to appeal to common sense to garner buy-in to COVID protocols, so ...
Allow me to tell you why it’s important to me that we can stay here and do so safely. In the Spring, the University’s decision over Spring Break to send everyone home had different impacts on different communities.
For LGBTQIA+ students and those from abusive situations, returning “home” meant returning to physically, mentally, and emotionally unsafe circumstances. We owe some compassion and sensitivity to those for whom “home” is unsafe and unhealthy.
For FGLI students, the sudden requirement of scheduling and purchasing transportation home caused significant burdens. We owe those students a preferential option which recognizes the unique challenges of being first-generation, low income.
Again for FLGI students but also for those students from rural areas, access to reliable internet service was more difficult to maintain in the Spring. We owe those students the continued support of the resources available here.
For international students, we’ve heard so many stories of the challenges to get home, let alone to return. Now some of those students wonder if they’ll be able to return to their home countries at all even after the Spring Semester ends. They deserve a safe home here and now.
For students from communities which have been disproportionately affected by COVID (students of color, immunocompromised students, etc.), the prospect of being sent home means potentially infecting family/community members. We must remain attentive to their needs and concerns.
All that just covers students’ stories and leaves open stories especially from staff members and faculty who faced economic hardship last Spring into the Summer, not counting those who have been let go.
So yes, I’m thankful to be here now, but we can maintain a critical stance on the University’s insufficient preparation, quarantine policies, and initially inequitable testing procedures at the same time. It’s not either/or but both/and.
Be sensitive, be compassionate, and be respectful of the human lives in this community. We call this the Notre Dame family, and we have the opportunity to live up to that calling to community right here and now. For everyone’s sake, you can survive three months without parties.
All of us (students, administrators, faculty, and staff) have a part to play in the community’s safety:
Wash Your Hands.
Wear Your Mask.
Physically Distance.
Do Your Health Check.
Wash Your Hands.
Wear Your Mask.
Physically Distance.
Do Your Health Check.
