Just cats and dominoes for three minutes
Now breathe.
Now is a great time to remind you that the only constant is you.
Congratulations on working through another week of so much stress, Winthrop. Indeed, you continue to face the unknown on a daily – if not, hourly – basis and you have done so with grace and generosity and good humor.
Many of you have been tasked with a challenge not expected of you just yet: the revelation that very little of life is actually permanent. I say “many” but, in truth, probably more of you than we allow for have already lived this truth somehow. If not you, then your classmate, has experienced one or more of the following:
- The unexpected loss of a loved one whose loss affected the family finances in a detrimental way
- The loss of a job that significantly affected the family and your plans for the next twelve months
- A sudden change in your health that requires you to change your entire schedule for the next twelve to eighteen months
- A leave of absence from the college
- A return from a leave of absence from the college
-.....after 5 years
Do you know that every student who meets any of the above goes onto receive their degree? That, in fact, if they don't receive it it is by their choice and not the College's? Did you know some people leave the College and choose not to come back!?
Friday came with the important announcement that the College would proceed with an Emergency Sat/Unsat grading policy for the rest of the term. This has been met with an understandable range of emotions. Now is the time for us all to re-examine how we view what a “traditional trajectory” is in college. Now is the time for us all to look at just what is the only constant in chaotic times: you.
Harvard would not make this change if other institutions weren’t in cooperation such as graduate schools, medical schools in particular, fellowship and scholarship programs. There are plenty of times that Harvard exists in a vacuum but this is not one of them. Indeed, right now we are fortunate to be in a time when we are in a place that is both leading and shaping the way forward during an unprecedented global crisis.
Harvard is not the constant -- You are the constant at Harvard. That is what you will tell the admissions committees, that is what you will tell the employers, the fellowships, that is what you will tell the world.
I implore you all to place the new emergency grading system in this context. From the moment this crisis occurred everything changed including your status as a college student. You are not a college student. You are someone who was in college during a global pandemic. That distinction matters. This I promise you.
Something else worth noting: whatever systemic problems exist always come out in stark relief during crises. So what you are seeing and experiencing around feelings of unfairness, injustice, feelings of invalidation are all absolutely justified. Unfortunately, they are tied to larger, much older complex problems that won’t get solved at this time. But you should, if you can, log them. And when things calm down – and they will – return to them. See what stands out, see what connections are present. Have there been other moments when people have worked hard towards a goal only to have it snatched away by elements out of their control? What were the circumstances then? Perhaps we can learn from this? Perhaps we can prevent such things from happening. Perhaps I'm making a shameless plug for interdisciplinary studies such as my own field in African American studies or Ethnic and Migration Studies which focus on the narratives of peoples who worked against systemic discriminations du jour in order to find and redefine their own humanity in the face of being told otherwise. But that's another post for another time ;)
Now let me stop writing before I get myself in trouble lol, I implore you to sign up to meet and chat with me about this or anything else on your minds right now, just click here!
DEADLINES/Important Updates!
Seniors, It's Time To Apply To Graduate!: In order to graduate, you need to complete the degree application, which is found on the "My Program" tab of your Student Home in my.harvard.edu.The deadline to complete the application is this upcoming Wednesday, April 1: Petitions for Foreign Language Citations can be found on the Forms and Petitions page of the Registrar's website and can be emailed to enrollment@fas.harvard.edu.
Last week's post included information about requests to change letter grades to/from pass/fail. Since Dean Gay and Claybaugh's announcement that is no longer active, see below and the FAQ page for more information:
Dear Students,
Over the past two weeks, as you know, there has been a great deal of discussion over whether we should shift to an alternate grading system. We have decided to do so. In the spring of 2020, all undergraduates will receive grades of either Emergency Sat or Emergency Unsat. Below you'll find an email from Claudine Gay, Edgerley Family Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, explaining why we are making this shift.
I'm sure that many of you will have questions about how this grading system will affect the courses you're taking now — and the plans you're making for the future. You'll find answers to general questions in the COVID-19- FAQs for students. For questions about your own specific situation, please don't hesitate to ask your instructors and your resident dean.*
Finally, I'd like to thank all of you who spoke out — so passionately and so thoughtfully — about this issue. Our thinking was informed by The Harvard Crimson editorials, by Undergraduate Council proposals, by consultation with the Honor Council, but it was informed just as much by the individual emails sent by so many of you. We have tried, in this new policy, to address the needs of all of our students, while also responding to the enormity of the situation we find ourselves in.
YOUR HEALTH
Self-Isolation Protocol for Harvard Local: Locally at Harvard we have specific guidelines in place for anyone feeling unwell and/or diagnosed with COVID-19. They are available here or scroll through these guides:
Inward Bound Mindfulness Education (IBME) is now running a Daily Guided Practice via Zoom: "Every weekday at 2pm EST/11am PST we will be offering a daily meditation guided by one of in iBme's teachers, specifically geared towards teens and open to all. Join Us" And here's a link to numerous free guided meditations! I did a silent retreat there last year, totally changed my perspective.
Take a virtual tour of “La Casa Azul”, the Frida Kahlo museum in Mexico
Mindfulness Practice: Breathing and Visualization with Dr. Ruth White
GRATITUDE
ACADEMICS
The Advising Programs Office staff are offering office hours to meet with students who want to discuss making changes to their course schedule, thinking about how learning remotely can affect their academic goals, or any other general academic progress concerns. These office hours are meant to provide students with an opportunity to have a conversation with a generalist academic adviser: https://calendly.com/harvardadvising/harvard-advising. Students can also email advising@fas.harvard.edu to arrange a time.
The ARC is offering Zoom one-on-one appointments for Academic Coaching and Peer Tutoring as well as Zoom Workshops, Power Hours, and Accountability Groups. The ARC also continues to support ELL Peer Conversations via Zoom. A range of services are available from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time to accommodate various time zones. We are also open on Sundays! See it all here:
HARVARD EVENTS
From The Harvard College Dean of Students Office Weekly Newsletter! scroll all the way down for info on internships, employment and office hours at the Womens Center and EDI!
Check out ZoomHop for a chance to "swing by" the d-hall and see a friendly face or two or more!
Please check out this very Important BGLTQ Religion and Gender Resource Sheet which is regularly updated in real time!
RESOURCES (local and beyond)
GOODREADS
'White-Collar Quarantine' Over Virus Spotlights Class Divide, New York Times
I’ve Spent 27 Years in Solitary Confinement. Here Are Some Tips on Making the Best Use of Time Alone, Mother Jones
COVID-19: The Third Side of the Coin: Hope, Grief and Complexity in the times of the Coronavirus, ThriveGlobal
*pssst, so hey that's me! I'm probably going to say you should consult with your concentration advisor/director or give you contact info for folks for you to direct your questions and thoughts to and/or suggest you schedule a chat with me so we can talk things out and strategize how to live through an undesirable outcome beyond your control.