I woke up, dazed and weary the morning of March 16, 2020, to news that was spreading like wildfire across campus: It’s time to go home, immediately. I stepped out into a world that was changing rapidly as people were scrambling to pack up their belongings and cobble together travel plans on the fly, all in the midst of navigating a pandemic unprecedented in any of our lifetimes. We were scared, confused, and day by day, losing grip on our visions of the future.
What followed was unlike anything most of us had experienced. Schools were moved entirely online, businesses worldwide shut down, and people were told to stay safe and stay put. For roughly six months, we navigated a world that was constantly shifting under our feet, as what little plans we attempted to make were constantly being cast aside as the reality of our situation set in more and more. Many of us, myself included, looked towards this fall semester with a mixture of hope and uncertainty. We all dearly wanted to be back, to see each other and be in the midst of a thriving learning environment, but how could we be certain? We’d spent so much time having our hopes for the future dashed that it began to feel arrogant to assume that things would be any different.
Soon after we arrived on campus back in September, COVID-19 cases on the JMU campus were rising at an alarming rate. In a snap decision, the administration decided to send students home for about a month while they decided on further action. This, combined with general cynicism, created a lot of murmurs that our stay on campus wouldn’t last long. I wanted to be hopeful, but I was just as entrenched in that mindset. There’s no way, right? Too good to be true.
But there was a path forward, laid out by administration, faculty, and staff, guided by recommendation of health experts. These people balanced safety with a meaningful experience and managed to create a system that would allow for as much value as possible while still remaining safe. But there was one key ingredient remaining: the people who were going to be in it. In order for this to work, students, faculty, staff, and community members would need to do their part to ensure that everyone could make the most of this semester. And boy howdy did people do their part. Sure we weren’t perfect, and there were a few cases here or there. But between system changes, mask wearing, and rapidly shuttling any suspected cases to Hotel COVID, we made it work.
One week ago, I was one of the last people to leave the Parkwoods Apartments. I remember packing my stuff up and hauling it out to my car filled with a sense of warmth and gratitude. Most everything went according to plan. I spent a little over twelve weeks on campus this fall semester, and I’m immensely grateful to the entire EMU community that this was possible. This semester was far from normal or ideal, but it was still worth it to me and, I’m certain, to many others.
So I just want to say thank you, never have I been more proud and satisfied to be here at EMU with you all. This isn’t something that just any group could achieve, and so, more than anything else I want to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation for all of the students, faculty, and staff at EMU. With news of vaccines on the horizon, hopes are rising. We’re not out of the thick of it yet, especially since cases are worse now than ever before. But a light is at the end of the tunnel, people. We can make it, because we’ve already made it this far.
