Text ©the Honors Program at Ferris State, 2021

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 Contents

About 4
Our mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Our vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Organizing committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Reflections 8
Honors Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Fundamentals of Public Speaking Honors . 8
Honors English 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Honors General Education . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Honors Black Literature . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Honors Intro World Short Fic . . . . . . . . 163
Stats Life Sciences-HNRS . . . . . . . . . 205

Lists of Authors 238

3
About

T he Honors Program at Ferris State University serves

students from all majors and programs at Ferris State Uni-
versity.
During the summer of 2020, the Honors faculty got together
to brainstorm ways to build community in the time of COVID.
This book is a product of that brainstorming.
We seek to provide a forum for our students to express their
experiences with COVID. You’ll find many responses herein,
unfiltered by the faculty.

Our mission

The purpose of the Honors Program at Ferris State Uni-

versity is to provide intellectual challenges, resources and
support to highly able and motivated students, while en-
couraging service and leadership for the public good.
Honors students commit to upholding the following four
columns:

• Strive for intellectual autonomy and academic excel-

lence so that we may be prepared to contribute to the
advancement of our chosen professions by completing
at least 20% of our Ferris coursework in the Honors
Program

4
 • Contribute our time and energy to advance the public
good so that we develop as citizens by completing
15 hours of community service per semester, joining
a Registered Student Organization and ultimately
leading our peers
• Explore cultural and ethical horizons to engage a
global society through attending cultural events and
seeking out challenging opportunities for service and
leadership
• Participate in the honors community, abiding by the
honor code, to foster curiosity, dialogue and intellec-
tual rigor in ourselves and others.

Our vision

The Honors College will complement and extend the career-

oriented education of Ferris state by providing a holistic
undergraduate experience that integrates curricular, co-
curricular and residential experiences to develop and foster
excellence.

5
Organizing committee

Peter Bradley (Honors)

Deridre Fagan (English, Literature and World Languages)
Neil Patten (Communication)
Holly Price (Mathematics)
Rebecca Sammel (English, Literature and World Languages)
Kristi Scholten (Communication)

6
Reflections

Honors Communication

Fundamentals of Public Speaking Honors

Political Divide
N. Bathrick College of Arts, Sciences and Education

A mongst all the chaos that has happened during the pandemic,
I am fed up with the political divide in our country. Before the
pandemic, our country’s politicians were in gridlock, but now they
are even worse. In a time of crisis, we are supposed to set aside
our differences and do what is best for the country. Instead, state
governors, members of congress, and the president have mishan-
dled aspects of this pandemic. I firmly believe that this pandemic
has broadcasted how detached from reality some politicians are.

8
Comparisons, the pros and cons of COVID
E. Longstreth College of Arts, Sciences and Education

P ersonally, Corona has had more positives than negatives, but

that is not to say that there have been no negative effects. One
of the first things that comes to mind on my list of negatives
would have to be that there is no band for the rest of this year.
Band was certainly a form of stress relief, and a way to have fun
with my friends spreading joy throughout the community. Now
that I do not have band, I can’t really express myself in that way,
and thus I feel like I am not being heard or seen. The second
thing that comes to mind on my list of negatives, is that classes
are all moved online. As much as I liked the convenience early on
it has become a negative experience. Additionally, when I go visit
loved ones, like my grandmother, I cannot hug them. We must sit
outside and be very careful about not getting too close. Staying
6 feet apart from the ones we love is certainly difficult. Although
Corona has certainly changed our world, I feel that things have
changed for the better. More people now are focused on staying
healthy and washing their hands. More people have had time to
start new hobbies, watch more television or be creative. Which
as it turns out I really enjoy embroidery and painting. Overall,
we all need to reach out to friends, especially because we can’t
hangout in person, and therefore we need each other’s support
now more than ever.

9
Untitled
J. Prince College of Health Professions

T he coronavirus pandemic took away many of my last moments

of high school. On March 13th I thought that my classmates
and I would return to school and practices after spring break and
that it would all be over within just a few weeks. However, it
turned into the cancellation of my senior softball season, prom,
and graduation. Because of COVID I never got the chance to
play with my high school teammates, high-five my coach when I
got to third, or even break it down after practice for the last time.
Because of COVID I never got to receive my diploma alongside
my classmates that I have known since elementary school, or say
goodbye to the teachers that I had spent the past four years with.
Although COVID ruined almost everything, it did allow me to
spend time with my family. Any other spring we would have seen
very little of each other so I am thankful for the time we were
given to spend together before I moved out. As we continue to
navigate these times, I am trying to be more understanding of
people as everyone handles situations differently.

10
COVID Complaints
R. Bovee College of Arts, Sciences and Education

T he biggest struggle I had during the COVID-19 pandemic was

definitely the abrupt ending of high school. I worked very hard
during my four years of high school, and looked forward to the fun
celebratory events at the end of the year, which unfortunately did
not happen. I didn’t get senior prom, my final water polo season,
awards banquets, my last choir concerts, or the graduation I had
imagined for the past 12 years. The silver lining of these let downs
is a greater appreciation for each day, and the realization that
nothing is promised. These crazy times have seriously changed
my perspective on life, and now I try to make each day count
and to be more present. I am very lucky to have amazing people
around me each day, and need to not take even the most mundane
things, such as polo practice or choir rehearsal, for granted.

11
Untitled
A. Leslie College of Arts, Sciences and Education

D ue to the ongoing crisis that is COVID-19, I’ve had many

challenges. First off, I lost my job at my local hospital gaining in
person medical experience that would have greatly helped me in
my journey to become a surgeon. Secondly, I was in the process
of gaining my CNA license, but was unable to complete the course
due to COVID. This license would have allowed me to work at
any hospital or long term care facility, but I am no longer able to
gain the valuable experience because I never acquired the license.
Lastly, I turned 18 at the end of March, right at the beginning
of quarantine, and was unable to spend that milestone with my
extended family that I am very close to. However, something that
I am grateful for as a result of quarantine is my improved mental
health. Because of quarantine I was able to focus on myself and
improve my mental health in ways that I never thought I could.
One thing that I plan to do to make life better for others is to
be a better friend to those who are also suffering from mental
health problems and support them as much as I can as they are
going through a difficult time.

12
Untitled
I. Dziadzio College of Business

T his year has been a rough. I was not able to have a senior
track season went the league again in discus and make it to states.
K was not able to have a senior lock-in with all my friends before
we all left for colleges that were far apart. I also was not able
to see my family in Florida, who I usually see every year, due
to traveling restrictions. I am happy that I was able to come to
campus and be given a spot on the track team to make up for
my lost season last year. I am going to get better and make up
for the lost time I missed during the last track season and enjoy
my first year in college and in a new place.

13
Untitled
C. Cook College of Business

T o me, this past year has really screamed the phrase ‘when
it rains it pours.’ Obviously, the pandemic is a major thing that
has turned my life upside down, but there has been so much
more going on at the same time. While my friends were upset
about prom and the senior trip being cancelled, I was preoccupied
with my parents’ ongoing divorce and my brother’s newfound
mental illnesses. While my peers were worried about having online
classes, I was worried about keeping my brother from trying to
take his own life again. I’m not the only person who has had to
go through these things, but most others probably didn’t have
them happen all at once and during a worldwide pandemic. On a
positive note, I’m grateful for the strong role models I have in my
life, like my high school cheer coach, that have taught me healthy
ways to cope with stress. I’m hoping that I can help others get
through these stressful times too, by teaching them what I have
learned. I know how to look at the positive side even when there
are so many negatives. I know how to relieve stress in healthy
ways, like working out or listening to music that boosts my mood.
Now that I’m starting to come out the other end of it all, I want
to reach out to the people that need my guidance.

14
Untitled
M. Robinson College of Health Professions

T he biggest challenge I faced as a result of COVID-19 was my

transition from high school to college. All of the usual senior
traditions that didn’t get to take place for my class took away
from getting a sense of closure from high school. There were
also many uncertainties about what college life was going to look
like before moving to campus. As frustrating as this pandemic
has been, it hasn’t been all bad. I am thankful for all the extra
time I was able to spend with my family in the months leading
up to moving away. This pandemic has also opened my eyes to
the importance of reaching out and checking up on the people
close to you. COVID-19 has made me a better friend and family
member.

15
I Hate COVID-19
R. Wetzel University College

I hate COVID-19. I hate that it took the end of my senior year.

I hate that it took prom, just when I got a date and had such a
pretty dress. I hate that it took my senior season of varsity softball,
especially when I was going to be a captain. I was so excited
to play with the girls one last time. I hate that I celebrated my
birthday without my friends. I hated hastily put together online
school. I had to study for three AP tests practically all on my
own. I hate COVID-19.
But I am thankful too. Because of COVID, I started running
every day. I am thankful that my family did not get sick. I am
thankful that I could still see my friends during socially distanced
bonfires and graduation parties. I am thankful that I continue to
be healthy.
People have it, or had it, worse than I. Some people lost their
jobs. Some died. I want to make things a little better for others
by continuing to stay positive and wear my mask and stand six
feet apart. It’s the least we all can do.

16
COVID ruined running for me
A. Ash College of Business

C OVID ruined running for me. It started back in the spring

when my senior track season got canceled. Then, during the
summer, cross-country for college was canceled. Later, when
we got to campus, we weren’t allowed to practice as a team.
That has since changed, but the most drastic difference is having
to wear a mask.
I never minded wearing a mask, but running takes it to another
level. I have gone to many practices now with a mask on and it
is one of the most annoying things I’ve ever had to endure. It’s
very difficult to keep my strength up when I have a piece of cloth
covering my mouth and nose. I m adapting, but it is hard to
focus when the only thing I can think about is breathing hot air
in my mask, the lack of feeling in my legs, (which has never
happened before like this), and being concerned that I’m not
getting enough oxygen to my body."
This has been really tough, but I am grateful that I’m finally
with my teammates. I’ve slowly but surely got to know each
and every one of them over these four weeks. It s great to
start freshmen year with a team of people that can become your
friends. Although the cost of seeing them requires me to
painfully run in a mask, I’ll do it to have a chance for sports
this year.

17
Untitled
M. Colburn College of Arts, Sciences and Education

C ovid-19 has been both a blessing and a curse to my life this

past year. When it first began, many of us students, including
myself, simply treated it as an extended spring break. None of us
knew how long it would last. When I realized the virus would end
up taking away the social aspect of college, I was very upset. I had
to pack up my dorm and move back home, and adjust to online
learning, which negatively affected my grades and mental health.
I missed my friends, going to in-person classes, and being able to
go out. But as time went on, I adjusted to online classes, and was
able to make the best out of the situation. In some ways, I am
grateful for having to adjust to online, because it taught me how
to manage my time and focus more on the subjects. Because
of the limited communication with others, I began relying on
research and books to learn, rather than in-person lectures and
labs. I also was able to begin working full-time, which helped
me financially. In many ways, I am in a much better place both
financially and mentally. During this time, I will encourage others
to wear their masks when going out in public and offer any support
to those who need help with school, work, and adjusting to our
new normal. If we all do our part and work together, it will make
the situation much easier for all of us.

18
Running Through COVID
R. Kachnowski College of Business

2 020 has been awful year for the running community. My biggest
challenge this year has been trying to find the why. Why am I
training? Without competition, it feels like a never-ending cycle
of long runs that go nowhere. With the 2020 Track and Cross
Country season canceled, I have gone deprived of the excitement
of competition.
At Ferris, we are required to run in masks. Running used to be
my outlet from COVID, now it seems like COVID has spread to
the most personal part of my life. My run, my temple regulator.
My safe space.
I am grateful that I am healthy enough to run. Running is
the ultimate gift. Pushing your body without consequence is
something that many could never do. I can get out the door
every morning even with the pet peeve of having a mask.
I am going to continue following the rules and push through.
Putting on a smile and a positive attitude at practice not only
lifts me up, but the spirit of the entire team.

19
Untitled
G. Volmering College of Arts, Sciences and Education

T his year has been nothing like any of us could have ever
imagined. As I was leaving campus for spring break I would never
have expected that I wouldn’t be returning for classes any longer.
I didn’t say a real goodbye to my friends or my professors. Life
had instantly changed, and from that point on we as a nation
faced some of the greatest hardships that we’d ever faced in
our time. Whether it be missing out on a proper high school or
college graduation, not being able to spend holidays with loved
ones, or losing a close family member or friend to the virus, we all
were impacted by the global pandemic. Life isn’t ideal right now,
we are still battling the virus and face new changes every day, but
I believe that there is hope for a better future as we continue
to persevere. In my community I witnessed many people step
up to the plate to help others. There was a mass production of
homemade masks for our essential workers, and for the workers
of surrounding communities. People volunteered to cut material,
to sew the masks, to purchase materials, and to distribute the
masks. I’d never seen our small community come together so
quickly in a time of need, and I believe that since then, we have
all grown closer and found that as a community we can conquer
anything. I would hope that we can carry this into the future once
we get past COVID-19. I think that many people learned what
an influence the community has on each other, and once we get
through this pandemic I believe that everyone will keep the same
mentality that we have developed during this time. COVID-19
has brought some of the most difficult times, but it has also
brought many lessons. My hope is that we all learned from the
valuable lessons and can come out of this pandemic stronger than
ever.

20
Over the Horizon
K. Sibless College of Arts, Sciences and Education

T his is definitely not the year I was expecting it to be. This year
I had hoped to become more involved in school, extracurricular
activities, and adventures with my friends. However, the school
year is coming to an end and many of these things did not happen.
As we move toward a post-COVID future, I really hope that I
can apply and appreciate many of the things I have learned and
overcome this year. I hope that in redefining and relearning how
to learn, I have instilled new habits that help make me a better
student. I hope that the struggles in my academics that I have
fought tooth and nail to overcome make me a more resilient
student who is willing to tackle new opportunities. This semester
I opted to study from home and continue working. Learning
from home has made me realize how important my friends and
classmates are. Not only did they give me an extra sense of
accountability and challenge me to do and be better, but they
in a sense kept learning fun. In the post-COVID future, I hope
that my friends and classmates know how much I am thankful for
them and I hope I never take them for granted. Post COVID, I
still would like to become more involved. However, I know myself
and I know that because of the conditions COVID has created,
I may be overly cautious or hesitant to step out of my comfort
zone and try something new. Overall, I hope that my COVID
experiences help shape a better post-COVID future!

21
Untitled
A. Shivers College of Arts, Sciences and Education

2 020 started off like most New Years, with a bang. It was
supposed to be the start of a new era, a year full of potential, and
one that was geared towards greatness. These were the common
feelings until tragedy after tragedy struck with the biggest blow
coming in the form of a world Pandemic, Coronavirus. As it swept
the nation and took so many lives there was dwindling hope for
the year 2020, but something suprisinging came from this. In
someway it brought the nation together. There were constant
voices being heard supporting and praising the essential workers.
There were “celebrations” in neighborhoods throughout the globe
each night to spread some type of joy in a world that seemed to
grow darker and darker. For me personally, I was able to work
on my mental and physical health, while spending more quality
family time with my loved ones then ever before. All of these are
examples that even while the Pandemic ripped through the world
and caused destruction there were also moments of hopefulness
around the world with more gusto than previous years. I hope that
for the future, in a time pass COVID, this surge of kindness and
uplifting continues. I hope that humans cut themselves as much
slack as they did during quarantine. I really hope that people
around the world continue to treat each other with the respect
and love of knowing every day is not given and we are all one in
this world. The Pandemic took a lot of lives and caused a lot of
dark, but it has also brought out a new energy in humans that I
hope continues to thrive past the COVID era.

22
Untitled
J. Miller College of Business

I specifically remember being super excited about 2020 on New

Years Eve. It was the year I was going to graduate, go to
college, and have a fresh start. Now the year 2020 is synonymous
with despair and setbacks. I missed a ton of events that I had
been looking forward to my entire life. And those that I didn’t
miss were underwhelming, limited, and lame compared to the
lifelong hype. Being a high school senior was especially hard. I’m
expected to transition into adulthood under the most unorthodox
circumstances. It’s been a stressful year, but now that it’s coming
to a close, I’ve developed the same excitement for 2021 that I
had a year ago for 2020. I have a positive sense that things can
only get better from here and the slate will truly have been wiped
clean. It’s hard to speculate on whether or not it will ever feel
normal to be in public without a mask again, or if anything will
fully return to how it once was. But it’s clear that we as a planet
have a strong ability to adapt and overcome. It’s been quite the
unifying experience and an eye-opening one at that. From this
I’ve developed loads of hope and I think it’s safe to say that many
people have gone through significant personal change. "What
doesn’t kill you makes you stronger" and "Comfort is the enemy
of progress" have taken on all new meanings. While we never
necessarily saw it coming, I am confident that the age of Corona
will have a lasting impact on society as well as some positive
outcomes. It certainly has had that effect on me.

23
Overcoming Fear
R. Schouten College of Business

Igoing
remember how excited I was for 2020. Finally graduating and
to college. I had worked my whole life for this, but it all
changed on March 16. We had all heard about COVID, but
it seemed so far away. When the school announcement said
we wouldn’t be coming back for two weeks we were all excited.
That excitement slowly evaporated for each week that was added.
Seeing fear slowly creep into everyone’s faces, seeing smiles
replaced with masks, was hard. Getting COVID and watching my
family get it, even with all our safety measures was scary. We
saw how unprepared all of us were for a pandemic of this size.
During quarantine, the isolation and worry of not getting to have
my wedding, or go to my grandmother’s funeral, is still fresh.
On one hand, this pandemic brought us together, but eventually
there was a huge division. Having a presidential election with
the highest voter turnout during a pandemic just increased the
division. I watch my friends begin to hate each other for their
political differences and didn’t even want to approach social media.
I believe we shouldn’t have a deep fear of COVID, instead we
should be smart and protect one another. Instead of arguing over
wearing a mask, we should look at it as a way we’re protecting one
another. I do my best not to fear, fear can cause people to react
without thinking. If we all come together for the common good,
we can all make great progress as a country. The hope we can
have is with each other, protecting one another and respecting
each other’s opinions. There are many people in my family who
differ politically and with their opinions, yet they still love each
other. That is the hope we can have for our future as a country.

24
Untitled
K. Bouche University College

2 020 was definitely not the year I thought it would be. This
was supposed to be one of the best years of my life. I was
supposed to go on a senior spring break trip, I was supposed to
play my senior season of softball, and I was supposed to walk
with my friends at graduation. This year has thrown a lot at us,
and challenged us in many ways, especially those of us who are
students. We have had to switch our learning to online and as a
clueless college freshman, that shift was not ideal. Although this
pandemic brought many difficulties, we as a society have adapted
to its challenges. We have come together to keep each other
safe by wearing our masks and socially distancing in public. In
the future I hope that the support we as a nation have shown
each other this year will continue to be present. I hope that we
will not take for granted the moments that we get to spend with
friends or family, or the abilities that we have to go out in public
with out a mask. I hope that the end of this pandemic allows us
to see how blessed we are to have survived a virus that spread
across the entire world, and I hope we as a human race are able
to come closer.

25
Untitled
D. Osko College of Arts, Sciences and Education

T his year was meant to be one of the best of my life. It

was going to be the year my basketball team went to the state
tournament, I finished high school, and finally got to start college.
In March, all of my plans for this year were shattered. My
last basketball season ever was cancelled during regional finals,
I graduated from a car, and going to college felt completely
different than I expected. As someone who had to experience
such large changes in such a short time due to one thing such
as COVID, I realize that the future will not go back to ’normal’
anytime soon. In the month of November, I caught COVID.
Although I am a healthy and young adult, having the virus was
still miserable. I can not even begin to imagine what this virus
would feel like for someone who were older and not in good
health. Coming to this reality made me realize that things in
the future are going to have to change. In order to become a
functioning society once again, we are going to have to learn to
be more respectful of one another. As of right now, there are
individuals that refuse to wear masks or social distance. These
people need to realize what their actions are doing to others. The
main problem with our society, in general, is that we are a group
of selfish people. My hope for the post-COVID future is that we
can learn to be respectful and caring towards others. Obviously,
this will not be a cure to COVID-19, but it can be an amazing
way to prevent the spread and become better people overall.

26
Untitled
G. Pearson College of Business

W e are getting into the latter half of 2020. This year has been
a trip has not it! From killer bees, racism, and yes COVID-19,
this year has been nothing but surprises. We often find ourselves
filled with fear, anxiety, stress, and no hope for the future. When
I think of the future it’s hard to imagine it without the masks,
we’ve had to wear of for 3/4 of 2020. It is hard to imagine
that one day we’ll be able to go outside and have big gatherings,
concerts, sports, etc. But here is one thing that I wish the
American people don’t get rid of after this pandemic. I think
COVID-19 was a good test to show how unprepared America
really was when it came to facing huge ordeals. We simply did
not have the means necessary to combat this major virus. But
one good thing came out of it, “The American Spirit.” Let me
explain, I think over the past few months the American people
despite our differences have overcome many huge obstacles. From
quarantining, to fighting off social injustice, we have really shown
that even if we aren’t prepared, we can overcome and adapt to
any situation. Sometimes I think we go through a point in history
where everything is peaceful, and we lose the true value what
it means to be an American. To be an American means to be
free, to have the choice and the right to stand up to anyone or
anything that is oppressing us. COVID-19 really shook America
to its core and revealed who we truly are in a sense, and I think
that’s a wonderful thing. I know many people have lost loved
ones and many lives have been taken from this horrible disease,
but from any harsh or unforgiving aspect of reality often comes
a relieving truth. That truth was the ability to fight through.
To push through the pain and loss. I think Rocky displayed this
very well in his movies, of how even if he was knocked down, he

27
always got back up no matter the cost, no matter the pain, he
fought through. And that is something we have done very well I
think in the United States. We fought through. Granted we may
have been divided for a while but eventually we came together.
Give it a few years and this will all seem a thing of the past. I
hope that the American people do not lose that grit and hope
to make changes for the better and for the future. I hope we
don’t get so relaxed that we get caught off guard again. I hope
we keep pursuing rights, and freedoms, and making better world
situations. This is what I envision when I think of post COVID-19
in America. We have been made strong just like “iron sharpening
iron.” So yes, we may not have to wear masks, we may not have
to social distance, but we will be a stronger American people and
really live up to the name, “land of the free.”

28
Untitled
D. Breuker University College

T his year, while looking at it with what is going on now, looks

as if it has been a bad year. And, while that it is true that we have
had many hardships, problems, deaths, etc. it still, overall, has
been a great year for change. Throughout the year, it seems that
we have all come closer together while all experiencing similar
circumstances. These changes should not stop after COVID.
My hope for post-COVID life is where we remember what has
happened throughout these times and continue to make changes
based upon them. One major thing that has happened during
these times is the protests to push for equality for people of color.
I hope that this does not stop. This has definitely been one of the
most important things to come this year. I think that we have
done so much so far in terms of equality, and I believe that we
have more room for growth after COVID and other restrictions
are over. Changes for our country have not been the only things
to come with this year. Personally, I feel as if, as a person, I have
become much better. I believe that throughout COVID, I have
had recognizable and legitimate personal growth. Over this time,
I feel as if I have gotten much better at dealing with stress from
outside interactions, which is something that I have had a ton of
trouble with. I hope that after COVID is over and after 2020 is
over, that these changes continue for the better and I, and my
country, still get better.

29
Honors English 2

Untitled
A. Halstead College of Arts, Sciences and Education

T hroughout this past year, the world has gone virtual. In the
time of COVID-19, communication has changed in various ways.
Right now, the world is suffering and to stay safe most com-
munication takes place online or virtually. Worldwide people are
adjusting to new ways of communicating. Jobs have become
remote, schools have become virtual, distance brings safety and
masks have become a necessity. In a crisis, the way an individual
reacts is crucial. For example, leaders usually understand that
communication during an emergency is critical (Holtom et al.,
2020). When leaders respond with ‘urgency, transparency and
empathy to a crisis, people adjust easier to regularly changing
situations(Holtom et al., 2020). For instance, the pandemic has
brought constantly changing conditions, such as school becoming
virtual. The leaders of Ferris State University have provided ur-
gent, transparent and empathic communication during this time.
Adjusting to virtual communication or online school has caused
hardships, for teachers and students. However, leaders at Fer-
ris State have handled the transition to virtual communication
through online school with urgency, transparency and empathy.
Effective communication is a big part of any healthy relation-
ship(Taunton, 2020). The past year people have had little to no
face-to-face interactions during mandatory quarantine (Taunton,
2020).The only way to communicate with people outside of family
members was through online platforms, such as Zoom and Skype.
Even after the mandatory quarantine most communication had
to remain virtual. In order to maintain relationships and stay
safe, effective communication now takes place virtually(Taunton,

30
2020). In conclusion, communication skills have changed during
the global pandemic. Today, the normal way of communicating
is through a cellphone or laptop. Although the circumstances
brought on by the pandemic are far from ideal, there still are ways
to reach loved ones.Virtual communication has allowed people to
interact online while being safe.

Works Cited

5 Tips for Communicating with Employees During a Crisis (2020,

August 17). Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2020/
07/5-tips-for-communicating-with-employees-during-a-crisis
Taunton, B. (2020).How has COVID-19 affected the way we com-
municate? UAB News. https://www.uab.edu/news/research/
item/11542-how-has-covid-19-affected-the-way-we-communicate

31
My Hope in the Time of COVID-19
P. Birely College of Arts, Sciences and Education

T he past year our world has gone through some very trying
times and events. COVID-19 has only added hardship and stress
for many people. While we are all living through a global pandemic,
the world keeps on turning, (barely) our lives continue, and we
have to do the best we can given the circumstances we have been
put in. I know that everyone has struggled with something to
do with COVID-19. For me, it was very difficult to transition
to all online classes. It was also hard for me not to constantly
worry about the health and well-being of my loved ones and family
members. What I am trying to get at is that COVID-19 has
affected us all in some shape or form whether we like to admit it
or not. While it can be hard, we have to try and see the bright
side of things and keep our heads up.
Throughout this semester my English 250 class has been fully
online. While that’s not my ideal way of learning, I do believe that
I have learned a few ways that critical thinking, oral, and written
communication contribute to “hope in the time of COVID-19”.
Personally, I believe that my communication skills have improved,
not only because of this class, but because now that I am spending
less time with people and am out in public a lot less, I have to rely
on my phone to stay in touch with people. Sure, this isn’t ideal,
but I feel blessed to have a way to communicate with people
still. I can’t imagine how my mental health would be without
being able to facetime and text my family and friends. Like
Taunton stated, “a positive is that many are becoming better at
using communication technologies” (Taunton pg. 1). This is a
good thing because we have already been in this pandemic for
so long and who knows when it will end. It’s a great thing that

32
more people are becoming more comfortable with technology. I
also believe that communication has improved because of “the
importance of content, context, and tone” (Whittlesey pg. 1).
More people have become aware of the way their texts sound and
the tone of their voice over the phone or computer.
I believe that my communication skills have also improved because
of the writing that I have done in this class. While writing each of
our three papers I focused more on the words that I was typing,
the message I was trying to get across, and how I wanted to
portray that. This class showed me how to do that, which is also
an important form of communication to have.
Overall COVID-19 has contributed to communication in many
different ways. I am grateful to have learned about that more in
the course of this class.

33
Emerge Enlightened
M. Sikkema College of Health Professions

“ This pandemic, and our reactions to this once-in-a-century

health crisis, drive home the need to equip all young people with
critical thinking skills and dispositions."1
The pandemic ruins
Said the teachers and parents
But what if thats false?
What if it reveals
A new opportunity
2
to emerge stronger
What if we now learn
To think more critically
And open our minds
I have discovered
I have conducted research
I have connected
In this pandemic
All uncertainty aside
I was enlightened

1
Seale, C. (2020)
2
Vegas, E. and Winthrop, R. (2020)

34
 Works Cited

Seale, Colin. “The Case for Critical Thinking: The COVID-19

Pandemic and an Urgent Call to Close the Critical Thinking Gap
in Education”. Forbes. 10 April 2020, https://www.forbes.com/
sites/colinseale/2020/04/10/the-case-for-critical-thinking-the-covid
?sh=7ca44e4d7b7
Vegas, Emiliana. Winthrop, Rebecca. “Beyond Reopening Schools:
How Education can Emerge Stronger than Before COVID-19”.
Brookings. 8 September 2020, https://www.brookings.edu/
research/beyond-reopening-schools-how-education-can-emerge-stronger-

35
Hope in a Time of Change
B. Castillo College of Arts, Sciences and Education

C OVID-19 is lasting much longer than anticipated, bringing hard

times on many people. Receiving a stellar college education from
my couch has been harder than I expected, as I slowly felt myself
decline in motivation and hope. My English 250 course is the first
English class I have taken in three years, and it has taught me new
ways to look at literature. Through essays, writing and reading, I
have gained a greater appreciation for communication.
One thing this semester has brought back to me is my love of
reading. When researching for my second essay for my English
class, I felt a spontaneous urge to read for my own enjoyment
again. I discovered apps that can be download onto your cell
phone that allow you to check out library books from a local
library virtually, for free! In the past I have read few online books,
as I prefer the hefty weight and smell of a thick book in my hands,
and feeling myself physically progress through the story. However,
during this pandemic I have been willing to read in whatever form
possible. Online reading for free has been such a joy and stress
reliever in my life. During a time of encouraged isolation, reading
is a solo activity that sweeps you to a new world, helping you
forget your troubles and loneliness. I feel grateful for this class
reminding me to take time to read things that I want to read,
and not just doing it when I have to. I think that books are a
forgotten form of adventure and companionship, and could help
so many people in this time of isolation.
Through reading, I feel that I have improved my writing skills
this semester. The book Handbook of Writing Research, states
that being a reader helps a writer to anticipate confusion and
miscommunication and thus, to write better (MacArthur, 2016).

36
I felt that for the first time, I started writing with my audience
in mind. I felt that this personally improved my writing skills a
lot. I also tried to be bolder in my essays, making them a bit
less uniform. I opened my final essay for English 250 with an
image, something I never thought to try before. In times like
this, when face-to-face communication is not encouraged, I feel
that writing to other people is something our society could bring
back. Research has proven that writing, especially in cursive, can
activate parts of the brain responsible for short and long-term
memory (Harvard, 2018). Along with the mental benefits of
writing letters, it gives a more personal touch to communicating
with others from a distance. This month, I wrote letters to people
who may be spending the holidays alone this year, and it made
me feel connected to people I have never even met.
Reading and writing both can be a great outlet of emotions, or
a way to help dull feelings of loneliness. During COVID-19, I
hope people start writing letters to each other again, or allow
themselves to get entranced in a new book. In a society where
people spend most of their time behind a screen, it is important
to remember there are real people, as well as a real world to
interact with. By finding new ways to communicate, hope can be
found in times of COVID-19.

Works Cited

Harvard Men’s Health (2018, May 1). "The health benefits of

writing your life story." Watch. https://link.gale.com/apps/
doc/A534969153/AONE?u=lom_ferrissu&sid=AONE&xid=f962278d
MacArthur, C. A., Graham, S., & Fitzgerald, J. (2016). "Hand-
book of writing research." New York, NY: Guilford Press. doi:
https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=VT7YCz2G-iQC&
oi=fnd&pg=PA171&dq=how+reading+improves+writing&ots=Rb6PQn5Wiz&

37
sig=qOlw_KCfumjs-Q1RXA5CVlVe_gk#v=onepage&q=how%20reading%
20improves%20writing&f=false

38
Untitled
N. Degraaf College of Arts, Sciences and Education

H ope during the time of COVID is often difficult to have. One

way that I have stayed positive is by having constant communica-
tion with friends and family. Some of the people I hold closest
to my heart I have found a way to communicate with and feel
close to them even when I can’t be with them. I used to live in
New York and my cousins lived in Michigan and the main way we
would communicate was through letter writing. It was such a fun
thing to get mail and it was a hobby we kept up until I moved
to Michigan and live much closer to them. Once the pandemic
prevented us from seeing each other we decided it would be fun
to take up letter writing again. It is a fun way to communicate
and it reminded us of our childhood. It is a different way to
communicate rather than texting, and it was nostalgic for us.
With school being moved online and more people working from
home we have had to communicate through online sources now
more than ever. “People have suddenly become reliant on services
that allow us to work and learn from home. The offices and
schools of America have all moved into our basements and living
rooms” (Koeze). There has been a huge increase in the usage of
apps like zoom, Microsoft teams, google classroom, and hangouts
by google meet. For example, zoom usage before the shutdowns
was around 3 million people per day and at the end of February
that number spiked to over 6 million users per day. These methods
of communication allow people to still talk, see each other and
connect while staying apart. Technology has let us be way more
involved with each other during the pandemic.
Netflix has also been a huge part of living at home. “Netflix is
and will continue to be the media company least impacted by

39
COVID-19 said eMarketer analyst Eric Haggstrom. Almost 16
million people created accounts in the first 3 months of 2020”
(Thomas). Netflix is one way to bring people together during
the pandemic. It may not seem like a positive for people to be
watching way more television, but if people can communicate
about movies and be watching movies “together,” it can be a good
way to check in with friends. If people are connecting through
watching movies it is better than not connecting at all.
People have all been adjusting and working through how to man-
age the challenges COVID-19 has brought. School has been a big
challenge for all age groups of children and parents. I only had
one normal semester of college and now at least three of them
will have been more difficult because of COVID. My sister is in her
senior year of high school and she is missing out on sports, prom,
probably graduation. Moving online has shown the challenges
of time management and the decreased quality of classes. It is
evident that teachers and professors are working hard to give
students the best education possible given the circumstances.
Their efforts along with the school’s gives me hope.

Works Cited

Koeze, Ella. “The Virus Changed the Way We Internet.” The

New York Times. 7 April 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/
interactive/2020/04/07/technology/coronavirus-internet-use.
html
Thomas, Zoe. “Netflix Gets 16 Million New Sign-ups Thanks to
Lockdown.” BBC News. 20 April 2020. urlhttps://www.bbc.com/news/bu
52376022

40
Untitled
K. Wright College of Health Professions

D uring the COVID-19 pandemic, many have been overwhelmed

by an abundance of conflicting news and opinions. Technology has
made it simple to access endless information within seconds, and
this information can either be a source of hope or one of panic. An
article titled “The COVID-19 social media infodemic” describes
how misinformation spread through the media can negatively
impact the way the public behaves during a pandemic. (Cinelli, et
al. 2020) This is why in times like these it is especially important
to find trustworthy sources for your information and to avoid
becoming misinformed through statements that are not supported
by facts. In order to do this, one must think critically when
encountering any oral or written communication to discern its
relevance and believability. This is where the information we
have learned in English 250 becomes useful. This course, along
with many other high school and college English courses, has
provided multiple examples of how to separate reliable sources
from unreliable.
These courses also typically cover how to improve your commu-
nication, which is important when it comes to spreading hope
during COVID-19. Social distancing has been crucial to saving
lives, meaning that communicating effectively through writing
and video formats is more important than ever. An article titled
“5 ways to spread hope without spreading germs” describes how
this can be done virtually. The article gives examples such as
video chatting, sharing positive news on social media, and stream-
ing worship services as ways to virtually spread hope during the
pandemic. (Health, 2020). As important as it is to stay on top
of news regarding the pandemic, it is just as important to check

41
in on friends and spread positive news.
Taking a virtual English 250 course has helped me improve my
writing skills because all communication for the class has taken
place through writing. This, along with the various research
projects done for this course that required students to read several
internet sources to acquire information, have strengthened my
virtual communication skills. I use these skills often without even
realizing it when I analyze articles to determine their credibility
and share them with my peers. These skills are extremely valuable
during the COVID-19 pandemic and during the age of technology
in general.

Works Cited

Cinelli, Matteo, et al. “The COVID-19 Social Media Infodemic.”

Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 6 Oct. 2020, http:
//www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-73510-5.
Health, Adventist. “How to Spread Hope, Not Germs.” Adven-
tist Health, 16 Mar. 2020, http://www.adventisthealth.org/
blog/2020/march/5-ways-to-spread-hope-without-spreading-germs

42
Contact: A Privilege We Didn’t Know We
Had
M. Phillips College of Health Professions

“ Effective at 12:01 am on March 24, 2020, for at least the next

three weeks, individuals may only leave their home or place of
residence under very limited circumstances, and they must ad-
here to social distancing measures recommended by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention when they do so, including
remaining at least six feet from people from outside the individ-
ual's household to the extent feasible under the circumstances.”
(Whitmer, 2020)

Mikhaila Martin studying for her classes from her home

Students were forced to learn from home in environments that

may not work for them. The order began to feel isolating, painful,
and lonely. But individuals were forced to find contact in some
way to lessen the feeling of isolation. The world found that

43
contact did not have to be in person and technology could aid in
connection with others, not destroy it. The world of education
has changed forever. (Li & Lalani, 2020)

Megan Phillips’ class to-do list from the Canvas app

44
The world has adapted to online communication. I can video-
call my professor when I do not understand something. I can
message other students in class from my own home. I feel more
confident connecting with others over the internet; a skill I needed
to develop for the future as the world continues to move more
technological. These things were taught to me by the action of
change my professors went through to bring us an education that
is fully virtual.
Before corona[virus], we may have taken our social interactions
for granted and been the kind of person who said: "I am terrible
at keeping in touch." Suddenly, people are becoming aware of
how important it is to stay in contact with their fellow humans.
Whether it is by phone or in person, I hope this will stick with
us when we come out of the pandemic. -Ami Rokach (Wen,
2020)

Works Cited

Li, Cathy, and Farah Lalani. “The COVID-19 Pandemic Has

Changed Education Forever. This Is How.” World Economic Fo-
rum, 29 Apr. 2020, http://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/
coronavirus-education-global-covid19-online-digital-learning/.
Wen, Tiffanie. “How Coronavirus Has Transformed the Way We
Communicate.” BBC Worklife, BBC, 9 Apr. 2020, http://www.
bbc.com/worklife/article/20200408-coronavirus-how-lockdown-helps-tho
Whitmer, Gretchen. “Governor Whitmer Signs ‘Stay Home, Stay
Safe’ Executive Order.” Whitmer - Governor Whitmer Signs "Stay
Home, Stay Safe" Executive Order, Mar. 2020, http://www.
michigan.gov/whitmer/0,9309,7-387-90499_90640-522625--,
00.html.

45
Hope of Better Days
A. Haan College of Arts and Sciences

To me, loneliness was never real.

I lived day by day,
Family and friends by my side,
Never truly alone.
I had those I loved
And those who loved me back.
Then day by day,
It all came crashing down.
Suddenly, I was alone.
No longer could I see
My friends and family
Whom I loved so dearly.
I was alone,
But it was not the same as normal.
It was suffocating,
Like I could not breathe,
Like I was drowning.
I find, luckily,
That this loneliness is fading,

46
Day by day.
I find new ways
To interact with people.
I grow and grow,
Learning new things daily.
The communication I have
With my family and friends,
Gets me through the days.
I text, call, send videos, facetime,
Every type of communication there is
Besides seeing each other in person.
Although it is not the same
And never will be,
These ways to stay connected
Have helped me through these hard times.
Albus Dumbledore once said,3
Happiness can be found
Even in the darkest of times,
If one only remembers
To turn on the light.
I keep this in mind
3
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

47
As I live, day by day.
I look to the sun
And hope that one day
The world will shine a bit brighter.
4
As the 11th Doctor said,
I am and always will be
The optimist,
The hoper of far-flung hopes,
And the dreamer of improbable dreams.
I will always have hope
That times will improve.
Situations will change
And people will grow.
So as you think of hardships,
Look to the sky.
Look at the stars.
Look at the world.
And remember
Things will get better.
And so will I.

4
Doctor Who

48
How Communication Has Contributed to
“Hope in the Time of COVID-19”
M. Geldner College of Health Professions

49
How Communication Has Contributed To “Hope in
the Time Of COVID-19”
Mikayla Geldner

How Have My Communication Skills Improved?

‐ ENGL 250 has allowed me to strengthen my written

communication skills

‐ The assignments that have increased my skills:

‐ Critical Inquiry Discussion Boards
‐ Reading Reponses
 1.
Critical Inquiry Discussion Boards
Promotes discussion and interaction between students

Critical Inquiry Discussion Boards

‐ This assignment ‐ Discussion boards

prompted students to
create their own topics to
discuss and share with
their classmates
‐ Allowed students to
demonstrate creativity in
their work
promote communication
between peers
‐ Allows students to see
other points of view
‐ Improves discussion skills
and communication
 Advantages To Online Discussion
Stacia Levy, an author
from Busy Teacher,
argues the advantages of
online discussion forms
in her article, “Virtual
Debate: 7 Advantages of
Online Discussions”
The 7 Advantages: Online discussion boards
1. Convenience allow students more
2. More focused opportunity to share
3. More in depth ideas with peers
4. More introverted students
participate more
5. More diverse perspectives Gives students the
6. Increased Ability to Limit
opportunity to offer
Remarks That Aren’t their opinions in a
Constructive constructive manner
7. More Readily Available
Resources

How Did Critical Inquiries Help Me?

‐ Helped improve my ability to aid in discussion and share

my perspectives
‐ Allowed me to see other students’ ideas and written
communication styles
‐ Provided light and stress-free communication with peers
‐ Gave a fun and interactive experience for me to
communicate with my classmates
 2.
Reading Responses
Promotes reflection and critical thinking

Reading Responses

‐ Asked students to give ‐ Gave students the

their reaction to
information provided by
various authors
‐ Allowed students to
reflect on their thoughts
about the text being read
opportunity to consider
different ways of writing
and communicating ideas
‐ The text read offered
various suggestions for
writing improvement
 “I found that when they wrote out their
personal thoughts and ideas, opinions,
“
reactions, connections and questions, the result
was better comprehension and deeper
understanding of the text and author’s craft.”

The quote above describes English teacher, Melissa Castillo’s opinion on reading responses how it can enlighten a student’s
work. This quote is taken from her article, “Reading Response Journals Benefit Students.”

How Did Reading Responses Help Me?

‐ They improved my ability to think critically and reflect on

my previous knowledge or skills
‐ Allowed me to articulate my thoughts and ideas into
written words
‐ This assignment introduced me to different writing
techniques and suggestions for improvement
 How Does This Relate To “Hope in the Time
Of COVID-19?”

Online Class During COVID-19

‐ Due to the pandemic, many students were forced to

endure an entire online schedule
‐ However, online discussions may give students the
opportunity to better express themselves
‐ By being given the opportunity to improve their written
communication skills, students are also improving on ways
to convey their own ideas and thoughts
 Hope In ENGL 250

ENGL 250 gave me the In order to consider hope, it

opportunity to grow as a is important to look for the
writer. In result, I was able to positives in things. I decided
improve my overall to look for positives in this
communication skills. This class by putting in my best
allows to me to create better effort and making the most of
discussions and conversations my online classes.
with individuals around me.

References

Castillo, M. (2018, December 29). Reading Response Journals Benefit Students. Straight Outta Class.

https://www.straightouttaclass.com/post/using-reading-response-journals-benefits-

students#:~:text=READ%20to%20discover%20who%20you,thoughts%2C%20ideas%2

C%20and%20opinions.

Levy, S. (2015, June 22). Virtual Debate: 7 Advantages of Online Discussions. Busy Teacher.

https://busyteacher.org/22680-virtual-debate-online-discussions-7-advantages.html
Hope and Connections:
Communication and its Impact on Life
During the COVID-19 Epidemic
D. Gray College of Business

D uring my first semester at Ferris State University, the campus

was a lively sight to behold with open doors all around. Flash
forward to February 2020, and Michigan’s Governor Gretchen
Whitmer, in response to the COVID-19 epidemic, gave an or-
der that closed the campus mid-semester. This closure echoed
into Ferris State’s Fall 2020 semester, where the prohibition of
in-person interactions has made the campus lonelier than ever.
Despite our diminishing right to physically socialize with others,
our ability to interact through other mediums has allowed us to
recreate what was lost to social distancing, resulting in a rise
in how much we communicate each day. While COVID-19 has
instilled despair by limiting physical interactions, our increased
communication rate proves that hope exists both inside and out
of the epidemic.
While we all have different experiences with the epidemic, we
are all expected to follow the guidelines set by our superiors.
When the epidemic became an issue during the 2020 Spring
Semester, Ferris State closed its campus, moved its education
online, and started planning for next semester. The result of
the plan was the Fall 2020 semester, where Ferris’s students
experienced limited business hours, building capacity, and physical
interactions with others. While Ferris State could only control
the safety of those on campus, Governor Whitmer and Director
Robert Gordon of the Michigan Department of Health and Human
Services could do so with the state of Michigan. Their approach
was more extreme than Ferris as they limited gatherings and

57
building capacity, prohibited dining that didn’t practice social
distancing, and enforced other rules to keep us safe during the
epidemic with "The Gatherings and Face Mask Order." While
these rules were on Ferris State’s bucket list of things on campus
to change during the epidemic, Gordon and Whitmer’s control of
Michigan prompted the University to act earlier.
Despite this impediment to our ability to communicate, it doesn’t
leave much of an impact as we have various ways to interact with
each other outside of face-to-face communication. Throughout
the semester, professors kept in touch with their students in one
way or another; most of mine did this through Zoom, but there
were a couple where email and Canvas were how we conversed.
This shift in the focus of communication correlates with one of
the findings in Minh Hao Nguyen’s team’s research in "Changes in
Digital Communication During the COVID-19 Global Pandemic;"
this finding was a survey that revealed a "vast increase in digital
communication." At first glance, the survey expresses an increase
in the usage of video calls, email, and other forms of digital
communication at the expense of in-person interactions (Nguyen
et al.), but these interactions aren’t as limited as presented.
While we can talk to essential workers to get what we need, these
interactions aren’t the only in-person encounters we can have
outside of our homes. I’ve encountered my fair share of familiar
faces at the Rock, and I’ve occasionally got to talk with a few of
them face-to-face.
When comparing the vast rise in all forms of digital communication
to the not-so-great fall of in-person communication, it’s clear
that how much we communicate with others has risen throughout
the epidemic. Although we can’t interact with others as we did
before the epidemic, our increase in our communication rate
throughout it expresses the hope it contains. Everybody uses
this hope every day to move one step closer towards stopping

58
COVID-19 once and for all. Our schools and governments are
instructing us to stay safe, our scientists are sharing their notes
to find a vaccine, and our employments are practicing sanitary
work methods to stop COVID-19. While they may trade in some
of our privileges for our safety, it’s not a significant loss as most
of us have plenty to go around. It’s this kind of hope that allows
us to stay connected, and it will be this kind of hope that brings
the epidemic to a close.

Works Cited

Gordon, Robert, and Whitmer, Gretchen. "Gatherings and

Face Mask Order." Michigan.gov, Michigan.gov, 15 Nov. 2020.
Google, www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/0,9753,7-406-98178_
98455-545136--,00.html.
Nguyen, Minh Hao, et al. “Changes in Digital Communication
During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for Digital Inequal-
ity and Future Research. Social Media + Society, 9 Sep. 2020,
doi:10.1177/2056305120948255.

59
Transcript
J. Martinez-Mendez College of Health Professions

W hile taking Honors English 250 I stepped into a new ballpark

with a completely open playing field. As the course went on, I
was able to begin filling the bases with my newfound education,
materials and assignments, and new conversations.
The education I received in this course was by far the most
thought out and planned any of my English classes have ever
been. Not to offend any of my past teachers, but what I liked the
most about Dr. Fagan was that each assignment had a purpose.
By this I mean that every week the assignments were tailored to
fit whatever we were working onAa. For example the grammar
bites, word bites, and reading responses were always an extra
assignment that went along and provided us with help on each
of the three writing essays we were working on.To go along with
this, the various materials and assignments given to us during the
duration of this course each had their own educational value. Our
first essay for example taught us how to annotate, summarize,
and conduct an analysis, while our second essay taught us how
to describe an object and explore the meaning behind it. Let us
not forget our most recent essay which taught us how to look
beyond the presented facts of a court case and explain its various
impacts on society. I enjoyed writing each of these essays because
they were all new to me. They were not your typical research,
argumentative, or informative essays.They each had their own
depth that encompassed research, argumentative, informative,
and critical thinking skills all in one.
Although this course was taught fully online we were still able to
have meaningful conversations. This is because each week Dr.
Fagan assigned a student a discussion where they would create a

60
prompt and then post it so their peers could answer and create
intellectual conversations with one another! As said in the article
“Making GoodUse of Discussion Boards, ” discussion boards “help
to create a social presence in an online course along with a sense
of community” (Making Good Use of DiscussionBoards). Dr.
Fagan was able to do that and much more with her discussion
boards. I was able to learn a lot about my peers and improve
my written communication skills by creating my own sense of
belonging asynchronously which in turn allowed me to create
thorough responses.
There can be a lot to say as for how critical thinking, oral and
written communication have contributed to “Hope in the time
of COVID-19.” One thing I can say with certainty is that my
critical thinking and learning never stopped amidst this pandemic.
I always found ways to engage my brain and share my learnings
with people whether that be through social media or on zoom.
COVID-19 impacted the entire world and how we communicate.
As humans, we rely heavily on nonverbal communication such
as eye contact, facial expressions, and body language but all of
this is slowly being replaced with our words. As said by professor
Tricia Jones "we are learning how to use language to stand in
for the courtesy we would otherwise show nonverbally" (Oputu).
This alone has allowed me to improve my oral communication
skills when I interact with people in the real world outside of
class. Overall, critical thinking, oral and written communication
have contributed to "Hope in the time of COVID-19" by allowing
humans to engage with themselves more on a deeper level and
interact with people in a new way. Even though the world is living
through a global pandemic we as humans are still prospering and
adapting to our new norm.

Works Cited

61
?Making Good Use of Online Discussion Boards.? The K. Pa-
tricia Cross Academy , 25 June 2020, kpcrossacademy.org/
making-good-use-of-online-discussion-boards/.
Oputu, Edirin. ?The Coronavirus Pandemic Has Made Communi-
cation More Important than Ever.? Temple Now | News.temple.edu
, 16 Sept. 2020, news.temple.edu/news/2020-09-16/coronavirus-pand

62
Communication and Critical Thinking for a
Better Society
S. Springstead College of Health Professions

W ithout communication and critical thinking, we are all cave-

men. By 2020, we should have mastered the art of communication
and critical thinking, but we have not. There have been many
intense arguments among many groups of people this year, which
could be a result of people believing everything they hear without
thinking too much about it. Although not all of us have perfect
communication and critical thinking skills, they are very important
to continue to grow in for the improvement of society. Despite all
the negatives 2020 has provided, society has managed to make
the best out of the year and come together in a time of trouble.
Although for the most part people were kind and gracious to each
other, there were some who had a difficult time communicating
their opinions in a helpful manner. Yemi Faleti from Stevenson
Unversity speaks on this well: “when communication is effective,
it leaves all parties involved satisfied and feeling accomplished”
(Faleti). Nobody likes speaking to someone who is only trying to
get their personal opinion across without wanting to listen. This
is a poor form of communication. Communication is meant for
all parties to get their opinions across in a respectful manner. If
everyone learned how to communicate better, with respect for
others, the world would be a much more peaceful place and it
would allow for growth among everyone because people would ac-
tually listen to the opinions of others and think on it, rather than
just deeming their opinions incorrect right off the bat. Maybe with
critical thinking, there would be less arguing and riots because
people would see no point in violence to get a point across. Win-
ston Sieck from the Global Cognition speaks about how critical
thinking can be defined as “a deliberate thought process” (Sieck).

63
So often, we believe every piece of news we see (as long as it looks
somewhat professional), without thinking through it thoroughly.
This is frustrating to those who do apply critical thinking to the
news they view. With more critical thinking, society would be
better off because people would be more intelligent and aware of
the information they are gathering. English 250 has increased my
communication and critical thinking skills. Through discussion
boards, I was able to communicate well with others even when
I didn’t agree completely with them. On the same note, the
content of the discussion boards helped me realize although we
all have differences, we are all human and are just trying to live a
meaningful life. Nobody is going to follow something they believe
would give them a life without meaning, and this is important
to note when disagreeing with someone. The other person has
had different experiences, and perhaps the belief you hold is too
far-fetched for someone with different life experiences. English
250 has also improved my critical thinking skills through intense
research for essays. There is a lot of information on the inter-
net, with a lot of opposing information. By utilizing the critical
thinking skills I already had before English 250, I was able to
grow in the skills. Although communication and critical thinking
skills may be difficult to attain, by growing in these areas society
would be better off. There would be growth within each individual
because people would respect others opinions through healthy
communication. There would also be less arguments because
people would apply critical thinking to conversations and decide
whether or not an argument is worth developing. Perhaps through
enrolling in a course such as English 250, more people would grow
in these areas of life, making society a better place.

Works Cited

Faleti, Yemi. “News - The Importance of Effective Communi-

cation.” News - The Importance of Effective Communication

64
| Stevenson University , 18 July 2017, www.stevenson.edu/
online/about-us/news/importance-effective-communication.
Sieck, Winston, et al. “Critical Thinking in Everyday Life.”
Global Cognition , 14 July 2020, www.globalcognition.org/
critical-thinking-everyday-life/.

65
Hope in the Time of COVID-19
R. Kelly College of Arts, Sciences and Education

Hope in the time of COVID-19

66
Hope in the
Time of
COVID-19
Rachael Kelly • December
2020

How do we
stay
connected
when we can’t
be together?
“This virus is the common cold.” —Rush Limbaugh,
Premiere Networks

“Maybe we’d be just better off if we gave it to

everybody.” —Rick Santelli, CNBC

We have been told many

distressing things in the past 11
months that have brought down
even the strongest people.
During this time of worry and
disconnectedness, I have found
peace in communication. I
cannot see my fellow
classmates in person, but I can
communicate online, and I
don’t feel so alone.
I have had the opportunity to
discuss my thoughts and fears
through discussion boards and even
memes. I had the ability to connect
and communicate with my peers
thanks to my English class, along
with other school functions.
2020 stole my peace.
My fear overtook my body.
While my inner strength lay dormant.
I began to write.
My emotions spilled out.
My emotions were read.
They began to write.
Their emotions spilled out.
Their emotions were read.
Our fear is dormant.
Our inner strengths are in control once more.
- Rachael kelly
Words are all we have right now. Through my lessons my
words have meaning. My words have meaning in my papers.
My words have meaning in my emails, discussions, reviews. I
may not be able to speak in person, but I can speak through
the virtual communication my classes provide.

Me

Thank you for reading my

thoughts (and my bad poetry).

Here are my sources!

https://www.thenation.com/article
/society/coronavirus-quotes-part-
2/
Photos taken from google slides :)
Untitled
M. Kuzma College of Arts, Sciences and Education

A Artist Erik Pevernagie once said when describing this piece

of his work above named Because the World Had Corona that
?when the whole world is entrenched in the bunker of physical and
often emotional isolation, only flexibility and ingenuity can revive
us to remain grounded and imbibe the bolstering sunlight piercing
through the canvas of chaos (2020). I think this quote serves
a purpose that many people find impactful. The coronavirus
(COVID-19) has made this year very stressful and chaotic, but
there is one thing that a lot of people find peace with during this
pandemic, and that is artistic expression like writing.

Because the World has Corona

Along with writing, ENG 250 has definitely shown me how to use
my imagination and creativity, which has helped me through this
unprecedented time. The education that I received throughout

71
this semester has been unsurmountable. I think with the guidance
of Dr. Fagan, I have elevated my writing skills tremendously and
I feel much more confident when writing. The class assignments
offered a variety of ways to improve my writing skills. When I
first came into this class, I was far from a good writer and did
not have much experience with writing. After this semester I
have a better understanding of how to properly cite sources, and
also how to analyze articles and turn the content into a good
piece of writing. The conversations that we had in this class also
helped me gain more information to properly process the content.
The weekly discussions we had were about a variety of things
and very intriguing. They allowed me to acquire interesting facts
about current day topics and helped me with my communication
skills.
COVID-19 has made this wonderful world that we live in seem
very dark and gloomy. This has required people to find sources of
happiness during the pandemic. For many that source is writing.
There are people that have mental health issues and are suffering
with the isolation and quarantine this virus has presented us with.
Natalie Proulx shared in her article with the New York Times
that writing ?can be a way to express our fears, hopes and joys.
. . it can help us make sense of the world and our place in it.?
(2020). This goes to show that even writing down our thoughts,
writing to a family member, could improve mental health and
happiness. Artist?s work like Pevernagie contributes to ?Hope in
the Time of COVID-19? because oral or written communication
can sustain someone’s positive mental health during the length
of this virus.
We all have different ways of escaping this virus, and I think that
writing is a very valid hobby that can help distract from what is
going on outside in the world. The meme below summarizes how
my year has gone so far with this virus. Humor has kept me sane

72
with the virus, like the meme that describes my experience with
the pandemic below.

Before and After COVID

Works Cited

Coronavirus Quotes (681 quotes). (2020). Retrieved Decem-

ber 09, 2020, from https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/
coronavirus
Proulx, N. (2020, April 15). 12 Ideas for Writing Through the
Pandemic With The New York Times. Retrieved December 09,
2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/15/learning/
12-ideas-for-writing-through-the-pandemic-with-the-new-york-times.
html

73
Hope in the Time of COVID-19 - Bryce
B. Phelps College of Arts, Sciences and Education

Hope in the Time of COVID-19 - Phelps

74
 Hope in the Time of
COVID-19
By: Bryce Phelps

Effects of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a number of negative effects on people's lives. Health, financials, and
stress are a few of the key effects I want to focus on. The overall health of everyone including the ones
around you is constantly being assessed and implemented in the back of your head. Financially, families are
having trouble because of layoffs and shutdowns being put in place. This causes more problems than just
money because during the holidays people get desperate and which may lead them to do dangerous things.
Stress is high for everyone due to COVID-19. Being a college student and part time worker, finding any
down time comes very difficult. The pandemic has caused people to have more work being put on their plate
(student or worker) because of the “down time” and “laziness” that everyone assumes takes place when
working/learning from home.
Communication Significance
Communication is considered the most important life skill one can
possess. COVID-19 has caused communication between people to
become difficult. Government shutdowns have kept people home,
closed businesses, and tied up schools. Working from home is not
the ideal situation for most because of lack of material and
information. Learning from home and being out of the classroom is
not the best scenario for students either. Some courses are designed
and are able to have a remote delivery. While a number of hands on
courses are tremendously challenging to students. These courses are
difficult to learn material, ask questions to professors, and assess
learning online.

Communication and School

Sandra Love a former principal wrote, “Online school requires the pavement for two-
way communication. You must ensure that information sent to students and families
is clear and concise and offer a range of ways for students to interact and ask
questions (Love).” Principle Love explains how clear and concise information is the
key because emails and other remote deliveries can come across deceiving. Living at
home in the house of an elementary teacher, I see the struggles that teachers are going
through during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Zoom calls with my mothers students,
you see the neglect and loneliness in many of the students because they are
abandoned each day by their parents who go to work. These young students are being
left alone without any guidance or supervision. Thus, online learning is not in best
interest of anyone because it is setting this generation behind which will only cause
more problems in the near future.
Critical Thinking Significance
Critical thinking is defined by, The Foundation for Critical Thinking, as “the intellectually disciplined process
of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information
gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to
belief and action (The Foundation for Critical Thinking).” We are often critically thinking many times
throughout the day. At work for example, “we have to decide between several different ideas that are presented
and choose only the most viable one (Zinca Batcha).” The decision process that we go through is an example of
how we are critically thinking using prior experiences, communication, observations, etc. During the
COVID-19 times, companies are dealing with mass shutdown and the communication aspect and analytical
skills are relying more on the individual rather than a collaborative team. This has caused a lot of issues for
people.

Critical Thinking and School

Throughout schooling, students are relying less on the professors and more on themselves. Students must
discipline themselves to do the necessary material to learn the different concepts and information necessary
for that course. The lack of critical thinking in the classroom and lack of help from professors often
discourages students. In my Honors English 250 course, I have had great communication with Dr. Fagan.
Email, canvas, and zoom have all provided me with the necessary communication with my professor to be
successful in this course. I was able to use communication to help figure out different tasks that needed to be
clarified and share my critically thinking with my professor to better understand/learn the material.
 Troubles With Online Schooling
Online schooling is not for all students. Some students are capable of learning from
Youtube videos and Zoom lectures and do not see much to any change. While, some
students really struggle to learn remotely and are challenged much more. To start the
semester, I began meeting with my organic chemistry class once a week for class and lab.
The class time was used as a Q&A time to help better our understanding on concepts we
struggle on. I found this time beneficial and helpful to almost all students that attended.
Now that we have changed to complete remote learning, my organic chemistry class has
lost this face to face time. This has caused our class to meet remotely where students
struggle to ask questions and engage in conversations where we used to in class. COVID-19
has caused a lot of problems in society and schooling is just one of them. Out of all of the
problems created, students learning the necessary knowledge for success in the future needs
to be the top prioritized.

Personal Reflection
Currently I am a sophomore attending Ferris State University. I am studying
biology with a focus on Pre-Dental. Living at home because of COVID-19, I have
the opportunity to see different perspectives and the affects the pandemic has on
everyone. My mother is an elementary school teacher and is widely involved in
Ionia Public Schools. My father helps run a business for a company named
ENWORK and has been overworked and stressed due to working additional hours
because of the pandemic. My siblings and I attend school full time and also all
work part time jobs to help pay for our tuition and financial needs. Seeing how
the pandemic has affected students (me and my siblings), teachers (mother), and
business owners (father), I have become aware of the necessity for change.
Hope

Living at home as a student is not always the ideal scenario. Managing the time that everyone can be on the
internet to support the bandwidth needed and keeping quiet between tests and meetings becomes very difficult
overtime. Sometimes, during tests or meetings we have to go outside and do them in the car for privacy
because the times overlap. Anyway, I have seen the effects of COVID-19 much more broadly then I feel most
individuals have. This has let me to conclude that the hope for a vaccine to come to the market is inspiring too
many. Medical technology has improved greatly over the past year and America is working together to fight
COVID-19 and contain the virus. This virus has affected many families to have an unstable flow of income
and caused many loved ones to be lost. The hope for a vaccine creates the thought of “normalcy” to come
back into our lives which would be the best gift during the holiday season.

Reflection on Education

Honors English 250 with Dr. Fagan has provided many opportunities to discuss my thoughts
with her and fellow classmates. Through class discussions and reflections included in my
essays, I have found communication and reflections helpful ways to communicate in class.
My favorite thing about this course was being presented a new topic each week by a fellow
classmate that I could engage in and discuss. These discussion board gave me the opportunity
to learn new things about people in my class and interact with them in a way that was
beneficial to the course. The reflections included in the essays created communication on how
the writing process went for that essay. I would use these reflections to look at my growth in
between my writing and learning of new formats.
Works Cited
“Critical Thinking At Work During COVID-19.” Strammer, 11 May 2020, strammer.com/en/critical-
thinking-at-work-during-covid-19/.

“Critical Thinking During COVID: October 2020.” NASSP, 1 Oct. 2020, www.nassp.org/publication/
principal-leadership/volume-21-2020-2021/principal-leadership-october-2020/critical-thinking-during-covid-
october-2020/.

Defining Critical Thinking, www.criticalthinking.org/pages/defining-critical-thinking/766.

Facione, Noreen. “Critical Thinking Strategies for the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Insight Assessment, 10
June 2020, www.insightassessment.com/blog/critical-thinking-strategies-for-the-covid-19-pandemic.
Year of music
J. Young College of Business

Year of Music

81
To expect a collaboration from the two women,
Houston’s brightest prospect and its OG lodestar,
would have verged on arrogance. After all, fans
have spent years begging for her to record a duet
with her own sister. And so, her remix of Megan’s
“Savage”—not just a 16-bar verse tacked on at the
end, but a full re-imagination of the hit song, with
new raps from Megan too—is an unexpected treat.
– Pitchfork
This collaboration is my favorite song of the year.
From the luxurious beat to the fantastic lyrics, this
is one song that defined 2020. In the heart of this
pandemic, this song made everyone come together
to sing and dance. As for me, I was doing both Tik
Toks challenges to this. Having the “Classy, bougie,
Rachet” that resonance in my brain was indeed a
highlight of this troubling year. My favorite
memory of this song when my siblings and I made
were doing the challenge. My brother and sister
started fighting over who goes first; it was so
funny.
Hope in the Time of COVID-19 -
Vanderkooi
B. Vanderkooi College of Arts, Sciences and Education

W ith the looming presence of COVID-19 on the majority of

college universities, college students such as myself have faced
many challenges associated with the transition to online courses.
Just one year ago today we were sitting in our lecture halls,
preparing for a stressful week of finals. Now we face the same
situation, sitting at home rather than in our classrooms. Although
this is a stark difference in learning environments, we have learned
to persevere and push forward amidst these difficult times. With
the various challenges of remote learning in mind, one of the most
important things I have learned this semester is to build hope in
our return to normality.
Remote learning, in my experience, has had detrimental effects
on my overall grades, performance, and levels of stress. And it
appears that I am not the only one to experience these negative
effects of COVID-19 on my education. Based on a remote learning
study posted in the Children and Youth Services Review, Professor
Nanigopal Kapasia states, “Although a substantial proportion of
students are using digital platforms for learning, many of them
face huge challenges in online study.”. In accordance with this
statement, the study found that 42% of students had new feelings
of stress, depression, or anxieties associated with their remote
learning (Kapasia). In response to the added stresses of online
learning, I personally have found ways to generate hope for the
future of my education.
One of the ways I have built hope for my education is to work on
skills that have been necessary in my adaptation to online learning.
A skill that comes to mind is my critical thinking ability. According

85
to, “Critical Thinking: An Introduction.”, author Alec Fisher
defines critical thinking as “-thinking about things in a certain way
to arrive at the best possible solution in the circumstances that
the thinker is aware of.”. With the shift in learning environment
from COVID-19, I also faced a shift in my own learning style,
which required me to think critically about how I needed to change
my habits. Although challenging at first, this shift allowed me to
see the various strengths and weaknesses of my learning ability.
For example, in the Honors English Course, I made the realization
that I largely depended on others to help generate ideas for my
essays. Although this was not necessarily a bad thing, I learned
how to be more independent in my writing due to the reduced
contact with my peers and professor. A second way I have been
able to generate hope is through my communication with my
professors and peers. Although our contact was limited, we were
still able to communicate with our professors and peers through
zoom, email, and text. Professors, for the most part, were very
understanding and catered to our needs as students. This, in
my opinion, was crucial in building our hope to get through this
difficult semester.
COVID-19 has placed the majority of us college students in an
awkward position, as none of us have went through a situation
like this before. Many of us have faced challenges in the transition
to remote learning, and we are progressively learning to adapt.
I personally feel like it has provided me with an opportunity to
develop skills necessary to furthering my education. However,
even though the exact time is unknown, I remain hopeful for the
return to normality in our day to day lives.

Works Cited

Fisher, A. (2001). Critical Thinking: An Introduction. Cambridge

University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-40198-3

86
Kapasia, N. (2020). Impact of Lockdown on Learning Status
of Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students During COVID-19
Pandemic, Children and Youth Services Review. https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105194
Goyal, S. (2020).Impact of Coronavirus on Education in India,
https://www.jagranjosh.com/articles/dmrc-result-2020-released-delhime
itm.

87
Communicating in the Time of COVID-19
L. Sinnaeve College of Arts, Sciences and Education

Communicating in the Time of COVID-19

88
 Communication
in the time of
COVID-19

Lauren Sinnaeve
ENGL 250

The Impact of English 250 on my

Communication Skills
noticeable improvement in my critical thinking and communication skills

-critical inquiries/discussion boards: -teacher communication;

-able to get to know the class and
interact with them even while feeling
physically isolated.
-able to make connections, think
about things from multiple different
perspectives, and form own
opinions/answers based on critical
thinking
-no in person classes, have to be
proactive and put in effort to succeed
-miscommunication is likely, must be
intentional and reach out when in
need of clarity
-skills that will be helpful in several
aspects of life, not just a college
english class
The Importance of Critical Thinking during
COVID-19
-Essay #3 focused on the importance of detecting bias and prejudice in news and
media stations

-critical thinking teaches individuals not to blindly accept every argument and “fact”

-critical thinking leads to examining sources, forming a personal, thought out, and
well reasoned opinion/judgement

Outside Examples of Improved Skills during

COVID-19
-During COVID-19, social media can help people stay up to date on orders in place, and
what to expect. This could help people feel more secure and less anxious in times of
uncertainty. People can easily communicate virtually with doctors and healthcare
professionals. Source: Sahni H, Sharma H. (2020, June 29). Role of social media during the COVID-19
pandemic: Beneficial, destructive, or reconstructive? Retrieved December 05, 2020, from https://www.ijam-
web.org/article.asp?issn=2455-5568;year=2020;volume=6;issue=2;spage=70;epage=75;aulast=Sahni

-Children are still able to communicate with friends through virtual play dates on zoom,
facetime, etc. Educational games on tablets or physical board games also help children
improve thinking skills during this time. Source: Segal, C. (2020, June 15). COVID-19: Work on Social
Skills. Retrieved December 05, 2020, from https://www.smartkidswithld.org/getting -help/making-friends/covid-19-
work-on-social-skills/
Wrap-up
➢ English 250 has strengthened my communication skills, both orally
and written, as well as my critical thinking skills
➢ Adequate and intentional communication can help give individuals a
sense of hope during the time of COVID-19
➢ Writing is a valuable skill for all professions and aspects of life, not
solely for writers
➢ Critical thinking can help individuals detect bias and form their own
beliefs in regards to controversial topics
Hope in the Time of COVID-19”
G. King College of Engineering Technology

Hope in the Time of COVID-19- King

92
93
With having to social distance and to wear masks and/or face
shields, communicating with one another looks drastically different
than a couple years ago. Although it is highly recommended for the
public’s health to follow CDC guidelines, there still is a significant
amount of people that aren't following them. Additionally, there
has been much more use of communicating on the phone as well
as through online software like Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Most

94
students in the United States have switched to online learning
which has either been beneficial or harmful to their education.
When it comes to remote learning, students have the ability
to learn wherever it is convenient for them. There are many
videos and articles about online meetings gone wrong. Students
have pulled pranks, said inappropriate words or been disrespectful,
injuries have occured, et cetera. Also, not all students have access
to the internet or great internet to be able to support these online
learning programs.

Works Cited

https://spie.org/news/photonics-focus/sepoct-2020/zoom-gone-wrong_
cautionary-tales--from-the-remote-workplace?SSO=1
https://www.asha.org/public/communicating-effectively-while-wearing-m

95
A New Hope
A. Sidorowicz College of Health Professions

D uring this very unfortunate time of the COVID-19 virus we

all have had to suffer in all different ways. Things we used to
love and take for granted suddenly were all taken away from us.
It has allowed us all to have a completely different outlook on the
way we live and appreciate the smaller things in life. Although
these times have been depressing and repetitive, hope is the one
thing that has allowed me to power through this current lockdown
crisis. Having hope allows anything you believe to be possible
and is extremely important to have especially during times like
these. According to Colin Seale of Forbes, “There is a clear case
for critical thinking now, more than ever before. With the mass
shutdowns across the country and throughout the world, this
is a live example of the type of thinking young people need to
navigate the uncertainties they will undoubtedly face when they
come of age. (Seale, 2020). Critical thinking is something that
is necessary during this pandemic. You cannot allow yourself to
dread over the virus, you must think outside the box and find a
positive outlook on life. Due to all our courses being online we had
to adjust to a completely new way of learning. Changing our way
of learning and made us practice critical thinking without us even
realizing it. Along with this we had to create new ways to study
and communicate with one another. Throughout the course of
this English class, you taught us many ways to practice critical
thinking. Such as the three different essays we had to complete.
Through these essays, I learned how to annotate properly, got
better at summary and analysis, learned about cultural history,
and how to properly write in general. Every essay was a real
challenge for me and tested my critical thinking ability, but after
each essay my score improved every time. I feel that I am now the

96
most confident I have ever been as a writer which is due to the
amount of critical thinking I had to use throughout this course.
Which has given me hope during this pandemic that I could truly
become a great writer and sparked a new passion for me as well.
According to Tricia Jones of Temple News, “The coronavirus
pandemic has changed the way we communicate. Advised to
wear facial coverings and keep our distance from each other,
we have had to find substitutes for the greetings, gestures and
other nonverbal cues we used to take for granted.” (Jones, 2020).
Due to COVID-19 we all have been limited in what ways we can
communicate with one another. I feel face to face communication
is the one thing we all took most for granted and miss greatly.
Texting and messaging my friends on a daily basis have provided
hope for me during these times. Although I cannot see them,
it still allows me to at least have written communicate to some
degree. Xbox has been also been a huge source of hope as well.
I can have oral communication with friends while we play games
together which has been a huge stress relief and has been lots of
fun. Social media as well has been a source of written and oral
communication for everyone, which allows people to still share
ideas and conversations. During your class, the weekly discussions
were a huge source of communication for me. I looked forward
to them because it would always be about a different interesting
topic that everyone could share their unbiased opinions on. When
I shared my anxiety story to the entire class, I was extremely
nervous about what people were going think. Instead, I was
overwhelmed with nothing but support and a lot of my classmates
had very similar anxiety stories that they shared with me as well.
This made me feel not alone and provided me hope that I could
get over this illness. Nobody asked for the COVID-19 virus, but
as of right now it is here to stay. We need hope in times like these
to keep us all going. Xbox, texting my friends, weekly discussions,
and critical thinking through your class essays provided me the

97
hope that I needed.

Works Cited

Jones, T. (2020, September 16). The coronavirus pandemic has

made communication more important than ever. News Temple.
Retrieved from https://news.temple.edu/news/2020-09-16/coronavir
Seale, C. (2020, April 10). The Case For Critical Thinking: The
COVID-19 Pandemic And An Urgent Call To Close The Critical
Thinking Gap In Education. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.
forbes.com/sites/colinseale/2020/04/10/the-case-for-critical-t
?sh=39c9a4927b72.

98
College in COVID Times
S. Bear College of Business

T his school year has been far from a normal year. I myself have
only had one in person class and even then, we only met once a
week. Consequently I, like many others, have dubbed this year as
attending class at Zoom University. It was certainly an experience
I would rather not have to repeat, but the sad reality is this is
most likely the new normal for the foreseeable future; we have to
keep on keeping on and maintain a hope for the future.
It was not all bad, Zoom made working in group projects a breeze
with the breakout option, we could share our screens when needed
to ensure we were quite literally on the same page and being able
to record classes made sure the professor never went too fast to
handwrite your notes (Mueller). While I do wonder what it would
have been like in person, I’m content with where I am at.
As I said before, Zoom was not all bad. In my experience having
Zoom classes made it near impossible to be late, I did npt have to
leave my room and brave Mother Nature, I could attend class in
my pajamas, and many other little things I enjoyed about having
online classes. Zoom classes also made it possible for students like
myself to have more flexibility in our schedules and environments,
save money, and be able to dictate our own learning (Heap).
While my classes may have been online, I did not have to be.
Ferris was one of the few universities that actually permitted
their students to remain on campus, even with online classes. I
really enjoyed this, it got me out of the house and allowed me
to meet new people outside of Zoom. As technology grows, I’m
sure its communication will improve, but to me nothing beats a
face-to-face connection with another person.

99
In terms of communicating, I would say that even with a lack of
real human interaction, my skills have increased. I have heavily
learned how to communicate in a written format throughout
my classes, and some of this has carried over into my verbal
conversation. Zoom has also increased my verbal communication
skills. It was comparable to learning a new social standard, but
without all the pressure. For me talking over Zoom was much
easier than raising my hand in a real class, it felt less judgmental
and I did not feel nearly as nervous as I normally would. This was
both good and bad because I did not make any connections with
people in any of my classes.
You can not have the good without the bad, and while Zoom
University was still better than no university, I would have much
rather preferred having actual classes. It does not feel like I am
currently finishing my first semester of college. Amy Bintliff, a
developmental psychologist and professor in California had noted
that students this year have had lowered motivation, a sense of
alienation, and increased academic stress (Burke). I would have
to concur with this statement, it all feels like a fever dream that
is not really happening.
This year has been crazy from the start. Between the pandemic,
being an election year, and ending high school and starting college
(for me at least) in the midst of all of it, it has been a wild ride.
There is been ups and downs, but how is that different from any
other year, it is just different this time. We just have to push
through it all and we will become better people from it.

Works Cited

Burke, Lilah. "Inside Higher Ed." Long-Term Online Learning in

Pandemic May Impact Students’ Well-Being, Inside Higher Ed, 27
Oct. 2020, http://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/
article/2020/10/27/long-term-online-learning-pandemic-may-imp

100
Heap, Tania. "University of Illinois Illinois Online University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign." 5 Benefits of Studying Online
v s.F ace − to − F aceClassr oom, Illinois Online, 15 June 2017,
https://online.illinois.edu/articles/online-learning/item/
2017/06/05/5-benefits-of-studying-online-(vs.-face-to-face-classroom
Mueller, Elise. "Using Zoom to Teach Online Using Zoom
to Teach Online Duke Learning Innovation. 27 Feb. 2020,
learninginnovation.duke.edu/blog/2020/02/zoom/.

101
How Communication and Critical Thinking
Contribute to Hope in the Time of
COVID-19
J. Hecht College of Arts, Sciences and Education

T hroughout life, no matter what stage, there will be adversity.

Sometimes these challenges are personal, maybe they’re in the
family, or they can be widespread among many people. Today’s
case of adversity is COVID 19. What helps solve these problems?
Generally some form of communication and critical thinking helps
run through solutions. Sometimes, hearing what others have to
say on the topic can also help. Experts have great information
to help because they have studied the topic extensively for years.
Staying positive in COVID times can be linked to different forms
of communication and critical thinking.

In my experience with COVID-19, it has been easy to get down

on the world. Many fun events have been cancelled, kids are
missing out on many things, adults are unemployed, and the list
goes on. Being positive has been much more challenging, yet it
has a tremendous effect on your attitude.

Through English 250, I was able to gain a better understanding

of how to do good research on various topics and analyze it.
Being able to read what others have written and understand it
opens up a whole new world. Each week, as a class, we did
the critical inquiries. As a result, I was able to clearly see how
people had their own opinions. We were able to express ourselves
in a friendly environment, so we could see what each individual
actually thought. Through this process, I was able to talk to
people that I probably normally wouldn’t talk to.

102
Another way my communication skills have improved was through
the reading response assignments, no matter how bored I got
at times. By reading the books, I was able to see what experts
thought could improve upon my writing skills. Being able to
understand that written communication and incorporate some of
the tips to my writing will only benefit me in the future.

English class isn’t the only place my communication improved. At

work, social interaction occurs at a high frequency as we have to
help customers find exactly the tool or product they are looking
for. This has allowed me to get better at understanding different
ways in which people communicate and I have improved upon
picking up social cues.

Reading is another form of communication. Good writing is

key to understanding. Much of what we learn comes not nec-
essarily from authors, but from people who are experts in their
respective fields. During COVID-19, papers written by actual
scientists with unbiased information provide us with information
to stay safe. As a society, we rely on these people for accurate
information in order to make informed decisions. The quote by
Subodh Sharma clearly demonstrates this. He says, “Reading
books somehow or the other adds depth to your knowledge base.
With your increasing knowledge, you become capable of making
better decisions and choices in life.” Reading can be useful for
learning, but it can also be used for entertainment. Fictional
books can pull us from the problems this world has. It can dis-
tract us from reality. This can keep our minds off of COVID-19
and focus them onto other more enjoyable thoughts.

Thinking before doing is a well-known phrase, but how many

people actually act upon it?

103
The answer to that is not a lot. With COVID-19, it has be-
come evident that people need to use their noggins more before
acting. Even if they don’t consider COVID to be a big issue, they
could be more respectful toward others. According to Rayhanul Is-
lam, an Independent Researcher at Educational, Social and Youth
Issues, critical thinking is “the ability to analyze the way you think
and present evidence for your ideas, rather than simply accepting
your personal reasoning as sufficient proof.” Some people could
definitely stand to read that, not just during COVID, but at other
times as well. If all of us work collectively and use our brains, we
could seriously decrease the catastrophic effects of COVID-19.

Works Cited

S. M. Rayhanul IslamFollowIndependent Researcher at Educa-

tional, et al. What Are the Importance and Benefits of "Criti-
cal Thinking Skills"?, www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-importance-
benefits-critical-thinking-skills-islam.

Sharma, Subodh. “17 Reasons Why Reading Is Important For Ev-

eryone.” GladReaders, 27 Aug. 2020, gladreaders.com/importance-
of-reading-books/.

104
Written Communication’s Contribution to
Hope in the Time of COVID-19
E. Ruiter College of Arts, Sciences and Education

C ovid-19 has certainly created worldwide chaos and problems

for almost everyone. From anxiety and depression, to dealing with
the loss of a loved one, the struggles this pandemic has brought
upon us are very real. In order to be hopeful in these hard times,
it’s important to spread as much positivity as possible. An impor-
tant way we can spread hope is through written communication
via social media platforms as well as news outlets.

One very popular form of written communication that is very

familiar to most people is social media. On platforms such as
Twitter, Tik Tok, and Facebook, users can share useful informa-
tion as well as funny memes, adorable animal videos, and other
good news. This is something that can help us see the good in life
during these hard times. A recent study from Harvard states that
“having a strong social network is associated with positive mental
health and well-being” (Breeden, 2020). By sharing positivity,
humor, and other hopeful stories on social media, we can help
ourselves and others have a better outlook on life during these
times of COVID-19.

Besides social media, there are multiple news outlets like Time
Magazine and NBC News that present the public with stories of
positivity and hopefulness as well as resources such as depression
hotlines. Specifically, Time Magazine has a whole section of
its website devoted to listing happy and hopeful stories during
the pandemic. An article by Margaret Atwood, author of The
Handmaid’s Tale, describes how to be involved in the community
as well as ways to support small businesses and organizations who

105
have been greatly affected by the pandemic. She concludes her
article by stating, “It’s the best of times, it’s the worst of times.
How you experience this time will be, in part, up to you” (Atwood,
2020).

Because of written communication in the form of social me-

dia and news outlets portraying positivity and hopefulness, myself
and many others have been impacted in the way that we still
have faith that there is good to come even during bad times.
These helpful stories and posts on social media are very benefi-
cial to everyone’s mental health. Due to this positive, written
communication, we can find hope in the time of COVID-19.

106
before the rain fell.
M. Cardiff College of Arts, Sciences and Education

L et us learn to appreciate there will be times when the trees

will be bare and look forward to the time when we may pick the
fruit. – Anton Chekhov

i wander freely, from grassy knoll to lazy river.

across dark, soft soil to merciless bedrock.

under a tuscan sun 1that smiles sweetly at me,

an endless blue sky where the swallow flies.

i wander curiously, the vast expanse inviting.

the deer graze leisurely, elegant and demure;

mischievous chipmunks hoarding their trove;

fireflies dance with a spark, lighting up the dark.

then one day the sky is shrouded in grey,

a mistress of mourning,

107
a widower of the sun.

teardrops rained down on my oasis,

a stray droplet encasing me in its icy bubble.

this sudden onslaught, this sullen storm:

the deer have been hidden away,

the chipmunks scurried far,

no fireflies to light up the day.

there is no end in sight to this torrential downpour

a darkness weighs so heavily

but enclosed, I wait so patiently

for the day I see my forest friends once more.

Analysis of My Poem:

The repetitious phrase of “i wander in the first two stanzas was

to illustrate how much freedom the speaker has. They roam

108
endlessly in this idyllic spot in nature. This is to mirror how there
were so many possibilities in store for me before the pandemic
struck. Now, with the pandemic it seems like a lot of things are
in limbo and you can't do anything. Similarly, my reference to
the film, Under the Tuscan Sun, was to further highlight how
dreamy the scene is supposed to be for the speaker. And the
main character of the movie, like all of us this year, has her life
turned upside down (not quite the way we are experiencing it
though). The speaker introduces other animals in the area: the
deer, chipmunks, and fireflies. These are a direct nod to my
three best friends who I have had the pleasure of meeting here at
college. However, last semester when the quarantine took effect,
we didn't see each other for months. To be stuck in quarantine,
on my birthday no less, with no friends was very depressing. My
feelings of isolation and loneliness was expressed when the speaker
finds a “stray droplet encasing [them] in an icy bubble (line 13).
The rainstorm is an extended metaphor of the pandemic in this
case. Just like in reality, we don't know how long coronavirus
will stick around but we can only hope for the day a vaccine is
made. Even with all the uncertainty, the speaker finds comfort
in knowing the rain will stop and then they can see its friends. I
specifically chose rain rather than snow, hail, or thunder because
sometimes it has a rainbow afterwards. This year hasn't been the
greatest for a lot of people and I hope that a rainbow is coming
next.

109
Hope in Hard Times
R. Cole College of Engineering Technology

I n times like this when communication online seems to be all we

have, it is vital to our mental wellbeing as well as our ability to
continue life with some semblance of normalcy. Humans need
interaction in order to stay sane and this is no exception. While
the quality of our communication is certainly not up to what it
is when we are face to face, it is still important to keeping us
stable.
One example of this is online classes. Students might suffer or
struggle online, especially if they had trouble in in person classes,
but online classes are better than no classes at all. According to
Susanna Loeb, a professor at Brown University, the online setting
can allow for less of a presence watching over them, as well as
more distractions which can lead to a severe lack of motivation
(Leob). This obviously has repercussions on how well the student
retain the information they learn but they are still learning. It’s
also important for teachers to understand the differences from
class in person to the online format and the struggle that go
hand in hand with this transition. Communication on both ends
is key to making any interaction work and online classes is no
exception.
Communication is not the only thing needed to make life online
run at least semi-smoothly. People also need to think critically
and be able to problem solve quickly if there is an issue with
whatever they are working on or if there is a technical issue.
Critical thinking also makes self-learning easier as it makes the
student more likely to find answers for themselves and remember
them longer. According to Ranee Kaur, critical thinking skills
allow someone to to judge and sort information based off of its

110
importance (Kaur). That is vital to online learning and online
communication because it inspires a more self-reliant attitude.
These skills and more are important to continuing to live in times
like now, where human interaction is primarily online. Communi-
cation and critical thinking are just some of the things that make
the transition easier, but they are some of the most prevalent.
Because interaction online is the most common form of human
interaction right now, it is most people’s light at the end of the
tunnel. It makes things seem less lonely and allows for a sense
of comradery and normalcy that we would not otherwise have.
These skills seem important for schooling, but it’s so much more
than that. Being able to interact online is something that might
be the only thing keeping people together and being able to think
critically and communicate effectively is a large part of that.

Works Cited

Kaur, Ranee. “Why Is Critical Thinking Important? Your Ques-

tions Answered.” Bright Hub Education, 30 Nov. 2010, www.
brighthubeducation.com/teaching-methods-tips/97818-the-importance-of
Loeb, Susanna. “How Effective Is Online Learning? What the Re-
search Does and Doesn’t Tell Us (Opinion).” Education Week, 21
Mar. 2020, www.edweek.org/technology/opinion-how-effective-is-online-
2020/03.

111
We Aren’t As Alone As We Think
C. FoxElster College of Arts, Sciences and Education

We lost a lot of things this year.

We lost the ability to see friends and family at closer than six feet
of distance. We lost our sense of security. We lost our plans and
hopes for the year. We lost our normal forms of communication
and interaction with others. Some people lost their jobs. Lots of
us lost hope. Luna Lovegood5 once said “Things we lose have a
way of coming back to us in the end, if not always in the way we
expect.” We found a new way to talk with people through online
video calls. We found a way to cope with the unexpected. We
found new ways to learn and communicate with each other. We
found that we have a new appreciation for our jobs. We found
the goodwill to thank essential employees for all that they were
doing and all that they were sacrificing so that we could still shop,
eat, and receive medical care.
King T’Challa6 said, “But in times of crisis the wise build bridges,
while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after
one another as if we were one single tribe.” Many of us have built
bridges. We have adjusted to the fact that we must wear a mask,
we have learned how to do classes online, both teachers and
students alike, we have learned how to adapt and look out for one
another. However, there are also some people who have learned
to build barriers. These people refuse to wear a mask, claiming
that it infringes on their human rights, they complain about the
various orders and rules that were put in place to keep them and

5
1Yates, D. (Director). (2007). Harry Potter and the Order of the
Phoenix [Film]. Warner Bros Pictures, Heyday Films
6
Coogler, R. (Director). (2018). Black Panther [Film]. Marvel Studios

112
Drawing by C.FoxElster that represents how we managed
to connect with family and friends through the use of video
calls and the internet.

others safe, they claim that all of this is a hoax. We must look out
for one another during these times because we are all one people,

113
one tribe of humanity. What we do for others is just as important
as what we do for ourselves. We have learned to hope in these
times, despite the appearance that there is none. We hope for a
return to normalcy, we hope that our friends and family remain
safe and healthy. I close with a quote from Rubeus Hagrid7 , “No
good sittin’ worryin’ abou’ it. What’s comin’ will come, an’ we’ll
meet it when it does.” No matter what the future holds we will
face it together, and together we will become stronger.

7
Rowling, J.K. (2000). Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Scholas-
tic.

114
Tell Me Why
L. Fulbright College of Arts, Sciences and Education

Tell me why, why was 2020 so bad?

It’s because we entered a new era, from the age of technology
to the age of masks,
Tell me why, why has America decided that masks are so bad?
It’s because they do not want to be controlled and be turned into
"sheeple,"
Wait, what?
They do not want to be sheeple, but they buckle their seat belts,
they wear their clothes,
They decided to say "my body, my choice" when referring to
masks, (Bianco, M. & Critic, C., 2020)
So, tell my why, why do they try to claim a slogan for bodily
autonomy when they follow all other regulations?
It’s because masks have become such a political piece when they
should only be science,
Tell me why, why is this case when countries have reduced their
cases when listening to science, while America's have continued
to rise? (Baker, M.G. & Anglemyer, A., 2020)
I can not tell you why because I do my part, I wear my mask and
just call it a minor inconvenience,
So, tell me why, why was 2020 so bad?
It’s because our world as we knew, changed and went to shit.

115
Now, I’ll tell you why, why 2020 was not so bad,
It is because 2020 will make us stronger,
We will learn from our mistakes,
We will grow from our hardships,
We will get past this,
Maybe not now,
Maybe not soon but,
We will get past this.

Works Cited

Bianco, M., & Critic, C. (2020, August 3). COVID-19 mask

mandates in Wisconsin and elsewhere spark ’my body, my choice’
hypocrisy. Retrieved December 03, 2020, from https://www.
nbcnews.com/think/opinion/covid-19-mask-mandates-wisconsin-els
Baker, M. G., Wilson, N., & Anglemyer, A. (2020, August 7).
Successful Elimination of COVID-19 Transmission in New Zealand:
NEJM. Retrieved December 3, 2020, from https://www.nejm.
org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2025203

116
Loneliness Amongst The Stars
B. Haan College of Arts, Sciences and Education

You gave me hope, and then you took it away,

That is enough to make anyone dangerous,
God knows what it will do to me,
The 11th Doctor.8
I used to be really good at the “being alone” thing,
It was easy to spend time with my thoughts,
The waves of emotion that moved with the moon in my heart,
Were my best friends when the world was quiet,
And then I found my own solar system,
Where my world revolved around everyday life,
And my new friends became the planets who moved beside me,
I was surrounded by atmospheres like my own,
Planets who had life,
Unlike my vacant ecosystem,
And they were willing to share.
Then, like Pluto,
My solar system was no longer mine,
I was not a planet anymore,

8
Doctor Who

117
An outcast, looking in,
Watching the stars explode,
And the black holes eat up everything I once loved.
Then being alone was not as fun as it had once been,
It was lonely instead,
Wildly different than the simple feeling of being alone.
Sirius Black9 once said,
“The ones that love us
Never really leave us
You can always find them.”
I only hope that my grandfather found my grandmother,
Because when he left,
I never thought I would find him again,
And he should not have to feel the loneliness too.
In the words of my favorite Doctor,10
“My experience is that there is, you know,
Surprisingly, always hope.”
But what is there to hope for?
When loved ones are farther than at arm’s length,
And the quiet loneliness melts into the seams,

9
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
10
Doctor Who

118
Of a war-torn heart?
My world was thrown off kilter,
My planets blown hundreds of thousands of miles away,
By the untouchable force of space,
I was alone and it was not fun anymore.
Slowly,
The loneliness encompassed my moon,
The quiet overthrew my planet,
My very existence was being questioned,
And right before I crumbled,
I felt the pull.
The gravity caused by the atmosphere,
Of my solar system,
Around even in the loneliness,
Functioning and loving,
As they always had.
The sun shown light across our galaxy,
In my own darkness I had forgotten,
The love and life that resided so close to me,
The empty space had felt suffocating,
I was dying in my loneliness,
My brain telling me there was no escape,

119
From the black hole within me.
The Doctor11 once said,
“Love, in all its forms,
Is the most powerful weapon we have.
Because love is a form of hope, and like hope,
Love abides in the face of everything.”
When the loneliness flooded my stars,
I did not believe him,
I really should have.

11
Doctor Who

120
Untitled
D. Patrolia College of Arts, Sciences and Education

C ommunication is one of the most important things that every

person uses in their day today lives. We communicate in so many
different ways, from verbal, to written, to visual, even listening is a
form of communication. During the COVID-19 pandemic, most of
us have had to relearn how to communicate effectively with such
strict measures in place to keep the public safe. For everybody,
this has been a learning experience. Most students have grown
up in the technological world, already knowing a good deal about
it and having dealt with different types of online learning at some
point. As for teachers, for the most part they would say the
opposite and this new way of communication can be difficult to
grow accustomed to. Learning, teaching, and communication
all go hand in hand and with our forms of communication being
drastically changed in such an abrupt manner, we all as a society
have had to learn how to effectively communicate.
“The most obvious changes are that most of us now have less
face-to-face, in-person interaction with others, and when we are
face to face, we are wearing masks,” Tim Levine, Ph.D., chair and
distinguished professor in the College of Arts and Sciences De-
partment of Communication Studies at the University of Alabama
at Birmingham, explains. As of right now, social distancing is the
most practical thing for the public’s safety, but social isolation
is not exactly healthy. Speaking from personal experience, and
others’ I have talked to as well, our mental health feels like it is
deteriorating. For those of us who deal with mental disorders,
not being able to socially interact besides a phone or computer
screen has been a difficult endeavor.Learning also has been quite
difficult as there is not much motivation to learn, online schooling

121
feels optional (even though we definitely know it is not), so it has
been difficult to give ourselves motivation to dig up the passion to
learn that coronavirus has buried six feet (ha-ha) into the ground.
(Taunton)
With that being said, I don’t think this virus was a complete
bad thing for education or communication. Teachers have come
up with lots of interesting and engaging ways to keep students
motivated to learn and students are finding ways to communicate
with their peers in safe ways. Technology is advancing at an even
faster pace than before with the urgency to find safe ways to
communicate. This pandemic has also brought society together
(even with all the political controversy), we are learning that life
is precious and we need to treat each other with consideration
and kindness. We make sure to call our loved ones and always
make time to say, “I love you”. It was a lot easier to take things
for granted before the pandemic.
Technology has now become our biggest form of communication.
I remember my grandparents always complaining about our gen-
eration always being on our phones, they definitely jinxed that
one I think. With all my education being online now, I have
learned a lot about communication. In the past, I thought of
communication as mostly verbal face-to-face.With my main form
of communicating being online now, I have had to greatly improve
my writing skills particularly. It’s difficult to portray emotion
through writing. This specific class has taught me a lot about
emotion through writing and also analyzing other writing to read
their emotions. Writing in the past for me has always mainly been
for a teacher for a grade, now I have to always keep my audience
in mind and this class has been extremely helpful in keeping an
audience in mind, especially since writing is a huge new form of
communication for everybody, since face to face conversation
isn’t ideal right now.

122
I think one of the biggest things to remember during this time
where everything feels difficult or uncomfortable is that although
this new “normal” may seem unappealing, things will not be this
hard forever. Everything is constantly changing and has been
since time started.“Normal” is always changing, even before the
pandemic started. Technology and the internet are sure to stay
important now and over the next few decades while we learn how
to either adapt to this new way of communication or slowly start
to go back to a time when face to face was the main form of
communicating.

Works Cited

Digital, D. (2020, May 21). How technology is changing the world

during COVID-19.Retrieved December 10, 2020, from https://
www.deloittedigital.com/us/en/blog-list/2020/how-technology-is-changi
html
Taunton, Y. (2020, September 8). How has COVID-19 af-
fected the way we communicate?- News. Retrieved Decem-
ber 10, 2020, from https://www.uab.edu/news/research/item/
11542-how-has-covid-19-affected-the-way-we-communicate

123
Hope Presentation
C. Cudney College of Health Professions

W ith the COVID-19 pandemic still a big threat we have had

to find many new ways to learn and interact with other people.
A big thing that has happened and has had a big effect is the
way that students such as myself have been learning. With face
to face classes not a safe and well thought out option remote
learning has been the best thing that we can do. In this situation
communications between students and professors, and even inter-
actions between other students has changed dramatically. With
all of these changes though, we have seen that people can come
together and do great things and are able to communicate just
as well even though they may not be face to face. With online
discussions and zoom meetings becoming a normal thing, they
have become excellent tools to use during this pandemic. Using
these new methods for communication have allowed us to still
communicate orally and we are still able to think critically of any
of the issues we have. Raps.org talks about the importance of
knowing your audience and the contents of your writing. These
are two big things that I have learned how to do much more
effectively in this class.
A big way that we have been able to still think they way we did
before is because zoom allows us to still talk as if we are face to
face, which helps bring in the emotional aspect in speaking, which
I think is vital to critically thinking, because it allows us to really
see and feel how the speaker is thinking. Verywellmind.com talks
about face to face communications and the important aspects
of it. Without that face to face interaction we lose many facial
cues that we rely on in non-verbal communication. In this class
specifically with the online discussion boards that we have had

124
have taught me how to put more emotion into my writing, because
I know that I do not have the option to say what I am writing.
With all of these new ways to talk and communicate we are able
to help each other out, while still being safe during this pandemic,
and we are able to have “hope in a time of COVID-19”. Another
thing that has improved due to this class is my writing. I feel
that I can find things to write about more easily when I am given
the opportunity to write freely about something that I want to,
or something that I have a passion about.
Outside of class I have gotten used to not being able to interact
with friends and family so I have found ways to still interact with
them as if we were still face to face. With all of the tools that I
have found out how to use in this class it has helped me when
talking to friends and family over text or phone call, or even when
over a Facetime call.

Works Cited

Whittlesey A A. “Communication During a Pandemic.” Regulatory

Focus. April 2020. Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society.
Sara Lindberg, M.Ed COVID-19 Is Changing the Way we Commu-
nicate https://www.verywellmind.com/communication-adaptation-in-the-ti
T1\textquoterights How August 06, 2020

125
Challenges of Online Learning
M. Firestone College of Business

A ccording to educationdata.org, “41% of college students indi-

cate their opinion of their current school has worsened after the
COVID-19 outbreak” by June of 2020. In addition to this, “26%
indicate their institution’s communication with them about the
pandemic has been fair to poor” and “67% feel their opinion of
their current institution has worsened due to the level of commu-
nication about the pandemic” (Bustamante). Due to COVID-19,
the majority of students have switched to online learning. Because
of this change, communication between professors, students, and
the institution has become increasingly more difficult. As of June
2020, 63% of college students indicate the online instruction re-
ceived is worse, compared to in-person instruction (Bustamante).
Due to poor communication because of online learning, students
fear how their quality of education due to COVID-19 will appear
to prospective employers. It is important to note that “low-income
households may have lower levels of internet and computer profi-
ciency,” thus, online classes may cause a sense of stress or lack
of hope for success (Mcelrath). Ultimately, online learning forced
by COVID-19 has caused confusion and dismay among students
due to poor communication.
Below I have attached a series of memes that are good examples
of how online classes affect students and the quality of their
learning. Personally, virtual teaching and communication makes
it challenging for me to pay attention.

Works Cited

Bustamante, J. (2020, November 14). Distance Learning Statis-

tics [2020]: Online Education Trends. Retrieved December 09,

126
2020, from https://educationdata.org/online-education-statistics
MCELRATH, K. (2020, August 26). Schooling During the
COVID-19 Pandemic. Retrieved December 09, 2020, from
https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2020/08/schooling-during-
the-covid-19-pandemic.html

127
128
129
 B

130
131
Hope in the time of COVID-19
H. Klimek College of Health Professions

Hope in the time of COVID-19

132
Hope in the Time of Covid-19

The impact of critical thinking and communication.

By: Hailey Klimek

Communication During Covid-19

Due to preventative measures, such as business/school closures and social distancing, communication
looks a little different in the age of 2020:

● In-person communication is avoided

The importance of safety encourages the use of:

● Oral communication (virtual)

● Written communication
Formal Oral Communication - News Media
News programs use oral communication to provide a sense of hope by:

● Keeping viewers updated on latest vaccine developments.

● Sharing and highlighting personal stories of kindness.

● Equipping viewers with financial, emotional, and physical help resources.

Examples - CNN
Covid-19 Vaccine Updates:

https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/16/health/vaccines-coronavirus-covid-19-questions-answered-
wellness/index.html

Uplifting Personal Stories:

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/03/opinions/kindness-increase-covid-19-pandemic-friar-bissett-
germanotta/index.html

Help Resources:

https://www.cnn.com/videos/health/2020/03/25/mental-health-during-coronvirus-cnn-lon-orig.cnn
Informal Oral Communication - Technology
Technology uses oral communication to provide a sense of hope by:

● Phone calls - combat isolation and loss of human contact

AND

● Voice messages - allow people to check in with others and enable connection

Formal Written Communication - Articles

Written articles use written communication to provide a sense of hope by:

● Allowing access to information for: education, entertainment, safety, ect.

Examples:

- Article on Photosynthesis: https://www.livescience.com/51720-photosynthesis.html

- Article on Baking: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/26/magazine/baking-is-all-in-the-
hands.html
- Article about Social Distancing: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-
getting-sick/social-distancing.html
 Informal Written Communication - Social Networks
Social networks use written communication to provide a sense of hope by:

● Allowing for direct messages to be sent

AND

● Encouraging written expression of thoughts or feelings in posts

Critical Thinking - What is it?

Critical Thinking:

According to The Foundation for Critical Thinking, critical thinking is...

“The mode of thinking — about any subject, content, or problem — in which the thinker improves
the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully analyzing, assessing, and reconstructing it. Critical
thinking is self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking” (Covid-19
and Critical Thinking).

-
How Can Critical Thinking Bring Hope During
Covid-19?
● Critical thinking enables one to evaluate different perspectives on the Covid-19 pandemic

AND

● Critical thinking allows for one to see what is happening due to the outbreak (relationships with
other countries, economic impact, ect.)

ULTIMATELY

● Improved ability to understand others and increase knowledge can create a more hopeful outlook
on the times of Covid-19

Communication Skills That Have Improved in

ENG-250
1. My ability to express research findings through professional written communication has improved
drastically due to evidence- based writing practice.

1. My ability to communicate cooperatively with other students through virtual open discussion has
improved through weekly inquiry questions. This improvement will be extremely beneficial in the
future especially in Covid-19 circumstances.
 Works Cited
Covid-19 and Critical Thinking. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2020, from
https://www.cabrini.edu/blog/2019-20-posts/covid-19-and-critical-thinking

Friar, O., & Germanotta, C. (2020, April 03). Covid-19 is challenging the world to be kinder. Retrieved
December 10, 2020, from https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/03/opinions/kindness-increase-covid-19-
pandemic-friar-bissett-germanotta/index.html

Greenspan, D. (2017, April 26). Baking Is All in the Hands. Retrieved December 10, 2020, from
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/26/magazine/baking-is-all-in-the-hands.html

Hunt, K. (2020, November 17). Coronavirus vaccines: Your questions answered. Retrieved December 10,
2020, from https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/16/health/vaccines-coronavirus-covid-19-questions-answered-
wellness/index.html

How to take care of your mental health during a pandemic - CNN Video. (2020, March 25). Retrieved December
10, 2020, from https://www.cnn.com/videos/health/2020/03/25/mental-health-during-coronvirus-cnn-
lon-orig.cnn

Social Distancing. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-

ncov/prevent-getting-sick/social-distancing.html

Vidyasagar, A. (2018, October 15). What Is Photosynthesis? Retrieved December 10, 2020, from
https://www.livescience.com/51720-photosynthesis.html
Honors General Education

Honors Black Literature

The representation of black women in

modern media: How they are still viewed as
flawed
B. Martinez-Maldonado College of Health Professions

M odern media holds more power than people think. It has the
ability to influence a large public and make them either uplift
or even look down on a specific group. This is exactly what is
happening to black women in todays world. Black women have
always been a target of judgment, harassment, and ridicule. You
would think that in the 21st century, black women would at least
be seen as equal to other women, yet somehow, they still fall
short from the “ideal” standard of what a woman should act and
be like. It seems that no matter what they do, they can never be
fully free to live and express themselves as they please without
having men view them as easy and have other women hate them.
When looking at this issue from a far, modern media seems to
be the main culprit as the one to blame for black women being
treated so differently than others. This is all mainly due to the
fact that media has the power to influence the way that the public
views black women, which is flawed.

Harriet Jacobs once said, “No matter whether she be as black as

ebony, or as fair as her mistress there is no law to protect the
slave girl from insult, from violence, or even death” (Gates et al
Ch. 5). Even though in todays world, black women do not receive

139
the same exact fate as slaves like Harriet once did, they still seem
to be faced with constant insults, harassment, and judgment by
the world around them. Most of this judgment mainly comes
from stereotypes that media still seems to uphold even after the
end of slavery. However, when taking a deeper look at media,
it seems that most of its stereotypes come from an awful era:
the Jim Crow Era. In actuality, people would rather talk about
slavery than Jim crow because of the fact that it brings up the
question of “what about today?” (Pilgrim p 13). With that being
said, if a closer look is taken at a few movies made in today’s
day and age, we can see modern versions of the various offensive
caricatures that were famous within Jim Crow Era.

One of these movies is actually pretty well-known and named

Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family. When watching this
movie with absolutely no knowledge about Jim Crow, it can seem
like your average comedic movie with a broken family finding
its way back together with the help of their tough, elderly aunt.
However, when watching this movie through the lens of Jim Crow,
this movie takes a complete turn. First off, Madea, the main
protagonist, is actually a very modern version of a “sassy mammy”.
The reason behind this is because, sassy mammies actually broke
the racial norm of an original mammy because they were allowed
to be sassy with white people as a way to not only triumph over
slavery times, but also as a way to demonstrate their equalness to
white people. So, when we compare Mabel Simmons, Madea, to
a sassy mammy, they hold almost the exact same characteristics.
They both rule their homes with an iron fist, they both give sass
to anyone that confronts them regardless of age or race, and they
are both aggressive as well as stubborn.

However, this statement could be overturned by stating that

Madea simply will not take crap from anyone and she is showing

140
how she will not be made to feel little because she is a black
woman. Which is correct, but what is not correct is the need
to make Madea so aggressive and loud, which fall within the
stereotype of a black woman: loud, ghetto, and stubborn. Madea
is not the only character that represents a modern version of a
Jim Crow caricature. The movie Girls Trip, directed by Malcolm
D. Lee, has both the stereotypical version of a black women and
a “normal representation” of a black woman. What I mean by
this is that Tiffany Haddishs’ character, Dina, plays the role of
a Jezebel, which are still portrayed in today’s modern media in
famous movies, porno, and even music videos (Pilgrim p 113).
Meanwhile her friend Ryan Pierce, played by Regina Hall, plays
the role of a successful and happily married businesswomen who
has everything going for her. A Jezebel is actually a stereotype
that was used during slavery as a way to rationalize the sexual
abuse of black women (Pilgrim p 107). Even though the exact
name Jezebel is not used, Harriet Jacobs makes a statement
within her book, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, that concurs
with the use of the name Jezebel. Harriet Jacobs states “The
white woman gets admiration for beauty, but the black slave
girl gets only degradation.” (Gates et al Ch. 5). Even though
Jezebels were considered beautiful, they were considered it for all
of the wrong reasons. They were looked down upon and branded
seductresses, promiscuous, and even predatory. This further sup-
ports the idea that even to this day, modern media is influencing
the public to view black women just as they where viewed during
slavery and Jim Crow Era.

In addition to movies, there are numerous of artists who are

black women that are constantly ridiculed and labeled as ratchet
and unintelligent rather than unique, outspoken, or talented. A
few of these artists include Megan the Stallion, Cardi B, and City
Girls. All of these women have mixed reviews. On one side you

141
get the fans the love and support them for not conforming to
the mold of what society may think is “acceptable”. But then,
you get the ones that do not like them due to the fact that their
lyrics are so vulgar, or because the way that they dress is too
trashy and revealing. However, this all goes back to the media’s
portrayal of black women. Jezebels were viewed as seductive,
alluring, and tempting, while on the other hand, white women
where viewed as role models, self-respected, as well as having
sexual purity (Pilgrim p 104). This brings me to think that the
public has been trained to automatically view black women in
this negative spotlight, whereas white women always seem to be
praised.

Nonetheless, white women are still criticized, think about Mi-

ley Cyrus when she came out with her music video for “We Can’t
Stop”, however, they are never criticized as long, or as harshly
as black female artists have for the content that they release as
well as their sense of style. Lets first take a look at Megan Thee
Stallion’s song “Don’t Stop”. I would describe it as a sex-positive
hip-hop song that uses a mix of arrogant and rhythmic bars as a
way to brag about her lavish lifestyles and unapologetic attitude.
This song is very much embraced by the 839,000 individuals who
have liked it on Youtube for its open representation of sex and
lust. However, there are individuals who bash Megan for ever
producing such a song. Some say that she is negatively influ-
encing girls to become more open and comfortable with talking
about their sexuality. Which, I honestly do not see the problem in
that. Why is it so wrong for a woman to express herself sexually
when she is doing it as her own choice? Why should Megan
be looked down upon when she raps about sex, but yet male
rapper and artists are all praised for using the same lyrics as she
does, if not more. Why is it that black female artists are the
first to be judged and criticized for expressing their sexuality, but

142
when men and other non-black female artists do it, its acceptable?

The same goes for Cardi B’s song “WAP”, where she features
Megan, and City Girls’ “Act Up”. Both artists express themselves
openly and unapologetically. Cardi B’s song takes the same sex-
positive energy as Megan Thee Stallion’s “Don’t Stop”. This is
represented in her use of blatantly sexual lyrics and her use of
other independent female artist within her music video. In slight
contrast, City Girls’ “Act Up” uses a more “hood independent
women” type of approach to make her point across. Which is
seen in her use of luxury bags and card in her music videos as
well as in her use of the lyrics “Big Birkin bag, hold five, six
figures”, where she expresses her immense riches. Even though
these women are essentially expressing the same content as many
artists would, they still face more critiques and judgment than the
men do. This sort of reminds me when Harriet Jacobs began to
have small feelings for Mr. Sawyer, and she chose to sleep with
him in order to gain her freedom. The reason for this is because
of the fact that Harriet Jacobs chose to do so willingly, just as all
of these female artists choose to express themselves in their own
way rather than having to “submit to forced violation” as Harriet
Jacobs once feared (Gates et al Ch. 7). These artists are not
allowing themselves to be shamed by everyone, but rather they
write all of these lyrics as a way to take back their own rights to
their own body and sexuality, which was taken from them and
exploited during both slavery and Jim Crow. Not only that, but
they are doing so in an unapologetic and proud way, almost as a
way of saying “you took this from me, not I’m taking it back and
expressing it however I want”.

In the end, black women are still facing the same stereotypes as
they did back in slavery and in the Jim Crow Era. No matter what
black women do, or where they are, there always seems to be a

143
portrayal of black women as either a Jezebel or a mammy within
big movies. Not only that, but they cannot even create music
that they want because of the fact that the public will judge them
and label them horrible things, in comparison to white women
who are praised while the black women is deemed flawed.

Work Cited

s Cardi B - WAP Feat. Megan Thee Stallion [Official Music

Video]. YouTube, YouTube, 6 Aug. 2020, www.youtube.com/
watch?v=hsm4poTWjMs.
City Girls - Act Up. YouTube, YouTube, 30 May 2019, www.
youtube.com/watch?v=F_VsAvS1kuo. Gates, Henry Louis., and
Nellie Y. McKay. The Norton Anthology of African American
Literature . W.W. Norton & Co., 1996.
Girls Trip. Directed by Malcolm D. Lee, Performances by Regina
Hall, Queen Latifah, Tiffany Haddish, and Jada Pinkett Smith,
Will Packer Productions Perfect World Pictures, 2017
Megan Thee Stallion - Don’t Stop (Feat. Young Thug) [Official
Video]. YouTube, YouTube, 1 Oct. 2020, http://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=6iuwBio5EUA.
Pilgrim, Gates Jr. "Understanding Jim Crow: Using Racist
Memorabilia to Teach Tolerance and Promote Social Justice."
Understanding Jim Crow, PM Press, 2015.
Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family. Directed by Tyler Perry,
Performances by Tyler Perry, Cassi Davis, Palmer Williams Jr.,
Chandra Currelley-Young, Tyler Perry Studios, 2011

144
The Representation of Black Women in
Literature
M. Kidder College of Arts, Sciences and Education

B lack women have historically been looked down upon for cen-
turies, though the only difference between them and any other
woman or man comes down to the amount of melanin in their
skin. Black women in particular have been more objectified and
have had even less power than black men in decades past. How
does this make those women feel? They certainly are aware of
the discrimination thrown at them every day for a feature of
themselves they cannot change. Works of literature, including
narratives, poems, and short stories have been produced over the
years by black women where they detail the encounters they face,
or the encounters their ancestors have faced in slavery and the
Jim Crow era alike. Their work can be classified as shocking,
harsh, inappropriate, and raunchy, yet they are simply recounting
parts of their history in a literary way. Labeling their creative work
in negative ways adds to the stigma and further helps promote
prejudice and discrimination. The representation of black women
in literature is sub-par, yet strong voices are speaking up and
sharing their truth in originative ways.

Sojouner Truth, one of the most powerful advocates for hu-

man rights in the nineteenth century, gave a speech at the 1851
Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio, famously known as
“Ain’t a Woman?” where she detailed how equal she sees herself
compared to men (Ain’t I a Woman?). Truth started her speech
strong, eloquently explaining how capable she is and how she
should not be seen as lesser due to being a woman. “I have
as much muscle as any man, and can do as much work as any
man. I have plowed and reaped and husked and chopped and

145
mowed, and can any man do more than that? I have heard much
about the sexes being equal. I can carry as much as any man,
bear the lash as well, and can eat as much too, if I can get it,
and ain’t I a woman? I am as strong as any man that is now”
(Ain’t I a Woman?). Truth took a strong and opinionated stance
on equality, which was uncommon for the nineteenth century,
demonstrating her progressive mindset for that time period. The
physical labor she has exerted in her past is identical to what
her male counterparts did, not leaving room for much, if any,
argument regarding a difference in capabilities between the sexes.
Later in her speech, Truth drew many analogies to help get her
point across to the crowd before her, including: “as for intellect,
all I can say is, if a woman have a pint, and a man has a quart,
why can’t she have her little pint full? You need not be afraid to
give us our rights for fear we will take too much, for we can’t
take more than our pint’ll hold” (Ain’t I a Woman?). Here, Truth
acknowledges that men have more than women in terms of the
woman’s pint and the man’s quart, but further asked why women
cannot have their pint be full when it is noticeably less than the
man’s? This was her tactful push for her audience to understand
that women should be given all rights that could fill up their pint,
slyly referring to intellect, as there truly is no difference between
a man and a woman’s capabilities.

Zara Neale Hurston, alive a bit after Sojourner Truth, had slightly
different experiences regarding racism, discrimination, slavery,
and prejudice. Growing up in Eatonville, Zora Neale Hurston
was sheltered from the experiences of exclusion and contempt
that shaped the lives of many African Americans” (How It Feels
to Be Colored Me, by Zora Neale Hurston). Hurston could not
relate to the seriousness of racism that other black individuals felt
during this same time period, and as a result, did not have that
same raw, blatant emotion in her writing that others did. Her

146
peers felt like she “minimized the seriousness of racism,” which
led to her books falling out of print by the middle of the twentieth
century (How It Feels to Be Colored Me, by Zora Neale Hurston).
Hurston took it upon herself to become college educated, and
after doing so, felt that she almost had to get into character to
collect “African-American folklore” for her literary pieces (How It
Feels to Be Colored Me, by Zora Neale Hurston). Taking what
she learned in the South and using the information for her own
fiction likely led other African-American writers to feel that she
did not grasp racism or discrimination in its entirety because she
did not endure what so many other black individuals did during
this time. It was no fault of her own, as she was still a black
woman writer and is now acknowledged as “a very important
writer in African-American literary history” (How It Feels to Be
Colored Me, by Zora Neale Hurston).

Audre Lorde, a black writer from the early twentieth century,

wrote a narrative detailing specific events from her childhood.
Unlike Truth and Hurston, Lorde’s personal recounts involve in-
teractions with her mother more so than discrimination or racism,
which are featured in the other works. She is known, even to-
day, for her brilliant verbal artistry and passionate activism, and
“Audre Lorde dedicated both her life and her creative talent to con-
fronting and addressing injustices of racism, sexism, classism, and
homophobia” (“Audre Lorde”). She was given the name “Audrey”
at birth, but explained, “I did not like the tail of the Y hanging
down below the line in Audrey, and would always forget to put it
on, which used to disturb my mother greatly” (Lorde). She was
determined to create her own identity, even at an extremely young
age, and this presages the themes and motifs in her later works
of poetry and nonfiction: the struggle for individual identity and
self-expression in a society that considers any variation outside of
the cultural norm to be disturbing and dangerous.

147
Margaret Walker, born in the early twentieth century in Birm-
ingham, Alabama, grew up with a father that had an undying
love for literature, one that he gladly passed down to his brilliant
daughter; her mother, a musician, shared ragtime and poetry with
Walker, which helped expose her young mind to excellent forms
of literature (“Margaret Walker”). She was college educated, like
Zora Neale Hurston, which helped her further develop her poetry-
writing skills and repertoire. Her poem, “For My People,” is fresh,
acknowledging copious amounts of individuals, including some
personal experience sprinkled in. Walker recognizes a new group
of people in each stanza of her poem, from “people everywhere
singing their slave songs” in stanza 1 to “for my people walking
blindly spreading joy” in stanza 7 (Walker). She let her readers
know they were heard. She begins her tenth and final stanza
with the words, “Let a new earth rise. Let another world be born”
(Walker). She wrote eloquently, providing ample feelings of new
beginnings, new hope, healing, and strength in her final stanza.
“The power of resilience presented in the poem is a hope Walker
holds out not only to black people, but to all people” (“Margaret
Walker”). This poem is softer than others written in the same
time period, reflecting a tenderness found in all people, black and
white individuals alike.

Lucille Clifton was another poet that was alive from the mid
twentieth to early twenty first centuries. Her poems “Malcom,”
“Homage to my Hips,” and “Won’t You Celebrate with Me” are
all short, only one stanza in each, yet the meaning within them
is powerful. As with most poetry, the meaning, or intent, is not
obvious, as there is room for reader interpretation. In “Malcom,”
it can be inferred that there was a silent war occurring, which
explains why she wrote, “black women shaved their heads” in line
3, as the women did so in order to blend in and be less noticeable

148
(Clifton). This alludes to the heartbreaking reality that so many
black women endure, as it is a commonality to “dull themselves”
to escape vulgar comments or crude treatment. “Homage to my
Hips” references slavery and captivity in lines 8-10 where Clifton
wrote, “these hips have never been enslaved / they go where they
want to go / they do what they want to do.” She references the
freedom she and her hips were able to enjoy, freedom that not
every black woman got to experience in their lifetime. “Won’t
You Celebrate with Me” is slightly ambiguous, open to multiple
interpretations. Again, it can be referred that Clifton is referring
to slavery that millions upon millions of black men and women
faced for decades. In line 2 of this poem, Clifton wrote, “I had
no model.” She had no reference to fall back on when deciding
how to live her life; her ancestors likely fell victim to harsh slavery,
and she herself grew up in the prime of the Jim Crow era. As the
decades passed and every new day became closer to the twenty
first century, Clifton likely realized that the freedom she and
so many other black individuals longed for was becoming more
realistic and obtainable. Line 6 states, “I made it up” (Clifton).
Because she essentially built her life from the bottom up with
no frame of reference, her title of this poem comes in, as she
wanted people to celebrate the glorious freedom she was starting
to feel as a black woman.

Sojourner Truth, Zora Neale Hurston, Audre Lorde, Margaret

Walker, and Lucille Clifton are just the beginning of black female
authors that wrote about their experiences living in the nineteenth
and twentieth centuries. The perseverance they had to find within
themselves was likely an astronomical amount, as backlash on
minority women of color has always been a commonality. Each
of these five women provide different perspectives of what their
lives were like and what they faced being some of the first black
women to produce literature in this capacity. None of their work

149
is even remotely similar, meaning while some might have a com-
monality of slavery or experiencing freedom, it is presented in
original ways.

Works Cited

Ain’t I A Woman?, http://www.sojournertruth.com/p/aint-i-woman.

html.
Audre Lorde.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, http://
www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/audre-lorde.
Clifton, Lucille. file:///C:/Users/Owner/Downloads/Three%
20poems%20by%20Lucille%20Clifton%20(1).pdf.
How It Feels to Be Colored Me, by Zora Neale Hurston. http://
www.casa-arts.org/cms/lib/PA01925203/Centricity/Domain/
50/Hurston%20How%20it%20Feels%20to%20Be%20Colored%20Me.pdf.
Lorde, Audre. Zami: A New Spelling of My Name. file:///C:
/Users/Owner/Downloads/Audre%20Lorde_excerpt%20from%20Zami.
pdf.
Margaret Walker.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, http:
//www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/margaret-walker.
Walker, Margaret. “For My People.” This Is My Century: New and
Collected Poems, 1989, file:///C:/Users/Owner/Downloads/
For%20My%20People%20by%20Margaret%20Walker%20(1).pdf.

150
Power and Identity in African American
Culture
N. Neuenfeldt College of Arts, Sciences and Education

T he idea of power and identity has always been a powerful theme

in African American culture. This concept is seen throughout
time within films, music, arts, etc. Many of these works are
influenced by oppressive societies and racial issues. Because of
this, many authors and film makers use their voices to express
the struggles of being black and the need for social justice.
One famous poet who used his voice to portray the hardships of
being black is Langston Hughes. His works such as “Let America
Be America Again” and “Harlem” depicts the hardships of being
black and systemic racism in America.
In Langston Hughes’ “Let American Be America Again”, he de-
scribes his perspective on the American dream and how it does
not pertain to the black man. The beginning of the poem illus-
trates the narrator yearning for America to be what it once was
with its “pioneer on the plain” and how it was “that great strong
land of love” (Hughes, lines 3-7). From stanzas one through six,
every other one is a comment about how the American dream is
a false image since “There’s never been equality for me” (Hughes,
line 15). The poem continues with two questions that ask “who
are you that mumbles in the dark” and “who are you that draws
your veil across the stars” (Hughes, lines 16-17). The word dark
represents the skin color of the narrator. While the white people
experience freedom and the American dream, the blacks must
hold their tongue and continue their state of oppression. Hughes
answers the questions stating that minorities and poor people are
only in a “dog eat dog” world where only the white man prospers,
while everyone else becomes weaker regardless of the hard work

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and ambition (Hughes, line 23). These three stanzas constantly
list who is stuck in an oppressive state to convey how big of a
group it truly is. In addition, the speaker uses anaphora by having
many lines begin with “I am” or “Of” to emphasize the positive im-
pact that they have brought to the country (Hughes, lines 18-36).
While acknowledging the dreamers who came to America for a
better life, they are the ones who never experienced freedom, but
only the gruesome work of creating it. Hughes uses harsh imagery
of slave labor such as “sweat and blood” and “whose hand at the
foundry” to put the audience into perspective of how much work
the dreamers put into building America (Hughes, lines 66-67).
The speaker then cries out in retaliation that “We must take our
land again” meaning that the ones who are suffering must rise up
and give justice for those who are being discriminated (Hughes,
line 72).
Similar to “Let America be America Again”, “Harlem” addresses
the American dream and how it is limited for African Americans.
The poem beings by asking “What happens to a dream deferred?”
(Hughes, line 1). This question is very open and it makes it a
powerful one. It being its own stanza and the first stanza creates
a sense of silence to make the reader think as he/she reads the
poem. In addition, the idea of a dream deferred is a representation
of how minorities were discriminated for a long time until they
fought for their freedom. Using the word “deferred” captures
the essence of their dream being postponed. The speaker then
provides imagery to describe a postponed dream. It could “dry
up”, “stink like rotten meat”, or even explode (Hughes, lines 2-6).
These images have a slight dark tone to express how long the
dreams of African Americans have been postponed or discarded.
In addition, Hughes uses the images of decay to express the pain of
discrimination and the lack of social justice. Also, the descriptions
given are tangible, which may hint at physical abuse.

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One film seen to express the issue of race inequality is 13th by Ava
DuVernay. The title of the movie plays off of the 13th amendment
and discusses the ineffectiveness of it through a summary of social
injustice within the past 150 years through interviews, footage of
real events, and popular hip-hop songs.
In 13th, DuVernay uses interview with many scholars, civil rights
activists, and politicians to discuss topics such as mass incarcera-
tion and the Jim Crow era. An example is Van Jones, the founder
of #cut50 and The Dream Corps. He discusses multiple topics
including Bill Clinton’s policies that harmed minorities such as
the 1994 Federal Crime Bill that only resulted in the expansion
of the prison system and put more people of color in jail (13TH
43:15-45:10). Others include the Jim Crow era and the govern-
ment’s persecution of many inspirational figures like Dr. King
(13TH 9:55-10:40). The interviews were used to portray the lack
of power that the black community had along with how they were
degraded to criminals and forced into a second-class status.
Another way DuVernay grabs the audience is by transitioning
each topic with songs by black artists with animated lyrics to
highlight certain phrases. The transitions serve to reinforce the
theme of the black community being oppressed and dehumanized.
At the same time, the animated lyrics exemplifies the emotion
within the song and grabs the audience’s attention. One of
the songs called “Reagan” by Killer Mike is used to move the
documentary from the era of Nixon’s “law and order” period to
Reagan’s “war on drugs” which discussed how communities of
color were heavily targeted and how the incarceration numbers
rose (13TH 18:54-19:15). Lyrics from the song include “...the
end of the Reagan era...They declared the war on drugs, like a
war on terror, but what it really did was let the police terrorize
whoever, but mostly Black boys...and lay us on our belly while
they fingers on they triggers.” This example asserts the theme of

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the horrible treatment of black people along with police brutality.
In addition, it sets up the next topic and gives a hint of what it
will discuss.
An additional method DuVernay employs in 13th is the incorpora-
tion of footage related to the topics discussed. The clips typically
consist of African Americans being abused to support the film’s
argument of black suffering and hardships. In the beginning of
the documentary, there is a montage of black people from all
ages being mistreated during the civil war era. It includes images
of protesters, students, and individuals of color being brutally
attacked (13TH 1:49-6:26). This beginning is very emotional
and connects the audience to the issue racism in America. Clips
such as this help portray how abused the black community has
been and why being a person of color is harder than it may seem
from someone who is not in their shoes.
Another film that discusses the topic of racial inequality is Thur-
good Marshall: Crusading Civil Rights Activist. A&E Television
Networks released this 20th century documentary to show Thur-
good Marshall’s struggles as a black man and his success in
fighting for equality.
One of the topics discussed in the documentary is his journey to
becoming a renowned lawyer. Through his application process
for law schools, he had to anticipate racial prejudices from univer-
sity committees (Thurgood 8:46-10:00). Even though Marshall
was well-qualified, his identity as a black man hindered him from
admissions due to the social portrayal of African Americans. Be-
cause of this, his options were very limited, but he continued to
pursue his dream and was admitted to Howard University Law
School. This obstacle that he overcame haunted him and greatly
influenced his career path towards solving racial injustices. Having
such complications result in his career switch demonstrates how
significant African Americans were impeded during this era.

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During Marshall’s time after law school, he became known as one
of the country’s top lawyers. Throughout his time of practice,
he was involved in 32 supreme court cases and won 29 of them
(Thurgood 14:00-29:32). The cases consisted of him defending
against criminal charges and to represent plaintiffs of minorities
in social injustice. Even though a black man, Thurgood Marshall
broke the social barrier of what someone would expect out of
his career. He was always seen as a last resort as an attorney
because of his dark skin color. Like the people he represented, he
understood how society undermined the colored community, but
he also had knowledge of the law. His passion for social justice
drove him to fight for the underrepresented community of color
with the ever-present threat of violence from the opposition.
As Thurgood Marshall continued being a crusader for civil rights,
he was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Cir-
cuit (Thurgood 30:13-30:30). Marshall’s 30 years in the Supreme
Court greatly impacted social change and helped progress the
end goal of racial equality. His work included him writing over
150 decisions to support policies such as immigrant rights, lim-
iting government intrusion in cases involving search and seizure,
and Jim Crow laws (Thurgood 35:00-44:34). Marshall’s positive
political impact not only benefited minorities, but it helped re-
shape what it meant to be a person of color in the United States.
Through his works, he shows that a person of color does not
pertain to society’s racial biases. He helped open up society to a
perspective of equality among everyone regardless of race.
African American culture has influenced many works of art rang-
ing from films to literature. Because of this, these forms of
expression have impactful themes related to their life experiences
of oppression and racism. With the ability to communicate in
a multitude of ways, the African American community has and
continues to vocalize the issues of racism and to promote social

155
changes.

Works Cited

Hughes, Langston. “Harlem” Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfound

Hughes, Langston. “Let America Be America Again” Poetry Foun-
dation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/147907/let-
america-be-america-again.
“Thurgood Marshall: Crusading Civil Rights Activist | Full Doc-
umentary | Biography.” YouTube, Biography, 30 Aug. 2020,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFsRVZpfjqI.
“13TH | FULL FEATURE | Netflix.” YouTube, Directed by Ava Du-
Vernay, Netflix, 17 Apr. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=krfcq5pF8u8.

156
Black Excellence
D. Walker College of Health Professions

T he black experience varies for the individual, but the focus

seems more fixated on tragedy and sadness. Shifting the focus to
black excellence is more progressive. Since success is forged from
immense hardship, it is more meaningful when Black Americans
hold influential positions like the ‘first black president’ or the ‘first
black vice president.’ At this point in time, recontextualizing black
excellence from how past events shaped people to now growing
beyond that must be the new focus. Without doubt, authentic
retellings of human history must embrace tragedy along with the
triumphs, but dwelling on hardships stagnates progress to reform
a society that yearns for discussing black success. For this reason,
black Americans must not limit themselves to mere victims of
the social system.

1.Natural Hair and Womanhood

The niche of afro-textured hair care resonates with black women

globally. White cultural standards of long, straight, and wavy hair
stigmatized against the coils and corkscrew-like tendrils of black
hair. In the past, long hair characterized femininity and short
hair symbolized masculinity. Due to a lacking historic interest
in caring for black hair especially, shorter natural hair was more
commonplace. Still, one black woman earned her repertoire by
helping other black women in 19th century America to embrace
their textured hair. Based on Madame C.J. Walker’s life story,
Netflix’s “Self-Made” depicts how Sarah Breedlove, beats all odds
against her becoming a millionaire after being a washerwoman. As
a child of former slaves, Sarah takes pride in her hair and develops
products that enhance her self-confidence and propel her hair

157
empire and lasting generational wealth (Davis and Lemmons).
Generally speaking, limited knowledge on moisturizing and retain
natural hair length created the misconception that “nappy black
hair” cannot retain length. From this, Sara debuts her trade-
mark of haircare remedies. Her products uplift black women’s
self-esteems while making them presentable in public eyes. In
doing so, she envisions herself in a space not intended for her, the
predominantly white beauty industry.

Black womanhood must not only validate natural hair, it also

exude gumption. In the show, doubters ridicule Sara when she
seeks support from fellow black investment loaners because she is
a woman. She asks Booker T. Washington’s wife to plan a meet-
ing so he can later vouch for her during his panel with investors.
Though Mrs. Washington respects the ambitious request, she
argues that fraternizing with entrepreneurial scholars insults a
woman’s duty. And even when Sarah finally gets her wish, she
is suspected for being pretentious. Her want for self-refinement
as a black person is pitied, but her business- focused agenda
as a woman undermines this effort in their eyes. Clearly, the
intersectionality of being black and woman casts judgment over
Sara’s capabilities in the arena of the beauty industry and the
even more narrow arena of the black community.

Furthermore, Sara Breedlove’s revolutionary advocacy for black

women investing into companies that cater to their needs (instead
of appealing to companies that do not prioritize them) aligns with
modern criticism for the Natural Hair movement which gained
momentum in 2009. With the purpose of shifting from a singular
Eurocentric representation of beauty, the Natural hair movement
attempted uplifting and educating those with kinky hair textures.
In time, large companies and social media influencers backtracked
to the divisive preference on caring for loose curl patterns like

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Eurocentric standards (Akutekha). Since then, black social media
influencers curate and share beneficial hair remedies and treat-
ments for women with similar hair textures. Some even started
their own online natural hair care businesses. This way, black
women create their own metaphorical ‘table’ instead of waiting
for an inclusive seat. Additionally, black people were validated
when California, New York, Virginia, and several other states and
cities passed variations of the Crown Act which bans hair discrim-
ination in workplaces and schools. This type of discrimination
targets afros, cornrows, box braids, and other afro-centric hair
styles culturally associated with afro-ethnic people (Hlavaty). So,
passing laws that prevent this unfairness supports black excellence.

Continuing this theme of intrinsic acceptance though hair is

India Arie’s 2006 song, “I am not My Hair: Konvict Remix” fea-
turing singer Akon. The story reminisces of a time when other’s
perceptions holds power over one’s self-worth and life decisions.
The song opens with a self-aware character who acknowledges
his continued efforts to belong because he has “always been black
/ Just tryin’ to be appreciated.” Clearly, the character believes
that his life chances and upward social mobility interlink with
his hair since “Nappy head brothers never had no ladies” and “cor-
porate wouldn’t hire no dreadlocks.” Interestingly, the character
concludes that after cutting off his hair his social mobility and
feeling more accepted increased. Yet, in this newfound belonging
he wonders why his hair [and not the content of his charac-
ter] dictates how he is treated by others; clearly this character
makes note of the unfair associations between a black person’s
self-expression through appearance, or dialect and negative stereo-
types. The second verse states that, “I am not my hair.” Here Arie
debases hair-based stereotypes of “Good Hair” representing curls
and waves, or loose textures that resemble the white standard,
and the antonym “Bad hair” symbolizing slave, or tighter curls

159
and coils associated with dark black skin], and instead promotes
unity within the black community. On a slight tangent, people
with Albinism contradicts colorist (and racist) viewpoints because
this group retain whatever socially constructed phenotypic traits
are emphasized within their respective racial group (for example,
a black man with albinism looks white in complexion but rocks a
kinky naturally blond afro-textured hairdo. Certainly, his existence
contradicts racist ideals) “I am not this skin. . . .your expectations.”
In the end, both characters in the song object the predetermined
expectations of what civility looks like. “I am the soul that lives
within,” acknowledges that despite social institutions influencing
their outward appearances the individual remains unchanged.

2. Interracial Relationships and White Savior trope

African American women are the least likely subgroup to be mar-

ried, but “the most likely to head single parent-poverty-stricken
households,” states sociologist Phillip Cohen It is plausible that
women strive for comfortable socioeconomic status that rejects
this reality (Cohen, 2015). This is evident when main protago-
nist Kenya McQueen from the film “Something New,” yearns for
acceptance as a certified public accountant in her white male-
dominated field. Avoiding the societal expectations of poverty
and single motherhood, Kenya fights against internalizing the
stereotypical monolith of black women. Throughout the story,
she redefines her former unrealistic expectations of perfection,
success, and love. Before, she understood success as maintaining
a lifestyle like her employers as a means of fellowship, but she
realizes that her middle-class impeccable resume and high-end
fashion sense cannot change racial biases. Furthermore, Kenya
believed in appeasing her parents’ definition of perfection by mar-
rying a black man in her social circle and keeping appearances in
the community. However, Kenya is smitten by the grounded and

160
openminded personality of her white landscaper Brian, who lives
a humbled life outside of her elitist atmosphere.

With Brian, she lowers her guarded walls and reconsiders her
own racial biases. During this time, respect forms between the
two then transforms into a romantic relationship that faces much
scrutiny. Interestingly, Kenya educates her peers that her individ-
ual life experience is not defined by small mindedness. She then
defends her relationship as an unexpected, yet progressive step
towards inclusion and tolerance. Acknowledging her choice of who
to love allows her not to be discouraged by negative perceptions
and reinforces the growth that she finds.

In another respect, the film avoids making Brian’s the “White

Savior” in Kenya’s life. When introduced, Brian does not over-
shadow Kenya’s journey towards a mature worldview or compares
the severity of her lived experiences with his own. Instead, this
character enables Kenya in her search for authentic personhood.
In one scene, Brian questions why Kenya covers her natural hair
with a weave. This embarrasses and upsets her, yet later when
she is alone, she reconsiders her reaction as to why his words
bothered her. Brian’s inquires are neither invasive nor mocking,
he inquires her worldview because he doesn’t understand. Conse-
quently, Kenya confronts her insecurities through discussions like
this one, therefore strengthening her black excellence.

Speaking of black excellence, Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise”

embodies “Black Magic.” That is, the intrinsic embodiment of
self-love and pride that black people create for themselves. In
the first stanza, Angelou declares that besmearing her life story
will not taint her legacy. She goes on in the third stanza with
proud flaunting of a confidence so bold that it irritates those who
despise her. Like Kenya, mentioned above, Angelou knows that

161
society will undermine her desires and beliefs, so instead she offers
herself validation. For Kenya she lets her work ethic speak for
itself and pursues the man she loves. For Angelou, she refuels her
self-esteem and guards her heart in the final stanza with positive
reminders that she is desirable, worthy, and the “dream and the
hope of the slave.”

In closing, it is worth restating the oxymoron of evil histories

later inspiring enlightening and uplifting efforts by those most
hurt by said evils. Still, as shown in the above media, looking
beyond the evils themselves allows for exploration and bravery that
these characters permit themselves: Beauty, ambition, love, and
open-mindedness. Now, instead of focusing on the hardship they
survived, there is celebration and endearment for the assertive
stances they bravely took.

Works Cited

Akutekha, Esther. How The Natural Hair Movement Has Failed

Black Women. 16 Mar. 2020, http://www.huffpost.com/
entry/natural-hair-movement-failed-black-women_l_5e5ff246c5b69
Arie, India. “I am Not my Hair.” Motown Records, 2006. Youtube,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_5jIt0f5Z4. Accessed 16
Dec. 2020.
Cohen, Philip. “Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration.” The Family:
Diversity, Inequality, and Social Change, by Philip N. Cohen, W.W.
Norton & Company, 2015, pp. 77–115.
Davis Demann; Lemmons Kasi. Self-Made. Performances by
Octavia Spencer and Tiffany Haddish.
Hamri, Sanna, director. Something New. performances by Sanna
Lathann and Simon Baker, Focus Features, 2006. PoetryFounda-
tion.org

162
Honors Intro World Short Fic

A Tale of Two Tims

O. Whiteside College of Business

T im is 21 years old, lives alone in the United States, and is an

avid reader. When the COVID-19 pandemic sparks shutdowns
across the nation, Tim has less difficulty adapting than the average
citizen. Tim is used to living alone, and he now can sit and read
for hours on end. He begins exploring world fiction short story
literature and finds many enjoyable and applicable anecdotes from
a plethora of authors. “The Swimmer” by John Cheever is a
tale that especially speaks to him. Watching the main character
move through swimming pools without heeding anyone around
him reminds Tim of how he is living his own life. Tim resolves to
be intentional about spending more time being with the people
around him. Once the pandemic is over, of course. Which should
only be another few weeks anyway.
A few weeks pass, and now Tim hardly does anything but read.
He had little human interaction before the pandemic, and now he
is not sure how he would talk to someone if he could. His new
favorite story is Sherwin Anderson’s “Hands.” Tim is starting to
feel like an outcast, similar to Adolph Myers. Tim has always been
a little self-conscious about his nose, and now is comforted that
it is covered with a mask on the rare occasions when he leaves
the house for supplies. He hears that a group in his neighborhood
is meeting weekly using Zoom, but he does not feel inclined to
join. He would rather read anyway.
When COVID lockdowns finally end, Tim is even more isolated
than he was before. He goes back to his job but avoids his

163
coworkers as much as possible. Two weeks later, the company
is downsizing in the wake of the struggling economy. Tim is
released from his position for “not being a team player.”
Timothy lives down the street from Tim. Timothy is also 21
and enjoys spending time outside and playing sports with friends.
But when the COVID pandemic hits, Timothy is also forced to
quarantine. There are no sports on TV, so Timothy picks up one
of his old college textbooks, “The Art of the Short Story.” He
glances through the collection of authors until “The Swimmer” by
John Cheever catches his eye. It is a shorter read, and when he
is done Timothy resolves to find ways to connect with the people
on his street. He starts weekly Zoom meetings to reconnect with
his friends. They start a virtual bingo league to try and involve
as many people as possible.
When COVID lockdowns finally end, Timothy is one of the first
ones to get back to work. He finds ways to re-integrate others into
the workforce, and although his company is struggling financially,
Timothy is considered too integral an employee to consider laying-
off. “The Art of the Short Story” goes back to the bookshelf to
gather dust, but it has done its work.
Tim and Timothy are fictional characters whose actions and
choices are inspired purely by the author’s imagination. Neverthe-
less, their stories serve to illustrate the different ways literature’s
power can influence a person. Cheever’s “The Swimmer” has
not changed since it was written in 1964. The world has. What
was Cheever’s original intent when writing “The Swimmer?” In a
sense, it does not matter. Literature’s power is derived from the
meaning that the reader, not the author, attaches to it. And in
the time of COVID, literature is receiving more power than any
other time in recent history.
Indonesian students taking an intensive reading course powered by

164
group discussion had to be creative when the COVID pandemic
hit worldwide. While there were initial difficulties in converting
the class to an online format, eventually they found solutions
that could allow them to engage in a “meaningful way despite
the challenges of remote learning” (Ferdiansyah, 2020). This is
just one of the ways literature has remained relevant during the
year 2020, with book lists and reading receiving more publicity
than ever before. However, as Tim and Timothy show, the power
of literature resides in the reader’s interpretation, leaving the
impetus to do good and be a positive influence on people, not
inanimate text.

Works Cited

Ferdiansyah, S, Ridho, MA, Sembilan, FD, Sembilan, FD, Zahro,

SF. Online literature circles during the COVID-19 pandemic: En-
gaging undergraduate students in Indonesia. TESOL J. 2020;
11:e544. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/tesj.544

165
A Meme a Month: My experience in 9
months of COVID-19
J. Salinas College of Business

A Meme a Month: My experience in 9 months of COVID-19

166
 A Meme a Month: My experience in 9 months of Covid-19 by Jacob Salinas
March:

April:

May:

June:
July:

August:

September:

October:
November:

December:
Roles of Fiction and its Relation to
COVID-19
A. Yaworski College of Business

A A portal. A lens. A Rosetta Stone. Essential to individuals and

society, fiction plays these three roles. Much like a painting never
truly depicts what we see with our eyes, fiction does not describe
reality. Taking reality and distorting it, authors create their own
story and express their views of the world. Through fiction we are
able to add and subtract from reality in order to focus on specific
aspects. Some use it as a portal to escape their reality, creating
a scene to travel to and reside in for a time. Others use fiction
as a lens through which to view society, peeling back the outside
layers to expose the thoughts and ideologies within. Regardless
of the writing’s objective, the situations and stories within are
able to cross language and geographic barriers allowing fiction to
act as a Rosetta Stone for conveying ideas.

170
 Roles of Fiction,
and its Relation to COVID-19
By Andrew Yaworski

Fiction is a Portal
- Fiction is a portal through
which the reader can
escape their reality
- “It gives people the ability to
disconnect without totally
leaving the known.” - Erin
Angell (Correll, 2020)
- Especially essential during
the COVID-19 pandemic
“The Swimmer” by John Cheever
- Contains vibrant imagery of
parties and barbecues
- “Prosperous men and
women gathered by the
sapphire-colored waters
while caterer’s men in white
coats passed them cold gin”
- Allows the reader to escape

Fiction as a Lens
- Fiction is a lens through which we can examine individual
and societal morals
- Similar to a painting,
fiction depicts the real
world through the eyes
of the artist
“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
- Shows the danger of blindly
following tradition
- The immoral practices that
may exist but go unnoticed
- “Although the villagers had
forgotten the ritual and lost
the original black box, they
still remembered to use
stones.” (“The Lottery”, 1948)

Fiction as a Rosetta Stone

- Can cross language and geographic barriers
- Situations and concepts are universal
- Morality of actions, character’s emotions, and societal
beliefs are transferable
Fiction is Hope During COVID-19
- Fiction is essential in trying times, such as the current
pandemic
- Allows us to escape and communicate our experiences
and ideas
- New outpouring of stories following the idea
- Although many will contain negativity, I believe there will
be a common thread throughout: HOPE

References:
“The Swimmer” by John Cheever

“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson

Correll, K. (2020, February). An Escape From Reality.

Retrieved December 09, 2020, from
https://cmagazine.org/culture/an-escape-from-reality/
A portal to escape to is essential in trying times such as our
current predicament with COVID-19. While many of us reside
alone and distance ourselves from others it is difficult to stay in
and resist cabin fever. Fiction allows us to get outside of our
homes without leaving our doorstep, escaping into the tales we
read. This is perhaps the best aspect of fiction, as stated by liter-
ature teacher Erin Angel: “It gives people the ability to disconnect
without totally leaving the known”(Correll, 2020). John Cheever’s
“The Swimmer” is an excellent example of a tale to escape into.
“Prosperous men and women gathered by the sapphire-colored
waters while caterer’s men in white coats passed them cold gin”
(“The Swimmer”, 1964) gives the reader enough structure to fill
in the rest of the image themselves. With vivid scenes of parties
and barbecues, it reminds us of the times before COVID that we
will again return to when it is over.

Being a lens for the reader to look through is one of the most
important aspects of fiction. Rather than examining concepts,
beliefs and ideals from a historical vantage point the reader is
able to examine them through a fresh take conveyed through
the author’s writing. This approach to expressing viewpoints
and themes captures the reader’s interest, keeping them invested
in understanding the events taking place in the story. Shirley
Jackson’s “The Lottery” expresses a lack of moral present in the
villagers of the tale. “Although the villagers had forgotten the
ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to
use stones.” (“The Lottery”, 1948), telling how the villagers have
lost the reasoning for the ritual but blindly follow the practice
of stoning in accordance with tradition. Jackson was able to
focus her voice to create a lens through which the reader can
examine and contemplate the morality and the beliefs of the
society depicted in the tale.

175
Regardless of the objective of the author, or the reader’s reason
for reading the story, fiction remains a Rosetta Stone of literature.
Fictional stories allow for the ideas presented in them to be relat-
able to people across the globe despite language or geographical
barriers. Whether examining the morality of a character’s actions,
the beliefs of a society, or the emotions of an individual, fiction
allows us to share the thoughts and emotions depicted in fiction.

Currently we are facing a pandemic that has taken hold and

affected people across the globe. During this time we are still
able to share our thoughts and experiences through short stories.
Stories already written give us glimpses into how things were, and
hopes and dreams of how they will be again. These events and
the consequences of COVID-19 will most likely give rise to a new
outpouring of literature derived from our experiences now. Many
will contain tales of sadness, despair, anger, and fear, however,
many will also contain elements of strength, resolve, coming
together, and cherishing what we have. Among all the negativity
that will be contained in the stories written during this time, I
believe there will be a common theme throughout: hope.

Works Cited

Cheever, John, (1964). “The Swimmer”

Correll, K. (2020, February). An Escape From Reality. Retrieved
December 09, 2020, from https://cmagazine.org/culture/an-
escape-from-reality/
Jackson, Shirley. (1948). “The Lottery”

176
A fictional story about how great fictional
stories are
B. Sanders College of Arts, Sciences and Education

W ith my friends all sitting around the fire, we had gotten to

talking about many different topics. Topics about our future, the
virus, sports, school, anything one can think of. I had always
talked about my future with sports. Yet, over the many months
where sports were all but an afterthought due to the virus, I
had gotten second thoughts about my future with sports. So, I
wanted to hear from y most trusted friends about what I should
do moving forward. I mostly wanted to hear about my writing.
Before me sat three guys. Roko was the biggest out of the
three. He wore a baseball hat backwards, matching his hair’s flow
that he had been growing out since quarantine. Konrad was the
skinniest, skinnier than me. Carson was the third one. He was
from Wisconsin, that’s it.
"So!" I started the way I always did when changing topics. "What
are everyone’s thoughts on me going into creative writing?"
"What?!?" Konrad said, surprised. "What about sports?"
"What sports?" I replied, already getting defensive. "If there’s
one thing I’ve learned during this year, I can’t rely on sports."
There was silence for a moment.
"What would you even do with creative writing. No one reads
that stuff anymore." Rocko said. "What’s the point in creating
it?"
"Well, I think it’s a great way to tell people about certain topics!"
I said.

177
"Like what?"
"Well, just to name a few stories I’ve read that really has stuck
with me is a story called "As the Last I May Know" by S.L. Huang
is a major story that has stuck with me since reading it in a class
discussion. It’s a story that talks about the perils of nuclear war.
How these weapons are so powerful that this fictional society
embedded these codes into a little girl so that the president would
have to personally murder a child to use these weapons." I spoke.
"Stories like these teach people about the cost of weapons."
"Ok, cool, but anyone who does research should know about
nuclear weapons," Roko said. "What can fiction do today? What
can possibly be taught that hasn’t already been spoken about?"
I took a few moments to think about it. He wasn’t wrong. You
could pick a story that talks about any topic.
"I guess one thing that I think about is the stories give people
an outlet to think outside of our reality. Escape crazy shit like
what happened this year, like the fantasy stories that talk about
all sorts of weird animals. I read this story about this angel man
called "A Very Old Man with Wings" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Talked about this world where things like tarantula people existed.
But it sounded so real that you could get an image of the wild
things going around. It’s a nice way to get your mind away from
everything." I replied.
"I hate those fantasy stories; they can teach people so many
different evil things that I don’t think people should be learning
about," Carson said. "Where’s the morality of fiction?"
"Welp, time to get offended, boys. Arguably, fictional stories
are the only reasons why we have the morals that we have today.
There is a very real chance that religion is based on fictional stories
that give humanity the set of rules to follow to live a better afterlife.

178
There is no proof that any of the stories actually happened, yet
much of society follows the Bible’s rules and precedents. It’s a
good thing it was written, as who knows what humanity would’ve
decided to do with itself if it didn’t set these rules for people to
follow. We could’ve evolved into an eye for an eye society or a
society that eats each other. Who knows! So, the fact that a
potentially fictional story has shaped society into what it is today
shows how important fiction is." I spoke as professionally as I
could, trying to avoid saying something I shouldn’t.
There was a surprised silence. Roko, Carson, and Konrad were all
religious people, so I was sure they did not appreciate me saying
that religion is fictional. Oh well, we had been such good friends
long enough that they would not freak out too much about my
positions on stuff like that. Still, I chose to continue.
"Fiction is one of the most important aspects of the human mind.
It shows why humanity has the greatest supercomputer on the
planet. Humans can create entire worlds and bring them to life.
We can tell stories that no other species can even come close to
creating." I continued.
That was the last bit that I wanted to get out about this topic.
Roko nodded.
"Well, still think you’re better off in sports. What happened to
riding my coattails to the top?" Roko grinned.
"Sure, Roko." I grinned. "You just got to start paying me to be
your assistant."
"Never going to happen."
"Writing it is then!" I said, standing up.
"Where are you going? I had to pick you up since your truck
died." Konrad said.

179
"True," I said, still walking away into the woods.

180
The Importance of Kindness
J. McClelland College of Engineering Technology

Icauses
believe that fiction during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic
an increase in morality in people and society. I believe
that some fiction stories can inspire people to be kinder and more
understanding towards people. This is due to people starting
to realize that everyone is under a lot of stress and everyone is
trying to make life less stressful for everyone. Some examples of
understanding are seen through the stories we read. An example
would be “The Man to Send the Rain Clouds.” Where Leon
asked Father Paul for holy water for Teofilo, but Father Paul
was hesitant at first because he believed that there should have
been Last Rites to be a proper Christian burial. However, Father
Paul eventually gives the water to Teofilo because Father Paul
realizes that their family did not want to have a Christian burial
(Silko 741). This could be inspiring for some in society today
because they realize that everyone is going through some kind
of loss during this pandemic whether it was a family member
or business. That people have to be more understanding and
kind to each other based on their beliefs. Another example
of a work that we read encourages kindness is the short story
“Dead Man’s Path.” Michael Obi who was the new school master
wanted to close the path the villagers use to get to their sacred
burial ground. Even when the village priest tried to convince
him that they were doing nothing wrong. Obi soon learned the
hard way when the villages continued to use the path destroying
his hedges and flowers (Atwood 12). This reminds people to be
flexible with other people’s wishes especially during the pandemic
because it is what they believe in. It is important to show kindness
during this time because there are known health benefits to being

181
kind. They include increased happiness, reduces stress, reduces
pain, decrease anxiety and depression, and lower blood pressure
(Bjaworski). Therefore, everyone must be kind toward each other
we are going through the same difficult time with different types
of problems requiring that we need to be more aware of other
people’s problems. Then to react to them accordingly to try and
help them.

Works Cited

Atwood, Margaret. “Happy Endings.” The Art of the Short Story:

by Dana Gioia and R. S. Gwynn, Pearson Longman, 2006, pp.
22–24.
Bjaworski. “Use Kindness as a Coping Skill: Coping During
COVID-19.” KVC Health Systems, 28 Apr. 2020, http://www.
kvc.org/blog/use-kindness-as-a-coping-skill-coping-during-cov
Silko, Leslie. “The Man to Send Rain Clouds.” The Art of the
Short Story: by Dana Gioia and R. S. Gwynn, Pearson Longman,
2006, pp. 739–742.

182
Epidemic Morality
D. Briolat College of Arts, Sciences and Education

Disease, death, and politics

Running rampant through the media and lives.
Poverty has flourished,
Businesses have signs stating they are closed indefinitely,
Funerals for people who had so much more living to do,
And yet people do not see the importance of fiction.
Madness needs an outlet as in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale
Heart” (724).
Fatigue, body aches, sore throat, runny nose, cough (“Facts about
COVID-19,” par. 3),
What is the social animal called humans to do?
When their lives are trapped in the confines of their home,
Waiting for the health department to call with a positive result,
Or their elderly relative sending their final goodbye.
People can delve deeper into despair,
Or they can lean to fiction.
Feel the passion erupt from Mr. Chiu in “Saboteur” by Ha Jin
(422).
Embrace the empathy invoked for the narrator in “The Yellow
Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (308).

183
Let the empathy burst forward to wrap family, friends, acquain-
tances, and strangers in love and kindness.
Fictional stories started and stopped revolutions,
Let it be a guide through these difficult times.

Works Cited

Facts about COVID-19. (n.d.). Retrieved December 09, 2020,

from https://www.tchd.org/829/Facts-about-COVID-19
Gilman, C. “The Yellow Wallpaper.” The Art of the Short Story,
edited by Joseph P. Terry, Pearson Longman, 2006, p. 297-308.
Print.
Jin, H. “Saboteur.” The Art of the Short Story, edited by Joseph
P. Terry, Pearson Longman, 2006, p. 419-427. Print.
Poe, E. “The Tell-Tale Heart.” The Art of the Short Story,
edited by Joseph P. Terry, Pearson Longman, 2006, p. 721-
725. Print.

184
Time at Home Means Time to Read
M. Ilmberger College of Arts, Sciences and Education

F rom a young age, I had begun to appreciate books (the included

pictures are just some of many taken, by my mother, of my reading
throughout the years).
I quickly became immersed in the diverse worlds that were made
available to me through children’s literature. Much of my free
time was spent reading, as I enjoyed reading stories of characters
whose lives seemed to be much more interesting than my own.
Throughout my years as a reader, I have been exposed to many
characters representing a variety of cultures. Both in school and
on my own, I read stories that took place in other countries,
creating an emotional connection that cannot be achieved by
reading a history book. My most recent encounters with stories
like this have been in my World Short Fiction class at Ferris,
furthering my exposure to other cultures. Stories like “The Man
to Send Rain Clouds” by Leslie Marmon Silko, which addresses
the conflict between Native American and Catholic beliefs in the
American West, and “Dead Men’s Path” by Chinua Achebe, which
addresses the conflict between traditional and modern practices
in Nigeria, continue to grow my knowledge of the struggles of
others around the world.

The older I get, the more grateful I am for what I have learned
from world literature, and I am not the only one who sees the
benefits of reading world fiction. As stated in the Encyclopedia
of Diversity in Education, works of fiction are seen as “a door
through which young readers might gain cultural competence by
grappling with relevant cultural issues” (2012, para. 1). With the

185
elevated racial tension prevalent in this U.S. this year (2020), I
feel that it is especially important to be culturally competent.
With the COVID-19 pandemic keeping everyone at home, I have
found more time to read than I have since I started college. During
this time I have tried to choose from a wider variety of books,
leading me to pick up “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas. This
book gave me perspective on the experiences of people of color in
urban areas. I hope that others are also using the increased time
at home to expand their cultural horizons, and that we may come
out of the COVID-19 pandemic more united than divided.

Works Cited

Achebe, C. (1972). “Dead Men’s Path”. In D. Gioia and R.S.

Gwynn (Eds.) The art of the short story. (pp. 10-12). Pearson
Longman.
Cultural Competence and Youth Literature. (2012). In Encyclo-
pedia of Diversity in Education (Vol. 1, pp. 506–509). https://
col-fsu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01COL_FSU/auf04h/
cdi_gale_vrl_4195500155
Silko, L. (1981). “The Man to Send Rain Clouds”. In D. Gioia
and R.S. Gwynn (Eds.) The art of the short story. (pp. 739-742).
Pearson Longman.

186
The Importance of Studying Literature
D. Nicholas College of Arts, Sciences and Education

A s a science student, I was under the impression that fictional

pieces were simply elaborate stories and believed that I could learn
more from reading nonfiction, on subjects like science, business,
and history. However, after taking this class, I’ve realized how
fiction is enjoyable and draws readers in. These are more than just
elaborate stories, they represent complex relationships, common
struggles of society, and insights to human morality. Reading
fiction not only helps to see the world in a way that has never
been experienced before, but provides insight on real day-to-day
life. Literature allows readers to step into the past and also
remain connected with today, making it an important subject for
students to learn.

Impacting Individuals

From fictional literature, I've learned how to interpret other’s

perspectives while also seeing how society has evolved over time.
Fiction helps me in the bigger picture and recognize the world
from other’s viewpoints. While all of the stories read this semester
have invoked my mind in some way, there are two that I will re-
member forever. “Hands” by Sherwood Anderson helped me in
understanding how shame, guilt, and loneliness affect a person’s
life. “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman pro-
vided insight on the history of feminism and mental health. Each
of the two, in their own way, allowed me to realize something
that improved not only myself as a person, but to deepen my
understanding of the world.

Discussion posts really intrigued me this semester and tied every-

187
thing that I was learning together. I enjoyed being able to see
something new and having unique prompts each week. It allowed
for me to further understand the stories being read, as I was able
to see how other students felt about the stories and what they
had learned. Although we were reading the same materials, each
person discovered their own personal thoughts on a story. Not
only does literature help share who we are, but it has the power
to change someone, or their views, drastically.

Literature Changes the World

Literature can be found in our everyday lives in many differ-

ent forms; such as books, movies, songs, and so on. Without
literature, no one would be who they are now. There would be no
outside influence, meaning we would not have our individual opin-
ions or personalities. Individuality simply wouldn’t exist. People
have the ability to gain a lot from literature, as it provides many
memories and lessons that provide individuality while bringing us
together. Both mental and moral development increase as an im-
pact of fiction in one’s life (Gottschall, 2019). By understanding
what a story says about the world, we can apply it to create a
better future.

Hope in the Time of COVID-19

In a discussion with Martin Smith, Scott McLennon states, “Fic-

tion helps us get deep into the minds and hearts of people. That’s
important during a crisis like COVID-19, because we see the hu-
man condition laid bare. We see the character of people and the
interaction of all the different forces in society. I think it’s one
of the best ways to find help” (Smith, 2020). With COVID-19
impacting our world in ways that many of us have never experi-
enced, literature is more important than ever. As many people are

188
spending this time alone, our personal lives are lacking the social
connections we would see in “normal” times. We need stories
to inspire us, that make us glad to be alive, stories that help us
move forward with our lives, that reach into our minds and show
us the truths of our existence. Fiction allows people to find hope
during difficult, stressful, and emotional times; times that we are
all too familiar with the pandemic.

Works Cited

Gottschall, Jonathan. "Why Fiction Is Good for You." Dallas

News, The Dallas Morning News, 27 Aug. 2019, http://www.
dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2012/05/26/jonathan-gottschall-why-
.
Smith, Martin J. "Reading Through the Pandemic." Stanford
Graduate School of Business, 2020, http://www.gsb.stanford.
edu/insights/reading-through-pandemic.

189
Morality from Fiction
B. Gregory College of Health Professions

F iction is some of the first pieces of writing that we read as

children. We read mysteries, science fiction, short stories, ro-
mance novels, and many more. It allows us to dive into another
lifetime through a character’s eyes, and experience new situations
that compare to or enhance our lives that we live now. Fiction
builds morality for us as individuals, because we allow ourselves
to feel emotions as we read, and this allows us to become moved
or change our beliefs about a topic. During the COVID-19 pan-
demic, spirits are low, and happiness is not the easiest to come
by. Fiction has the ability to entertain, and to provide an escape
for our emotions, which can give hope and optimism to readers.

One story from the course that left a lasting impact on me

as a reader was “The Swimmer” by John Cheever. Life can
move very fast, and this story displays the inevitable passage of
time that never stops. Neddy denies how many years has passed,
which shows the effect of waking up one day and wondering where
twenty years of your life went. Cheever opened my eyes up to
living every day as if it were my last, so I do not have any regrets.
After Neddy saw a for sale sign in front of the Welchers’ house,
he thought, “Was his memory failing or had he so disciplined it in
the repression of unpleasant facts that he had damaged his sense
of the truth?” (Cheever 126). This showed me as a reader to not
live every mundane day trying to get to the next one; nothing
is guaranteed, so we should enjoy every day as much as we can.
Another story that spoke to me is “The Necklace” by Guy De
Maupassant. The one theme that stuck out to me the most was
that objects do not always bring happiness, and the amount of
money that you spend on something does not determine its value.

190
After Mathilde loses the necklace and saves enough money to buy
a necklace of diamonds to replace it, Forestier replies, “Why, my
necklace was paste. It was worth at most five hundred francs!”
(Maupassant 596). This showed me as a reader that the necklace
was special because of its importance and value, not because of
the price tag. Overall, reading these two stories allowed me to
let my guard down emotionally and to see the world through a
character’s eyes to learn valuable lessons.

Fiction is important for people who want to escape, and travel

to a new situation as a different person in a book. Reading a
fictional book is a whole new experience because “When you
read fiction, you can be someone you’d never otherwise have the
chance to become — another gender, another age, someone of
another nationality or another circumstance” (Frankman). Unlike
nonfiction, we tend to let our guard down when reading a fiction
story. Gottschall states, “But when we are absorbed in a story,
we drop our intellectual guard. We are moved emotionally, and
this seems to make us rubbery and easy to shape.” When we are
moved emotionally, we are more optimistic and we allow ourselves
to change our thinking. Reading fiction is a positive that everyone
can find during this time of COVID-19; even though we are not
able to go many places in public, we can enter into a better world
through fiction, which is powerful for us all during this pandemic.

Works Cited

Frankman, Hannah. “The Importance of Reading Fiction.” Medium,

Mission.org, 18 Oct. 2017, medium.com/the-mission/the-importance-
of-reading-fiction-7f57546a229b

Gottschall, Jonathan. “Why Fiction Is Good for You - The Boston

Globe.” BostonGlobe.com, 29 Apr. 2012, www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2012/04/2

191
fiction-good-for-you-how-fiction-changes-your-world/nubDy1P3viDj2PuwG

192
Untitled
F. Gleasure College of Business

Why Fiction Matters

193
You want to talk, my little pog champ?
A. Rosenthal College of Arts, Sciences and Education

FADE IN:
(The following is based on a true story.)
ROSENTHAL’S HOUSE – RORY’S ROOM – DAY
ANGIE ROSENTHAL and her sister, RORY ROSENTHAL, are
playing video games in RORY’S ROOM. The room is clean and
cozy, the pale blue walls clash with the RED BEANBAG CHAIR
the two are sitting on. The two playing STAR FOX on Rory’s
TV, which is surrounded by STUFFED ANIMALS.
Angie is the only one with a controller. She taps away on the
buttons, making the aircrafts on screen zoom about.
The two do not say anything for a minute. Angie is focused on
the screen, and Rory is on their iPHONE. Finally, Angie slowly
speaks, half of her attention on speaking and the rest on playing
the game.
ANGIE
Hey. Have you read anything lately?
No response. Rory busy watching a meme.
ANGIE (CONT’D)
Hey, respond.
Angie shoves the kid, finally getting their attention. Rory still has
their nose in their phone, but is finally speaking.
RORY

198
No, I haven’t. Unless restraining orders count.
ANGIE
Oh, shut up.
RORY
Books-a-million overstocked, they’re having a sale. I might drop
in tomorrow.
ANGIE
Oh, Coolio.
Click click click goes the controller. The two are still focused on
their screens.
ANGIE (CONT’D)
What books you plan on getting?
RORY
Manga.
Rory has still never looked up from their phone. Now they are
checking up on their virtual cats.
ANGIE
Good talk, bucko.
Finally, Rory drops their phone. They kick their sister in the knee,
not hurting her at all.
RORY
Heyyy! Shut up!
ANGIE

199
TALK TO ME!
RORY
WHY??
ANGIE
SO I CAN TALK ABOUT STUFF I READ!
RORY
You know I can’t read, I always use voice-to-text.
Angie lets out a bellowing laugh. She has to pause the game for
a second.
ANGIE
Oh my Godddd!
RORY
Aha ha, I’m kidding!!
After a few seconds, the two calm down. Angie starts the game
up again.
RORY
Sooo, what have you been reading?
ANGIE
Why you ask?
Rory kicks Angie’s knee multiple times this time.
RORY
Shut upppp!

200
ANGIE
Quit it! Okay, have you heard of Barbie-Q?
RORY
No, loser.
ANGIE
Great to know. It’s about sisters owning cheap Barbies. They
go to a flea market and find a bunch of cheap ones. It’s like the
happiest day of their lives.
RORY
Awww!
ANGIE
Yeah, it’s super adorable. The sisters kind of remind me of us.
One’s super bossy, AKA me.
RORY
Yeah.
A pause. Angie does not bother to respond to that jab.
RORY
Sorryyyy!
Rory laughs while apologizing. Angie just rolls her eyes.
RORY (CONT’D)
I might get back into writing. At least, writing fanfiction. That
was fun.
ANGIE

201
Ohhh, heck yeah!! Dude, you should write one about annoying
people getting quarantined together. That would be so funny.
RORY
Poggers.
Angie wants to roll her eyes, but that would mean looking away
from what she is shooting at.
ANGIE
How was quarantine for you? I keep forgetting to ask you about
that.
RORY
Not poggers.
ANGIE
(Tired)
Rory-
RORY
IT’S A JOKE!! Uh, it was okay. Ya know my memory is trash, I
don’t remember it at all.
ANGIE
Huh. Hey, remember when I would come over and Mom would
make me change all my clothes before giving you guys hugs?
Wasn’t that wack?
RORY
No.
ANGIE

202
Oh.
Rory is now watching her sister play the video game. Angie
is trying her best to carry her teammates while carrying this
conversation.
ANGIE
Do you remember writing fanfiction for this game?
RORY
Duh. It was extra cringy.
ANGIE
But it was funny! You should make a Star Fox version of The
Lottery.
RORY
The Lottery?
ANGIE
Yeah, that’s another short story I had to read for school. It’s
about a town that stone’s one person every year. You could do
a morbid comedy spin on it, like have the Star Fox cast vote on
who gets stoned by how fast they can get to a Wendy’s.
RORY
Dude! That sounds funny!
After Rory laughs, the two are silent again. Angie finishes the
game with a 75% completion.
RORY (CONT’D)
When you said The Lottery, I thought you were talking about the
Shane Dawson Youtube movie.

203
Angie kicks Rory off of the seat.
ANGIE
Oh, my God!
RORY
What?!
ANGIE
You’re the worst.
RORY
I guess you haven’t looked in the mirror lately.
Angie once again does not respond to that. She just starts
another game while Rory goes back to their phone.
FADE OUT:
THE END

204
Stats Life Sciences-HNRS

Behind COVID-19
A. Lozano College of Arts, Sciences and Education

T his article gives me hope as many people are dealing with

losing many of their family members, significant others, and
acquaintances. We know that the COVID-19 treatment is already
coming out, which makes it easier for loved ones to get the
vaccine and be able to process everything much better than
before. Although, the sad thing about this is that many choose
to not get the vaccine, and it is not only harming them but
their loved ones. The thing about this is that the monoclonal
antibodies takes a factor of getting the COVID-19 vaccine as the
antibodies can be injected to someone giving them about a 3%
reduced risk of being hospitalized, compared to the 10% reduced
risk. This makes me so happy as we are trying to change the
world for the better. Not only having the vaccine out and ready
but to help those who are at a high risk of getting the virus, and
possibly killing them. The convalescent plasma is also another
factor that helps people from getting COVID-19. As stated in the
article, plasma has helped people recover from polio, chickenpox,
and SARS. They believe that it is safe, and with more testing, it
can be proven to treat COVID-19. I really hope that there can be
more treatment methods for COVID-19 as I know some people
would rather have something else then the actual vaccine!
https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/
treatments-for-covid-19

205
Untitled
G. Jipping College of Arts, Sciences and Education

B BC News published the article “Coronavirus: Air pollution and

CO2 fall rapidly as virus spreads”, on March 19, 2020. Despite
the statistics being released roughly eight months ago, I feel
like humanity, as a whole, can reflect upon the data and make
changes that could benefit the planet and ourselves. Statistics
that in particular gave me hope were, within a few months of
quarantine, traffic levels in New York were estimated to be down
35% in reference to data a year prior and a 5-10% drop in CO2
was measured within that time period. With the lack of travel
and activity, a decrease in emissions of all sorts was experienced-
providing cleaner air and less pollution to be released. These
statistics give me hope due to it being a possible eye-opener for
people to be exposed to the data and view how humans contribute
a sizable amount of emissions just by our means of transportation
and industry. Thus, by the exposure, we may be able to move
towards more eco-friendly options and build less of a carbon
footprint.

206
https://www.bbc.com/news/
science-environment-51944780

207
How Vietnam overcame COVID
A. Tran College of Arts, Sciences and Education

I n this article, Exemplars in Global Health put together all the

protocols and precautions that Vietnam took to successfully
control COVID-19. Vietnam’s first case was reported on January
23, 2020; a week later, Vietnam formed a national steering
committee to coordinate a strategy, meeting every two days. On
May 1, 2020, Vietnam confirmed 270 cases with no community
transmission, and to date, no patients have died from COVID-
19 in Vietnam (0% death rate). Vietnam limited the spread of
COVID-19 so far, but weaker domestic and external demand is
expected to slow growth significantly from 7 % in recent years
to 2.7 % in 2020. 67% of the cases reported were imported
from countries affected by the virus. Reading this article gave me
hope that one day the United States will be on the same path as
Vietnam. I believe that we have the same resources as them and
if we follow their footsteps then the pandemic could’ve been over
with. The examples and results that Vietnam received gave me
hope that we can overcome this pandemic soon, if we enforced
the correct protocols and precautions similar to Vietnam. The
fact that Vietnam reported no deaths is a comfort to me and
that we can learn from this. Therefore, if another pandemic were
to break out, we will be familiar with which steps to take.

208
https://ourworldindata.org/covid-exemplar-vietnam

209
Untitled
M. Johnson College of Arts, Sciences and Education

F ollowing various clinical trials, a new lung cancer treatment

drug, Tagrisso, has been shown to decrease the risk of death
from the disease by 89%. Disease-free survival was seen among
many groups of patients such as those treated with surgery or
chemotherapy. Lung cancer is proven to be the leading cause of
the most cancer deaths worldwide, representing one-fifth of all
cancer deaths. The drug is known to work as a tyrosine-kinase
inhibitor which blocks growth signals that cause cancer cells to
grow. This statistic makes me hopeful because it can revolutionize
the field of medicine. Patients have the potential to be cured from
this disease which will drastically reduce the percentage of deaths.
They won’t have to undergo invasive surgeries and treatments
that likely aren’t as effective in preventing the disease. Those
afflicted with lung cancer are given hope that they can access
the treatment and eventually be cured. Doctors, scientists, and
other health professionals are hopeful and thrilled to be able to
provide a remedy for a disease that affects millions of people.

210
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/
overwhelming-efficacy-found-in-new-lung-cancer-drug-yale-phd-c

211
Untitled
O. Moeggenberg College of Arts, Sciences and Education

P fizer released that its COVID-19 vaccine is 90% effective which

gives me hope that the nation is on the final stretch to contain
the virus and its effects on the stock market. The pandemic of
COVID-19 has been catastrophic to the stock market and has
led to decreases in companies points. With companies having to
close for a period of time, it led to many setbacks. Not only were
big companies affected, but many home owned businesses were
fighting to prevent from going out of business. Many companies
were worried that the election would be drawn out which would
lead to the sinking of many stocks. With a winner announced,
it lifted the possible overhang. Once the efficiency rate of the
vaccine was released, Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite
have all seen increase in their stock market value. Dow has
risen 3.9% points, S&P 500 has risen 2.9% points, and Nasdaq
Composite has risen 1.2% points. The news of the vaccine was a
game-changer to the market and also offers promise that in the
future the world could be COVID-19 free. With positive spikes
shown in the market, now the focus needs to be turned to other
companies who have been devastated. This gives me hope that
the stock market will return to a normalized state.

212
https://www.barrons.com/articles/
pfizer-covid-vaccine-90-effective-stock-market-soars-516049241

213
Light at the end of COVID
S. Satawa College of Arts, Sciences and Education

A study was conducted by Run Repeat that shows how exercise

rates have changed in different groups since COVID-19. In general,
people who exercised a few times each week before COVID-19
saw an increase in the amount of exercise per week since COVID-
19. I was shocked to see that the exercise rates for average
athletes, which are people who exercise 1 or 2 times per week
increased by 88%. This statistic gives me hope because it shows
that people are getting outside more and staying active. The
study was published in April, when many people were stuck inside
because businesses and gyms were closed. Because of this, more
and more people began branching out and going outside to do
various forms of exercise that allow for social distancing such as
running, walking, kayaking, biking, and many others. Personally,
since COVID-19, I have noticed more people outside these days
staying active, and it makes me happy to see that. Even now
with many businesses and gyms open, I still see people outside
exercising. It gives me hope that people are using this time to
incorporate exercise outside into their daily lives, and I hope this
trend will continue even after things get back to "normal."

214
https://runningmagazine.ca/the-scene/
exercise-rates-on-the-rise-during-covid-19/

215
Increased Mask-Wearing Gives Hope
M. Ilmberger College of Arts, Sciences and Education

Ithen anpercentage
article by the Pew Research Center, a study showed that
of Americans who were regularly wearing masks
increased over the summer. In the East North Central area,
where Michigan is located, 61% of Americans surveyed in June
of 2020 said they wore a mask regularly. In August of 2020,
80% of Americans surveyed in the East North Central area said
they wore a mask regularly. This is an increase of 19 percentage
points. This statistic makes me hopeful because it means that
more people in our area are taking the pandemic seriously and
taking precautions to ensure that both themselves and those
around them are protected. An increase in mask wearing may
also help to decrease the spread of the virus, making me hopeful
that life may return to ‘normal’ in the future. While I know
that this average was found over the summer and things may
have changed in recent months, I am hopeful that the trend of
increased mask-wearing has continued into the current time.

216
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/08/27/
more-americans-say-they-are-regularly-wearing-masks-in-stores-

217
Untitled
M. Knaffle College of Arts, Sciences and Education

Ihasfindbecome
this statistic very hopeful because saving the environment
very important to me within the last couple years.
Climate change has become a serious issue that only a few people
seem to be taking seriously. Without any change from the people
all across the world, Earth as we know it could seize to exist. Now,
that may not happen in our lifetime, however, it is important
that we start trying to save our planet for the future generations.
This statistic states that renewable energy has risen will hopefully
become the most used energy source in the next 20 years. As
stated in the article "Already, five states—California, Nevada,
Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Vermont—generate 10 percent or
more of their energy from solar energy". It is only a small step in
the right direction, but knowing that there is progress towards
making the world a better place is enough to fill my heart with
a little hope. With the world we live in today, any kind of good
news or happy thoughts can change a person’s day. In times like
this, we should all be working extra hard to make the world a
better place. How else are we supposed to get through these
extreme times?

218
https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/
10-reasons-feel-hopeful-about-climate-change-2019

219
Untitled
M. Kuzma College of Arts, Sciences and Education

T he coronavirus (COVID-19) has presented us with quite the

unique year. When researching topics to talk about for this
assignment, I looked no further than this virus that has put a halt
to our lives. This statistic has been pulled form one of the leaders
for the vaccine for COVID-19, Pfizer. Pfizer has proven that their
vaccine is about 95% affective against the coronavirus. Moderna
was also doing research to help find a cure for coronavirus, but
it seems that Pfizer has taken the cake. It also stated in this
article that the "vaccine was well tolerated across all populations
with over 43,000 participants enrolled; no serious safety concerns
observed; the only Grade 3 adverse event greater than 2% in
frequency was fatigue at 3.8% and headache at 2.0%." This
specific stat gives me hope because it somewhat proves that this
vaccine that Pfizer has produced is effective and rarely had any
side effects in the 43,000 people that were sampled. I think that
is a very promising thing to hear, especially since we have had
such a rough year and a lot of us just want to get back to normal
life. I think that we are heading in the right direction in terms of
the virus, and I believe that it is only up from here.
https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail
pfizer-and-biontech-conclude-phase-3-study-covid-19-vaccine

220
221
Untitled
H. Bobo College of Arts, Sciences and Education

Ireported
n a study produced by The Gazette in Linn County, Iowa, it was
that hospitalizations in Iowa for COVID-19 are declining
for the fifth day in a row. Even though there have been some
upticks in the amount of people in the ICU for COVID, overall,
there has been a decline in the amount of people hospitalized.
This statistic gives me hope for many reasons, one being that
a decline in the amount of people in hospitals puts less stress
on the healthcare workers. Many doctors, nurses, respiratory
therapists, environmental services, etc. have all put so much into
taking care of everyone (COVID or not) during this pandemic.
While healthcare workers are considered heroes, it doesn’t take
away the fact that their workload has increased tremendously. It’s
been very difficult during this pandemic for healthcare workers
especially, so being able to take some stress off the workload
definitely helps all the healthcare workers. This statistic also gives
me hope because it could hint towards the fact that people are
following the guidelines in place to slow the spread of COVID.
With more people following guidelines, the spread will slow, and
decrease the stress that has been put on everyone from this
pandemic. It seems that things are starting to trend in a positive
direction, and that gives me the most hope of all.

222
https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/
iowa-coronavirus-numbers-new-cases-hospitalizations-decrease-n

223
Untitled
C. Bartlett College of Arts, Sciences and Education

I n this article by the CDC, a study reports that smoking rates in

the United States have dropped from 20.9% in 2005 to 14.0%
in 2019. This is a 6.9 percentage drop. This statistic makes
me hopeful because it means more people in the United States
are taking their health more seriously. The reason I say that is
smoking is one of the most causes of preventable disease and
death in the United States. Another reason this statistic makes
me hopeful is the drop of smoking also drops the amount of
secondhand smoke that’s being produced all around the united
states which may cause cardiovascular damage in addition to
lung damage. Secondhand smoke can lead to more lung-related
illnesses and diseases, such as asthma and bronchitis. Secondhand
smoke can cause lung cancer, which may require surgery as a
treatment option. While I know that this study only shows a
fourteen-year period and a 6.9 percent drop in smoking and does
not seem like much. I hope that this trend will continue to rise
year after year until smoking in the united states is no longer a
thing that can prevent a magnitude of preventable diseases and
potential deaths in the United States.

224
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_
sheets/adult_data/cig_smoking/index.htm

225
Untitled
J. Colvin College of Arts, Sciences and Education

I found this statistic about the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID

19 vaccine that gives me hope. After hearing last week that
the developing vaccine made by these 2 companies was 90%
efficient, this number is now increased to 95% efficiency. This
number was determined after the many tests and studies that
were conducted over the last few weeks and months. Nearly
44,000 people volunteered to participate, and the results are
interesting. My favorite one to read about was that a little bit
more than 2% of volunteers experienced fatigue as the most
severe symptom. These statistics give me hope because we have
all been struggling in some form, whether it’s mentally, physically,
financially, etc., for a very long time and this is the good news we
need. As much as I wish that the vaccine is 100% efficient, I am
really okay with 95% so far. Hopefully, this is not the last of the
testing we will see before it is distributed to the public. Maybe
researchers will find an even better dosage that will increase the
efficiency, and it could come from another company. I hope to
see these statistics get even better and that we can all return to
normal life once again

226
https://www.statnews.com/2020/11/18/
pfizer-biontech-covid19-vaccine-fda-data/

227
Untitled
D. Gesinski College of Arts, Sciences and Education

T his article published by the Centers of Disease Control and

Prevention titled, “Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report”
shows the recent influenza activity throughout the United States.
The article states that the number of influenza cases reported for
the 2020-2021 season remains low. As of the 49th week of the
year (week ending on December 5, 2020) approximately 1.6% of
all outpatient doctor visits were for influenza. This percentage is
lower than both the national baseline of 2.6% and the percentage
reported from the same week the previous year. The article also
states that the influenza season in the Northern hemisphere is
usually very similar to that of the Southern hemisphere, which
was very mild this year. The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention also included a map of the United States illustrating
influenza-like illness activity throughout the country for the 49th
week. The majority of the states have minimal ILI activity; a few
states have low activity. These statistics give me hope because
as people are taking more health precautions to slow the spread
of COVID-19, such as social distancing and wearing masks, we
are also minimizing the spread of influenza. I think reducing the
amount of illnesses, especially COVID-19 but also others such as
influenza, is a big step towards getting back to normal life.

228
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm

229
A New Hope for the Future of the
Tasmanian Devil
B. Langford College of Arts, Sciences and Education

N ew studies shed a ray of hope on the future of the Tasmanian

devil’s fight against extinction. For the past few decades, Tas-
manian devils have been battling a deadly form of transmissible
cancer that has wiped out about 80% of their species in Tasmania.
With about 15,000 devils left, their future was starting to look
bleak. With great surprise, geneticists calculated drops in the
transmissibility of the cancer to roughly one-or fewer-other devils
by one diagnosed devil. Immunologists believe this may mean
the cancer will fade out with time. This brings hope to both
myself and many scientists who believed the extinction of the
devils may have been inevitable. The disease, called devil facial
tumor disease, was first noticed in 1996 and began to spread
during mating seasons when the devils would compete over mates
or food. I’ve always been completely fascinated by the varieties
of life Earth has to offer and find learning about different animals
and unique facts about how ecosystems function very fun. This
article gave me hope that we might not lose another species,
especially a marsupial as cool as the Tasmanian devil. I always
hate to see news of species drifting closer to extinction and un-
fortunately there’s more news of that than species coming back
from endangerment.

230
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/12/
tasmanian-devils-claw-their-way-back-extinction

231
Untitled
J. Gonzalez College of Arts, Sciences and Education

T his was a graph published by the New York Times. I decided

to use this graph as my statistic to use for this assignment. This
graph depicts the effect the coronavirus had on greenhouse gas
emissions in China. Although COVID has introduced many bad
and negative things into the lives of people, it introduced positive
things in the environment. Because many businesses had to shut
down and people quarantined inside their homes, it limited the
carbon footprint of the average business and average person. The
use of coal as an energy source was not able to rebound due to
the outbreak which limited carbon emissions by over 25% in just
three weeks. This makes me hopeful because it is great to see
emissions go down in this fight against COVID since the fight
against climate change has been going on for decades. I think
it is important to care about climate change due to the many
negative effects it can have on people and the environment.

232
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/26/climate/
nyt-climate-newsletter-coronavirus.html

233
Untitled
L. Ouelhaci College of Arts, Sciences and Education

T his article gave me hope beyond the ramifications of the

current global pandemic. According to “Medical News Today”
humanity is expected to grow to nine billion by two thousand
fifty and that we need to grow our food supply by fifty percent.
Entomophagy can be the new sustainable food source that will
help the ever-growing population. Many people are trying to
persuade others that eating insects is a new trend, but no one
wants to eat beetle juice. Seventy percent of water is used to
grow our agriculture. To grow one kilogram of beef you must use
twenty-two thousand liters of water, and to grow one kilogram of
crickets it only requires one liter of water. Growing our barnyard
animals is clearly wasting our natural resources. Insects also only
emit a gram of GHG per kilogram of protein. If we started to use
fewer resources to grow genetically modified cows and chickens,
we will help prevent climate change. You can take a thirty-minute
trip to the woods and find some insects under logs or hopping
around. This will help you save money and learn all the cool
ways to prepare bugs. According to an article from National
Geographic, eating insects can decrease the use of insecticides
and could also increase employment for people who want to hunt
insects. If we increase the consumption of insects, not only will
it decrease the pests such as mosquitos, but it will also help us
grow better crops. Insecticides can also affect humans by giving
us fevers or allergies. In conclusion, insects have many benefits,
and you should think about including fried critters in your next
meal.

234
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/
2018-insects-as-food/

235
A Zero-Carbon Future
A. Bray College of Arts, Sciences and Education

T his statistic makes me feel hopeful because I have always

been someone who cares about the environment and has been
worried about climate change. Seeing that other places around
the world are having such great success with renewable energy
gives me hope that maybe one day all places around the world will
have the same success. The fact that South Australia has been
able to meet 100% of its electricity demands with solar energy
is extremely exciting. 76% of the energy is generated by solar
panels on rooftops which was very surprising to me because I think
that when most people think about solar energy they imagine
fields of solar panels that take up large areas of land, which is
not necessarily true. Even though 24% of their energy still comes
from those solar power plants, it’s amazing to hear that most
of their energy comes from panels placed on rooftops of homes
and businesses. In the article, it states that “global solar growth
will amount to 13% each year”, which is great because that will
bring us much closer to reaching our goal of a zero-carbon future.
I think it’s extremely important that we do everything we can
for our environment before it’s too late to go back and fix our
mistakes.

236
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/
south-australia-solar-meets-100-percent-energy-demands/

237
Lists of Authors

List of Participants

Authors by last name.

Ash, A., 17 Dziadzio, I., 13

Bartlett, C., 224 Firestone, M., 126

Bathrick, N., 8 FoxElster, C., 112
Bear, S., 99 Fulbright, L., 115
Birely, P., 32
Bobo, H., 221, 222 Geldner, M., 49
Bouche, K., 25 Gesinski, D., 228
Bovee, R., 11 Gleasure, F., 193
Bray, A., 236 Gonzalez, J., 232
Breuker, D., 29 Gray, D., 57
Briolat, D., 183 Gregory, B., 190

Cardiff, M., 107 Haan, A., 46

Castillo, B., 36 Haan, B., 117
Colburn, M., 18 Halstead, A., 30
Cole, R., 110 Hecht, J., 102
Colvin, J., 226
Cook, C., 14 Ilmberger, M., 185,
Cudney, C., 124 216

Degraaf, N., 39 Jipping, G., 206

238
Johnson, M., 210 Phelps, B., 74
Phillips, M., 43
Kachnowski, R., 19 Prince, J., 10
Kelly, R., 66
Kidder, M., 145 Robinson, M., 15
King, G., 92 Rosenthal, A., 198
Klimek, H., 132 Ruiter, E., 105
Knaffle, M., 218
Kuzma, M., 71, 220 Salinas, J., 166
Sanders, B., 177
Langford, B., 230 Satawa, S., 214
Leslie, A., 12 Schouten, R., 24
Longstreth, E., 9 Shivers, A., 22
Lozano, A., 205 Sibless, K., 21
Sidorowicz, A., 96
Martinez-Maldonado, B.,
Sikkema, M., 34
139
Sinnaeve, L., 88
Martinez-Mendez, J.,
Springstead, S., 63
60
McClelland, J., 181
Tran, A., 208
Miller, J., 23
Moeggenberg, O.,
Vanderkooi, B., 85
212
Volmering, G., 20
Neuenfeldt, N., 151
Nicholas, D., 187 Walker, D., 157
Wetzel, R., 16
Osko, D., 26 Whiteside, O., 163
Ouelhaci, L., 234 Wright, K., 41

Patrolia, D., 121 Yaworski, A., 170

Pearson, G., 27 Young, J., 81

239
Participants by Institution

Colleges presenting, organized by primary author.

College of Arts, Halstead, A., 30

Sciences and Hecht, J., 102
Education Ilmberger, M., 185,
Bartlett, C., 224 216
Bathrick, N., 8 Jipping, G., 206
Birely, P., 32 Johnson, M.,
Bobo, H., 221 210
Bovee, R., 11 Kelly, R., 66
Bray, A., 236 Kidder, M., 145
Briolat, D., 183 Knaffle, M., 218
Cardiff, M., 107 Kuzma, M., 71,
Castillo, B., 36 220
Colburn, M., 18 Langford, B.,
Colvin, J., 226 230
Degraaf, N., 39 Leslie, A., 12
FoxElster, C., Longstreth, E.,
112 9
Fulbright, L., Lozano, A., 205
115 Moeggenberg, O.,
Gesinski, D., 212
228 Neuenfeldt, N.,
Gonzalez, J., 151
232 Nicholas, D.,
Haan, A., 46 187
Haan, B., 117 Osko, D., 26

240
 Ouelhaci, L., Miller, J., 23
234 Pearson, G., 27
Patrolia, D., Salinas, J., 166
121 Schouten, R.,
Phelps, B., 74 24
Rosenthal, A., Whiteside, O.,
198 163
Ruiter, E., 105 Yaworski, A.,
Sanders, B., 170
177 Young, J., 81
Satawa, S., 214 College of Engineering
Shivers, A., 22 Technol-
Sibless, K., 21 ogy
Sinnaeve, L., 88 Cole, R., 110
Tran, A., 208 King, G., 92
Vanderkooi, B., McClelland, J.,
85 181
Volmering, G., College of Health Pro-
20 fessions
College of Business Cudney, C., 124
Ash, A., 17 Geldner, M., 49
Bear, S., 99 Gregory, B., 190
Cook, C., 14 Klimek, H., 132
Dziadzio, I., 13 Martinez-
Firestone, M., Maldonado,
126 B., 139
Gleasure, F., Martinez-Mendez,
193 J., 60
Gray, D., 57 Phillips, M., 43
Kachnowski, R., Prince, J., 10
19 Robinson, M.,

241
 15 Wright, K., 41
Sidorowicz, A.,
96
Sikkema, M., 34 University College
Springstead, S., Bouche, K., 25
63 Breuker, D., 29
Walker, D., 157 Wetzel, R., 16

242