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Friday
March 29th, 2024
L&T Opinions Page

rachel colemanSAINTS PERSPECTIVE, Rachel Coleman, SCCC public relations

 

Seward County Community College paused normal operations this week for Fall Break, with the campus closed Monday, and no classes Monday or Tuesday. 

On any ordinary year, Fall Break feels like a much-needed moment of rest after the hectic flurry of the beginning of the semester. This year, it feels that way — which is, in itself, really strange. 

Thank the pandemic for that. 

By now, nearly two years after the first reports of a strange and deadly virus making its way around the world, throwing the pandemic into any conversation is almost a cliche. “Not everything can be blamed on the pandemic,” we’ve been told, while at the same time, almost all the oddities and struggles of life, from supply chain delays to lack of motivation to inexplicable health problems are certainly (or possibly) connected to the pandemic. 

That’s why it feels great — and at the same time, oddly surreal — to walk around campus and see the faces of coworkers and students. It feels normal — and at the same time, a little off, like deja vu — to show up for meetings and events, gathering with large groups of people as if nothing has changed. 

SCCC lifted its mask mandate at the beginning of October. Members of the public, students, faculty and staff are no longer required to wear masks on campus. It’s a welcome decision for many, though not for those who are immunocompromised or who are unable to get the COVID vaccine. The college’s COVID response team has specified that anyone who wants wear a mask may require others to do the same in a personal office or work space. This extends to instructors who want to require mask use in classes they teach. 

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Along with the change to mask protocols, the COVID team recommended that unvaccinated people continue wearing masks. The team also reminded everyone to stick with the basics — careful and frequent hand washing, covering a cough, staying home when sick, and practicing social distancing whenever possible. 

It’s an imperfect solution, but then, that’s life: imperfect, beautiful, often maddening. To be fully present is to constantly confront mysteries and dilemmas, trying our best to set aside fear. 

The entire situation reminds me of the challenges presented whenever people bump up against the realities of death. The grieving process is also fraught with emotion and multiple approaches. From the fragile sense of normalcy to the difficulty in setting protocols that apply to a large group of people, COVID response is a little like trying to write a manual on how to approach a bad diagnosis, or how to respond to the loss of a loved one. It’s impossible to find one way that works for everyone. Yet we all face the same big questions and outcomes that apply to everyone in the end. 

The highlight of the week on campus, most would agree, was the “big reveal” of a secret fundraiser for SCCC employee Amy Knudsen in conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Coworkers conspired to create baseball caps with Amy’s trademark exclamation “Uff Da” which they sold to raise money, donating half the proceeds to Amy herself. Miraculously, the project remained a secret until Monday morning, when SCCC employees, all wearing their “Amy Hats,” surprised her in the front entrance of the building with cheers and a big check. 

Anyone who wants a dose of optimism about humanity should view the video on the SCCC Facebook page. 

And there we had it: a way to carry on amid confusing conditions. Whether it’s cancer or COVID, an unsolvable problem or a politically divisive issue, the answer can always be more kindness. Nobody wearing a baseball cap purported to have the solution to the problem. What we did know, though, is that human connection and plain old love can cover, as the Bible would phrase it, “a multitude” of troubles. 

That’s what I’ll be thinking about as I make my way through Fall Break and back to the office: How people make a difference when we show up for each other. How the best thing about no more masks means an opportunity to share a smile. How, like the seasons change every year, time will have its way with all of us — but we can choose how to spend our days with each new day. 

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