T
he future is disturbingly
uncertain, yet it’s the only
thing to think about. When
will things go back to normal? Soon,
but also never. This generation of
young people will be feeling the
effects of the pandemic for a long
time and the experience of living
through it is going to shape the way
they see their lives and the world
forever. College seniors — who had
their last months on campus and
their graduation taken away by
COVID-19 and are graduating into
an uncertain world and floundering
economy — are undoubtedly in
a unique situation. Juniors, on
the
other
hand,
narrowly
escaped
that
experience
and instead have a
one-year buffer.
Juniors
have
been given a unique
circumstance.
They
are
experiencing
those
shocking
withdrawals from
college
which
are
traditionally
associated
with
seniors, yet they
still have one more shot. Three
years on campus have felt like all of
eternity. Most of us are at a point
where our high school friendships
have narrowed down to just a few
and our college circles are the
biggest parts of our lives. We are
now geographically scattered, much
as we will be after graduation.
Yet, we will return to campus in
the fall for a school year unlike any
other. It will have been the longest
we have ever been apart from our
college friends and restarting our
normal activities will feel like a
reunion.
After
returning
from
online
classes, we will likely have less
of an itch to pull out our phones
under the table. We will know how
valuable in-person learning is after
our
attempted
month-and-a-half
of
awkward
Zoom
discussions.
When assigned a group project,
rather than being annoyed with the
difficult task of finding a common
meeting time, we might just be
glad we get to interact with our
classmates in person.
After three years in the same spot,
college seniors of past years may
have been itching to leave campus.
Everything they wanted to try was
done and every place they wanted to
see was seen. The horrible landlord
was frustrating, the late nights at
the library were exhausting, the
same catered pizza at every campus
event was bland. That won’t be the
case for the class of 2021. We aren’t
going to feel like we’ve outgrown
our campus because we won’t be
taking any moment for granted.
It’s possible that after reuniting
with our friends, we will feel like
the college students we were before
the pandemic. However, given the
scale of this event, it’s impact isn’t
going to disappear from our daily
lives. The landscape of Ann Arbor
may feel different with more local
businesses gone. We still won’t be
at ease, being close to others in
large groups. Our personal finances
will be in a different place than
expected. Sadly, some of our peers
and
colleagues
will be mourning
someone whose life
was taken by the
virus.
Everything
we do on campus
for our final year is
going to be at least a
little bit different.
It will certainly be
filled
with
more
gratitude.
Of
course,
we
didn’t get to say
goodbye
to
the
seniors in the way
we wanted to. That’s one thing
that cannot be done over. The
class of 2021 had the 2020 seniors
by our side for our entire college
experience. They are our mentors,
role models and friends. Seeing
their time at Michigan closed out
abruptly without celebration felt
personal to us. Our friends who
we looked to for advice on future
courses, housing and internships
are now facing great economic
uncertainties. We looked to them to
watch how our future might unfold,
and they can no longer serve as a
guide to us.
Thinking
long-term,
this
generation, mostly Generation Z,
is never going to forget what it was
like to be a young person during the
pandemic. The rapid transition to
distanced communication and the
uncertain future will be the same
memory in the minds of all school-
aged young people no matter what
grade they were in. The unique
position of college juniors is that
we have exactly one year left of our
education. It feels like everything
has fallen apart right at the end, but
we have two semesters to piece it all
back together again and find some
semblance of normalcy. In 2021,
we are going to have a graduation
ceremony, and it won’t feel like just
a formality.
4 — Thursday, April 9, 2020
Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Alanna Berger
Zack Blumberg
Brittany Bowman
Emily Considine
Jess D’Agostino
Jenny Gurung
Cheryn Hong
Krystal Hur
Ethan Kessler
Zoe Phillips
Mary Rolfes
Michael Russo
Timothy Spurlin
Miles Stephenson
Joel Weiner
Erin White
ERIN WHITE
Managing Editor
Stanford Lipsey Student Publications Building
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890.
ELIZABETH LAWRENCE
Editor in Chief
EMILY
CONSIDINE
AND
MILES
STEPHENSON
Editorial Page Editors
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of The Daily’s Editorial Board.
All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
LEAH ADELMAN | COLUMN
Class of 2021, post-pandemic
Leah Adelman can be reached at
ladelman@umich.edu.
W
ith
the
current
COVID-19
public
health
crisis,
it’s
become particularly clear that the
pandemic reaches beyond being
just a highly contagious, viral
disease or issue of community
spread.
The
coronavirus
pandemic effectively stratified
the population into its different
social identities and personalities
based on the impact on specific
communities. While the United
States may be a melting pot, the
virus has made evident these
pre-existing divisions within a
community.
These
“new”
categories
or groups make us aware of
identities and statuses we may
not have considered within the
standard set of “social identities.”
We tend to consider communities
based on where someone is
living. Especially for millennials,
the
COVID-19
public
health
crisis is an incredible teaching
moment. The current state of
the world shows us the ways
in which disease and illness
impact
us
disproportionately.
Typically
when
discussing
social
identities,
there’s
the
standard “social identity wheel.”
This circle includes 11 sectors:
ethnicity,
race,
religious
or
spiritual affiliation, age, physical,
emotional, developmental ability,
first language, national origin,
sexual orientation, sex, gender
and socioeconomic status. It’s
easy to view identities as rigid
categories when it’s important to
instead shift and look at identities
as a spectrum.
Alongside the 11 identities
listed, COVID-19 proved that
occupation,
encompassing
job security and income, is an
identity that is affected unequally.
Additionally, whether or not
you are essential personnel or a
non-essential worker is another
division brought to light due to
COVID-19. These are examples
of identity that, while associated
with the socioeconomic part
of the social identity wheel,
aren’t always visible to the eye
and therefore aren’t taken into
account on a daily basis.
Another
example
within
a
global
context
reported
by the Center for Strategic
and
International
Studies
is
“The Impact of COVID-19 on
Humanitarian
Crises.”
Due
to travel restrictions, refugee
resettlement
programs
are
temporarily halted. Additionally,
migrants and refugees are often in
living situations that do not allow
for social distancing to flatten the
curve. Personally, immigration
status is an identity that, as a U.S.
citizen, I do not think about often.
This is a privilege because, in this
day and age, immigration status
determines the level of public
health care you’re able to receive.
Even on our campus, being
a local business owner in Ann
Arbor is particularly difficult
right now because most of the
campus community has gone
home, and the people that are still
in Ann Arbor are mostly staying
at home. This means that the
usual customers aren’t coming in
and the unfortunate reality is that
rent is still due on the first of the
month. For example, welcoming
spaces like aUM Yoga or MVMT
which many University students
frequently attend, are completely
shut down. However, both studios
are creating videos to make
content virtually accessible to
all. For those University students
who are dependent on places
like aUM or MVMT to prioritize
both
mental
and
physical
wellness must seek this in new
forms. There are local farms
and produce-growers across the
country within the agricultural
industry
offering
contact-free
curbside delivery of items that
may no longer be available in big
brand grocery stores. However,
farm owners are still struggling
to find innovative ways to sell
their crops and produce revenue
during this uncertain time.
Additionally, this is a terrifying
time for health care professionals
fighting on the front lines against
COVID-19.
Now
more
than
ever, the world is depending on
health care professionals to be
superheroes. There are doctors
living in tents in their garages
to prevent spreading the virus
to their family members. There
are pregnant ER doctors who
risked not just their health but
the health of their child in order
to care for their patients with
COVID-19. Furthermore, with
the lack of personal protective
equipment (PPE) available, it
is time to re-evaluate reality —
there is not enough support for
our health care professionals.
Take this time to learn about
how
this
pandemic
affects
different identities and what you
can do to help. Look around you
and take note of the widespread
impacts that stretch far beyond
the symptoms of cough, fever
and shortness of breath. Practice
being mindful of all identities
and groups; we are more than
what’s found within the social
identity wheel. Start making a
list of all the efforts being made
to help health care workers and
those affected by COVID-19.
When we’re able to return to new
normalcy, let’s return the support
to
these
organizations
and
institute preventative measures
to protect small businesses and
health care professionals in the
future.
To
my
fellow
graduating
seniors,
no
matter
how
heartbreaking it may be to end
four years on such an uncertain
note, let’s take this as a hands-
on opportunity in whatever field
or line of study you’re pursuing
post-graduation to learn how to
improve the current systems in
place. If you’re pursuing health
care or medicine, this is the time
to start thinking about how we
can better deliver health care to
all affected groups and identities.
If you’re pursuing business, this
is the time to find creative ways
to fund small businesses before
entering
times
of
economic
decline? In times of emergencies
like these, it’s up to us to apply
our
University
of
Michigan
educations to find ways to bridge
these divisions.
How COVID-19 further highlights disparities
VARNA KODOTH | COLUMN
Varna Kodoth can be reached
at vkodoth@umich.edu.
Look around you
and take note of
the widespread
impacts that
stretch far beyond
the symptoms.
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They are
experiencing
those shocking
withdrawals from
college which
are traditionally
associated with
seniors, yet they
have one more shot.