Today is Monday of week 13 (Nov. 16)
From this week forward, all your classes are online, and that is a bit earlier than scheduled.
I still want to congratulate all of those who are on campus for keeping us at level 1 ("New Normal") for the better part of 12 weeks. That's amazing!! under the circumstances! Our college did not constitute a health hazard, when in so many other locations higher education institutions became hot spots and lead to an overburdened healthcare system. That it did not happen is all due to the hard work the students on campus put in. Well done! 👏🏻👏🏻
The irony of inviting all students back to campus for Spring 21, only to see next the level rise quickly to 2, then to 3, is not lost on me. But I genuinely think there are circumstances beyond the control of our small community at work here; and the College also does not want to become the bad member of that wider community, by pretending that everything is fine when such behavior would only make things worse.
What does all of this mean for the Spring semester? I honestly don't know! We haven't heard any more than you did since the message went out on Saturday. But there is a long way to go yet between now and February 8, when that semester starts. Let's hope people in general become more sensible in wearing masks and minimizing their contacts, so we stand a chance of coming back to campus, and then you'll make everybody be amazed again at how well the Mules keep Covid at bay!
In the mean time, and until a vaccine is distributed to all, know that I'm also fed up with not being able to see anybody in person, with not going out, with doing social stuff on Zoom only, and with being stuck on my own across the ocean from my family. But moaning about it, or worse, being cavalier about Covid-19 precautions, is not making any of the bad stuff go away. I have personally found I can adjust my perspective on a bad day by listening to Tara Brach's talks. It helps to remember I am not alone, and to bear in mind that change and uncertainty have always been with us; they are now simply a whole lot more visible for many more people. As historians, we should all be familiar with this idea already. But the lived experience is of course something different.
Schedule for today
| HST137 |
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| HST271 |
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| HST439 |
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Mini Monday
On my walks north of Tilghman, I have often wondered what the story is behind these two different locations, which are less than a mile from each other. Do the gnomes travel to visit each other? Are they safe from the virus, or do they need to stick to the same precautions as we do? If so, will they get the vaccine? 🤔
