Sue Small-Kreider – In Motion Staff Writer
When I was given the assignment at the beginning of March to write about attending a college media conference in New York City, I had planned on talking about how being part of a college club is a great way to learn new things, enhance what one is learning in classes, and sometimes provides opportunities for trips outside of Volusia County.
Then came Spring Break. I was scrambling to complete class projects before I had to leave for the four-day conference in New York, when I got word that our trip was cancelled. I was both relieved and upset that the trip being cancelled. It seemed silly, but then I started to think about all the people I could impacted had I went—family, friends, coworkers at my job and the older, more vulnerable people I might come in contact with at my place of worship. I started hearing that universities across the nation had begun closing campuses and going to online only classes.
On the evening of March 12, the President of the United States the announced that travel from Europe was being restricted. Soon this announcement was followed by more announcements of the NBA cancelling its season and celebrity Tom Hanks stating that he and his wife had tested positive for the virus and were quarantined in Australia for at least two weeks. Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York then issued a ban on gatherings of 500 or more people in the state of New York. I now realized our advisor had made the correct decision to cancel the trip.
On the morning of March 13, I heard on the radio someone say that there are no more ordinary days. It reminded me of how I felt on September 11, 2001 and the days that followed. It echoed what a family member who had served in World War II said about when they heard that Pearl Harbor had been bombed. That life changes.
By the afternoon of March 13, the President declared a national emergency. Daytona State College President Dr. Tom LoBasso followed with an emailed statement to students and all college employees that the campus would be closed effective March 16. Online classes would continue as usual, but face-to-face classes would be suspended for one week and then go online March 23.
Throughout the weekend, DSC leadership were planning and revising plans on how to go forward with the possibility of everyone being asked to stay home. On Sunday, March 15 it was announced that DSC campuses would remain closed to students on March 16 and 17 with computer labs opening on Wednesday, March 18 for students who did not have access to the internet.
Monday morning, March 16 the college’s Critical Incident Management Team met and then a broader group of administrators and academic department chairs met to be informed on the plans to keep students, faculty and staff safe and how to implement the plans. Faculty were given March 16 and 17 to transition their face to face classes into online classes for the rest of the semester. Work-study students were told not to report for work at all during the week of March 16-21.
On March 17 students were told “Based on the latest updates from state and national officials, students are not to come to any Daytona State College campus until further notice.”
So life is changing at a rapid pace. Who knows what changes will happen between this moment that I write this and the time that it is read?
What I do know is that as we deal with the changes each day, we need to be thankful for caring people around us either by technology or in-person who are doing their jobs to the best of their abilities and as the situation allows. We need not to let our fears get the better of us. As the 1939 World War II British poster said, “Keep calm and carry on.”