This section is dedicated to all of the UPS class of 2020 seniors who will not get to walk across the stage as planned, the senior athletes who will not finish their final seasons with their teams, the senior musicians who will not get to perform their final concerts and recitals, and all of those who will not get to finish their degree in the physical presence of their peers. With an emphasis on first generation students and students of color, The Senior Situation provides insight into the thoughts and feelings of the class of 2020, whose graduation has been postponed until 2021 in the midst of COVID-19.
Class of 2020 African American Studies: Congrats!
Showcase Issue: Department of African American Studies, Thank you
Written by Monica Schweitz | Click above to read more
…I want to take this space to publicly acknowledge and thank the African American Studies faculty for their remarkable understanding and compassion during this time… As Dr. Livingston reminds us, living and learning are inextricably linked. My AFAM classes were among the small number of spaces that succeeded in striking the delicate balance between ignoring the significant sadness of this time and wallowing in it…
Third Issue Senior OpEd: Bounce Rock Skate Roll: On the Gift of Covid-19 for AFAM Graduating Seniors
Written by Professor Renee Simms | Click above to read more
...This virus has lifted a veil and this clarity is its gift to graduates like you. Unlike previous graduating seniors, you won’t hear empty platitudes that your anxiety about the future is “normal” and “it will all work out in the end.” No one will pretend that structures undergirding our society always work…
Second Issue Senior OpEd: COVID-19 — A Thief
Written by Grace Eberhardt | Click above to read more.
…As a graduating senior heavily involved in the History of Eugenics Symposium, an African American Studies and Biology double-major who was hoping to leave a mark in how our University confronts our ugly past, and as a biology student of Color who was hoping to increase awareness of scientific maladies and in turn, provide a more welcoming environment to those who historically and presently endure racial inequalities in the sciences, Covid-19 seemed to take this all away….
First Issue Senior OpEd: Legally Postponed: “A Glimpse into What a First Gen Student is Feeling About Graduation 2020”
Written by Rachel Lorentz | Click above to read more.
…As a first generation student and a member of the class of 2020, getting that email on April fourth stating that commencement would be moved to May of 2021 was devastating… My worlds aren’t going to collide in the way that I had imagined, and it makes me sad to think about how many of my classmates are going through something similar…
