May 6, 2020
Page 7
Campus Love, Support during COVID-19
Cascade
Connections
by Dr. Karin Edwards
There’s an African proverb that says, “A
mind, once stretched, never returns to its
original state.” I would like to suggest a
corollary for the COVID-19 era: A society,
stretched by a pandemic, cannot return to
its original state.
Our collective response to the novel
coronavirus outbreak resembles the char-
acter of the American nation itself -- which
is to say, it has brought to the fore both the
best and worst aspects of the human spirit.
We have seen selfless acts of generosity,
kindness, and self-sacrifice; and we have
seen foolish displays of bravado, risk-tak-
ing and willful ignorance.
And we have seen, as we always do in
times of crisis, the worst consequences of
the pandemic fall upon members of mar-
ginalized communities.
Amid the chaotic landscape of life
during a pandemic, one undisputed fact
stands out: No one is beyond the reach of
COVID-19. The novel coronavirus kills
rich, poor, black, white, brown, straight,
queer, conservative, and liberal people
alike, with elegant precision. It respects
neither boundaries nor borders, neither sta-
tus nor privilege. The virus has come for
us all.
Thus it is that, during widespread suffer-
ing, we have seen an outburst of goodwill
and unity that evokes the best memories of
the period immediately following the Sep-
tember 11 attacks. People are sewing pro-
tective masks in their homes. Neighbors are
checking up on each other, offering to make
shopping trips on behalf of the most vulner-
able. Friends and loved ones are reaching
out to each other, across the distance, just to
offer words of love and encouragement. Ev-
ery day, we see the outpouring of gratitude
and appreciation for the unflagging efforts
of front-line health care workers.
At the Cascade Campus of Portland
Community College, where I am campus
president, the acts and gestures of love and
support are enough to bring a tear to my
eye. The Cascade Food Pantry -- which
distributes thousands of pounds of food
per month in the best of times -- after be-
ing forced to shut its doors, has arranged
to mail grocery store gift cards to needy
students in lieu of food. Prior to PCC clos-
ing its physical facilities, staff rushed to
get laptops and other necessary pieces of
technology in the hands of students so that
they could continue their studies from their
homes. Our Campus Learning Garden staff
are bagging and distributing fresh produce
to students. Faculty, staff, and students
alike have set up networks of support in
order to stay connected.
And all of us who are staying home are,
to one degree or another, sacrificing mobil-
ity, income, and all the social interactions
that help define the human experience, all
to “flatten the curve” and protect those
most vulnerable to COVID-19.
With all this altruism going on, one
c ontinued on P age 10
N E W S P A P E R
2020 Graduation Special Edition
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