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I take solace in the knowledge that we're all sort of figuring it out together. The collective suffering through all we've lost is but another way that Duke has bonded us together.
Duke was a leader in making pass/fail grading widely available during this crisis. That should just be the start of reevaluating how we grade.
“I just think part-timers should get the same type of benefit(s) as full-timers since we do the same work as them, you know?” Angel said.
I minored in political science, and it’s a subject I’ve been heavily involved with, but all those political science classes and grand strategy talks hardly take into consideration the lives of ordinary people.
So while I could never pretend to understand exactly what it is like to be in your position—being afforded even less time to enjoy what was left of college before what was already sure to be a very bittersweet May afternoon—I’d be remiss if I didn’t remind you that your friends aren’t going anywhere that you can’t follow them, virtually or physically.
I knew my first year in college would be full of surprises, but I don’t remember the FAC chat on what to do in the case of a global pandemic. I must’ve slept through that one.
Why are graduate students treated as an afterthought when their contributions are key to Duke’s everyday function?
While we, the class of 2020, will have infinite responses to answer where we were when senior year was canceled, there is one that is unanimous and sadly fitting: we were apart.
More importantly, we can learn from the love others have shown, the sacrifices others have made, the struggles we are all going through together.
Our last class period, our last Old Duke, our last a cappella rehearsal, our last student performance, our last dreaded walk from Blue Zone, our last LDOC, our last glance at the iconic Chapel, our last… All these final moments have already happened, and I can only look back wishing that I had soaked in each one just a little bit more.
I understand that none of this is part of the plan. But the comfort the university provides can be detrimental to masking underlying issues with a thick layer of security.
In the age of COVID-19, before you blast someone for their words or actions, remember to empathize with the Blue Devil who’s behind the horns.
What should be established as a low hanging and accessible fruit has been selfishly turned into a high-hanging potential source of disparity.
Graduate workers deserve a safe and productive work environment, and Duke is failing them. Support current graduate workers and urge Duke to meet DGSU’s Fair Contract demands.
To say that no one is hurt by tenting is to turn a blind eye to important facets of overall student well-being on campus.
It is no longer enough for us to use our privilege to recycle or post something to our Instagram story. The stakes are too high for such passive activism.
Dental care is health care. Our bodies don’t make distinctions between broken noses and broken teeth, so why should our insurance?
A public option would address both of the most crucial challenges in health policy today: guaranteeing that everyone is insured and working within the market to compel private insurance companies to cut costs and improve care, all while not forcing anyone against their will to give up their current health insurance.
My fellow alumni tell me they value my work. I hope that my stories motivate them to encourage policies that do the same.
I can’t be the only one disgusted by this.
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