The last year has been rife with the stresses and misfortunes COVID-19 has wrought. This pandemic has impacted the ways in which the students learn, our teachers teach, and our leaders lead us. Biology professor Dr. Heath Garris said that COVID-19 has “certainly kept [him] on [his] toes.” Furthermore, “effective instruction requires responding to students' needs, and teaching in a way that's both relatable/engaging and distant/safe has proved challenging. Mostly it has required more grace and understanding from me and my students as we figure this out.”
Photos taken from Covenant College.
If you were involved with the Theatre Department during Fall 2019 and Spring 2020, these unfortunate happenings are most likely all too familiar for you. In theatre professor Claire Slavovsky’s words, “[The Sound of Music] involved tons of theatre and music students, the orchestra, many faculty and staff members, kids from the community and several alumni. A hundred or so people had been working towards dress rehearsals starting the next Monday, and it all just stopped. That was really difficult.” Thankfully, Covenant’s Theatre Department is resilient, finding new and innovative ways to overcome the difficulties of doing theatre in this time of social distancing and forbidden crowds.
Drs. Carole Yue and David Washburn in the Psychology Department also expressed difficulties in teaching but additionally their appreciation for the flexibility and growth of the faculty and students during this time. Dr. Washburn said, “Like the other faculty members here, I've been able to teach the subjects I love to wonderful students… Moreover, I know without question that students have continued to learn. COVID has made learning more challenging, but students last spring, last fall, and this semester have continued to learn so much about psychology and their other courses. God has continued to grow our students academically and spiritually and emotionally and socially, despite all the changes and challenges.”
It’s safe to say that nobody anticipated COVID-19’s rapid spread, but as a community, Covenant has overcome the obstacles presented in numerous ways, some of which will hopefully remain even after things reach a point of what was formerly normal. Making takeout from the Great Hall available is a favorite of many including Professor Slavovsky.
Others, like President Halvorson, hope to see a continuation of a greater appreciation for the outdoors. “It's become so common for Americans to spend all of their time sealed inside of air-conditioned buildings and cars,” Halvorson said. “Historically, people understood the importance of getting fresh air to avoid disease. I hope we'll be much quicker to open windows, eat outside, go out for walks, nap in hammocks, hike, etc. I especially hope that's the case here at Covenant, where we have such ready access to a truly beautiful part of God's creation.”
The pandemic, while being a harbinger of hard times, has not only brought sadness and stress but also opportunities for growth in creative and surprising ways. Seeing God work in so many ways throughout the past semesters has been an overwhelming reminder of His goodness even during trials and tribulations. President Halvorson gave a great example of this in the form of John 13:35, "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” President Halvorson said that he has seen God at work in the way people in this community have loved and cared for one another, even with all of the limitations placed on them by COVID-19 restrictions.
Since that fateful day over a year ago, Covenant’s president has watched “faculty give countless hours to revising courses to accommodate a new delivery mode, out of love for their students.” He has seen “staff put tremendous amounts of thought and effort into ensuring the campus is safe for faculty and students, out of love for this community.” He has observed students setting aside “their own preferences for the sake of protecting those at greater risk of harm from the virus, out of love for faculty and staff.”
Faculty members were granted the opportunity to be vaccinated a couple weeks ago, and the majority of students have just been able to start inoculation. As Dr. Garris sees it, “Many of us are tempted to view vaccines exclusively from the perspective of personal risk. The challenging fact is that COVID-19 does not present as great a risk to the young/healthy as it does to the elderly and those with chronic medical conditions. Choosing to receive the vaccine as a young/healthy person therefore cannot be about avoiding the sniffles. In my opinion, you should receive the vaccine when it becomes available to you to protect those we are called to love (particularly the elderly and the infirmed).”
As a community, Covenant can pride itself on working together to power through what this pandemic has thrown at everyone. God has graciously given Covenant College many unexpected resources, a strong community that cares for each other, and His hand upon this institution.