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The Overlooked Population: Mental Health Crisis of Brittany Students Post-COVID
Alone, isolated from friends, struggling with finances, and constantly worried about his loved ones back at home, Abdul spent days in bed, sleeping through online classes and not communicating with anyone. A student at IMT Atlantique in Brittany, France, Abdul lost more than fun nights out with friends and in-person lectures when the pandemic forced the city into lockdown. "It was difficult to live another day at that time."
Thriving Amidst Discrimination
“There is still so much that happens to people of color that we should be upset about and protesting against. There is still so much work to be done before PWIs can truly be safe spaces for students of color too. Even though that is the case, my challenges being at a PWI taught me that I should not feel guilty for taking care of myself first. I learned about the importance of safe spaces and community.”
The Gift of Friendship
“All the years of watching American films and listening to American music could not have prepared me for the culture shock and loneliness I experienced during my time there. But despite some of the challenges I went through while trying to navigate predominantly white spaces, I found such incredible friends. It warms my heart to know that through it all we held each other in love, in care, in kindness.”
Queering the African at a PWI
“Being black and queer, and of African descent, is an identity that shaped some of my college experiences,” writes Nhlakanipho Khumalo. “These individual identities are woven within each other, and isolating them was often a challenge when I interacted with white people on campus.”
The Invisibility of Black Women in Predominantly White Institututions
“The only time I was noticed in any space was when topics related to blackness arose. Otherwise, I would be deemed intimidating and unapproachable at first glance.” Cynthia Lanor reflects on her experience at a PWI.
The Last Pick in Gym Class
“Being a BIPOC woman in a PWI felt a lot like being the last pick in gym class—you know, in middle school when they are picking teams for a competitive game of dodgeball…That is the feeling I had while pursuing my graduate degree, the feeling of being less than even though we all deserved a spot in that class.”
"My COVID Summer" : Students Share Experiences, Hopes for the Future
St. Lawrence University students, like students everywhere, have faced a range of issues connected to the global pandemic. Weave contributor and editor Nicole Roché reached out to former students from all over the country—and all over the world—asking them to share their experiences from this difficult summer.
Here are their stories.
Sentiments of a Black Scientist: Letter to My White Colleagues
“You have the privilege to choose when you want to listen, reflect, and act on diversity in STEM. Because you have chosen, for now, to listen, can I make a suggestion? Rather than replying with sympathy, stories, and silver linings, develop a plan for what you’re going to do to change.” In his contribution to our Surviving PWIs for POC series, Charles Scaife writes a letter to white scientists.
How Was Your Weekend?
To break the awkwardness of a group discussion, a student asks, “how was your weekend?” For Namarig Kram, the question from a white classmate was a window into the dynamics of racism on and around her university campus in northern NY. Read her story in the latest installment of our Surviving PWIs for POC series.
Straddling Gratitude and Resentment
In the latest installment of our Surviving PWIs for POC series, Karen Chalamilla reflects on her postgrad education at SOAS (University of London). “Simply being critical of Euro-patriarchal thinking will never be enough,” writes Chalamilla. “Its dominance runs too deep. If this is what academic institutions consider to be decolonization, then we ought to question whether the project is worth our energy at all.”
SLU Faculty Letter to the Community About Systemic Racism in America
A statement released on June 11, 2020, by members of the local AAUP chapter at St. Lawrence University (Canton, NY) and other St. Lawrence faculty members in response to systemic racism and the nationwide and worldwide protests against following the police killing of George Floyd.
Campus Quarantine: A Student Documentary
Weave News is proud to join The Hill News (the St. Lawrence University student newspaper) in co-publishing Campus Quarantine, a new documentary about students stuck on campus during the COVID-19 pandemic. Filmed and directed by Meiting Li, the documentary features excerpts from interviews conducted with St. Lawrence students, including graduating seniors, who remained on campus during the period of “remote learning” at the end of the Spring 2020 semester. What was it like for them? What challenges have they been facing? What have they learned from the experience, and what are they looking forward to?
Quarantine Demands Rethinking the 'Educational Factory'
Sara Monggaard reflects on the implications of the pandemic for the experience of university students. “I believe in this period of monumental global pause, unity and introspection, we have a unique window to look forward. It is time to tear our structures apart and rethink the purpose of ‘education’ with restructured learning objectives and methods. What does it mean to be educated? What should education prepare us to tackle?”