BEING A GRADUATE STUDENT IN THE AGE OF CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)

I am running a graduate seminar called “Academia and Beyond” where I asked students to have an academic journal where they write down their thoughts, hopes and fears about their careers. In class we discussed topics ranging from ‘imposter syndrome’ to “the art of spinning a story.” When classes were cancelled at LSU, I asked them to write about their thoughts about being a graduate student during this coronavirus crisis. Some of them volunteered to share their thoughts below, some anonymously. Several are international students with a very different perspective than those raised in the U.S. I only lightly edited these submissions to maintain the authors’ voices, so please forgive any grammatical errors; I added the titles as editor. If you are a graduate student and would like to contribute to this post, please send me an email prosanta@lsu.edu

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How to Keep Graduate Students From Feeling Forgotten

Being a graduate student during the COVID-19 epidemic has re-affirmed to me the importance of addressing the issues graduate students face – issues now being encountered on a much more intense and shorter time scale due to COVID-19. When universities were sending out their move-to-online and campus closure notifications rarely did administrators reach out to graduate students to ask about graduate instruction, or housing, child care, and medical needs. Given the fast-paced nature of the decisions being made to close campuses, this lack-of-direct-communication is perhaps understandable, but all the same it does not make graduate students feel valued. How do we fit in? Are we workers? Are we students?

In the coming weeks I hope to see discussions from professors and administrators for how to “extend the clock” for graduate students, especially for programs with a hard 4-or-5-year graduation deadline (thankfully, it’s 7 years for LSU graduate students – go tigers). I would also hope that this epidemic makes universities realize how important it is to provide health insurance to all employees, especially to vulnerable graduate students who may not be able to purchase good insurance from the marketplace due to their already modest incomes. I hope to see plans, on large and small scales, about how to jump-start now stalled summer research plans or how to replace critical networking opportunities found at now-canceled conferences for senior graduate students looking for post-docs. Many of us are now stuck at home worrying, will precious dissertation samples, which represent months of planning and field work or experiments, still be usable when this is all over?

Please reach out to your graduate student friends and colleagues to see how they are doing. Even if they seem “fine” they may not be. Many of my friends were already struggling with mental health issues, financial challenges, being in long-distance relationships, trying to start families, being separated from aging parents, braving the horrid job market, before this all started. COVID-19 has just exacerbated all of these worries x100.

What are my coping mechanisms? I am lucky to be in a supportive department with advisors who do not expect us to be working in the lab etc. during this period of time. Rather there is a “do your best” attitude and focus on getting done what you can control, like reading and writing. I encourage everyone to take this attitude right now. We still have weekly lab meetings which are as much a social outlet and group therapy session as a business meeting right now.

I’ve found that reaching out to long-distance friends and family for Skype dates and remote movie nights is a wonderful way to use the extra “inside” time I have now. I’ve been going for a walk every morning for an all-natural mood-lifer. The world seems a little less dark with spring migration beginning. I’m also excited for a “make lemonade out of lemons” reading group a couple of us are doing on biogeography – since everything is now being done online, anyone will be able to join, no matter where they work! Take advantage and tune in to those remote dissertation defenses and seminar talks and try to enjoy the “slow down” we are all forced into.

By Anonymous (submitted 3/25/2020)

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International Graduate Student Seeing the Bright and Dark Side 

All this started as a “terrible flu” somewhere far away from me. It has now become the world's worst nightmare. For the first time in my life, I´ve seen the worst side of human beings, I´ve seen how selfish, ignorant and idiotic people can be. Several times in my life I´ve watched the news in situations when an extreme climatic event impacted a given country, but I was never part of those impacted. This time it is different, this time I´m on the wrong side - as is the rest of the world. I´m not watching the news, I've chosen not to. By only seeing what people share on social media, I´m not sure what is more painful, seeing how people are dying or seeing how people´s fears, along with fake news, lead to people acting against each other. However, this time there is another aggravating factor in my case, I´m not living in my country of origin. As an international student seeing this pandemic far from home has been a real challenge, not only because we are out of our comfort zones, but because our beloved ones are out of our reach. This represents a real adversary against our sanity...

However, being optimistic and trying to see the “bright side” of all this madness, a few positive things are coming from it. As a grad student, I’m used to not having time for anything other than work, I wasn’t considering hobbies or anything like that. I was always talking about my research, things that I´d like to do, that I love to do, and that I must do because they are part of my responsibilities as a grad student. Conversely, I can do those things now! The coronavirus has given me that chance. Now is the time to clean sequences, analyze data, finish papers, and much more. I don´t want to talk about collecting samples because that´s a topic of another story…  Another positive experience of being a grad student here at LSU has been that I´ve felt how staff and faculty care about us. Almost every day they have sent an email either to inform us about a change of the current situation and how LSU is handling it or to asking if everything is going ok for us if we need help with anything. It´s good to know that not all people are crazy or selfish, it´s good to know that there are people around who are worried about me.

First week of quarantine and counting… 

March 24th, 2020

By Anonymous

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Going Back Home But Still Far From Extended Family

I've always had a morbid fascination with disaster movies, with the movie "Contagion" at the top of my list. Who knew that within a few years of the film's release, I would be living it myself. COVID-19 seemed very far away from reality while it was in China, but then it hit Italy, where my 90-year old grandma, my 86-year old godmother, and all my mother's cousins (who I've called aunts and uncles since I was a child) live. I had also lived in Rome for eight years, and I still feel a strong tie to the Eternal City that I once called home. I was watching the news about the virus in Italy very closely and as the days progressed, the situation became more and more drastic, and yet Americans seemed unfazed--it was happening in Italy, not here. The number of deaths was doubling each day, and soon the entire country was placed on lockdown. My grandmother would show me on Skype the piazza in front of her house, only a block away from St. Peters, and how it was completely empty--not a tourist or local in sight on a Friday night. It was very eerie, the sound from the pizzerias, gelaterias, and bars beneath my grandma's house used to keep me up all through the night when I lived with her.

It was surreal, but I kept reassuring myself that my family in Italy would be okay and that I should just get my work done--but it was becoming increasingly difficult to focus with Coronavirus updates permeating all news outlets, social media and conversations with friends and family. Growing up in an Italian family (my mother is from Rome, Italy) means that familial ties are very strong, and as the situation continuously escalated, so did the frequency of worried phone calls from my grandma, cousins, and mother, urging me to leave Baton Rouge and be with my immediate family in Michigan. I kept reassuring them that the virus was not in Louisiana, that everything was under control, but it was only a matter of days before it had reached New Orleans.

I had been following the situation in Italy closely, more closely than most others around me, and I knew how bad it could get and how quickly the tides could turn. This was not going to just "blow over." It was at this point that I decided that I would rather face shelter at home with my family than in isolation. This was not a decision that I took lightly given that Michigan was a 17 hour drive away, and I would have to face the drive with a cat in tow. I left quickly once it was announced that campus was closed to all except essential personnel, since I knew based on Italy's trajectory that we were only a few days away from a complete lockdown. I am now locked away in my childhood home with my family in Michigan, and while the constant yelling of a passionate Italian family and unreliable internet make it difficult to make any real progress with my research, at least I am surrounded by my loved ones as I watch the news and know that this is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets any better.

-Alessandra Bresnan (3/24/2020)

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How Survival Training Prepared a Graduate Student For Corona Life

I took survival training during my first year as an undergraduate. It was a training to join a mountaineering club. There were eleven trainees and around ten instructors. The training was conducted inside a forest near the university. The instructors, however, brought us through a circling hike so we would not know where we were. They designed it in a such way, so that we would think twice if we wanted to quit the training. 

There was no day without rain. Some of us had fungal infections on our feet because it was wet all the time. All of us trainees were exhausted. For every mistake we made, the instructors would punish us with ten pushups per mistake. One night we had to do over fifty pushups wearing 30 pound backpacks, mostly because we did not try hard enough to find foods in the forest. In some countries, this would be illegal, but it was normal for a mountaineering club training in my country at that time. The instructors knew we could not even do one pushup. They just wanted to see us trying. Every count they kept repeating, “Do not think about what you can’t have, but think about what you do have and be creative with it”. 

At that time, I regret I took it. Later I learned that was the best training I had in my life. It helped me to endure the pressure of working on remote forests with limited resources and all the politics involved. It helped me to keep my head straight when my team and I lost our way back during an expedition to a remote mountain somewhere in the tropics. Something I had not realized at the time was that this training helped me to keep my stress level low while dealing with cultural shocks studying abroad. With the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown imposed for us, the message that my instructors banged into my head that night resonates again. 

It did not surprise me when my PI told me to be ready to work full time from home. I knew it would eventually come to us. I, however, was not still fully ready to work from home. I still have lab work that needed to be done. Currently, I am at a training stage. A senior graduate student that trains us is about to graduate. 

But again, thinking about what you can’t have is just going to add unnecessary stress. The first few days, I took time to think about the work I needed to get done and my responsibility as a curatorial assistant. I created a list of the work that I could get done from home. Eventually I realized I still have a lot to do. I have enough work to keep me busy until the next several months. It is, however, only half of the problem. The other half is how can I keep myself motivated working in a tiny space.

I waited until the last minute to write this article, so I had a better idea about how to keep myself motivated. The first few days, I spent scanning through my bedroom and look at all the resources I have and how I could improve my situation, so I could work at home and be happy. I first bought a better chair to replace the poker chair that I used to use to work from home. I cleaned up my desk space. I spent time managing all cables on the desk. I removed or replaced all the ugly stuff on it. I rebuilt my desktop PC to improve the cooling system and to keep the fan noise level low. I made sure to have enough games to break my routine. The goal is to make a space where I would prefer to sit in front of my desk rather than get into my bed which is just two feet away. 

I also work on other aspects of my life. I think about what I could not do during the normal working days that I can do now while social distancing. For example, during the normal day, I had to push myself cooking at night for lunch the next day. Often, I only cooked quickly because I was already tired. Now, I don’t have to worry about that anymore. I can cook whenever I am hungry. I’ve eaten more varieties of foods in the last couple weeks than I did the last couple months. During normal working days it is hard to find time to work on my manuscript. I had too much homework in my English class and other obligations. Now, homework and obligation have been stripped down. I have more time to work on my manuscript that has been haunting me for quite a while. 

That is just my story on how I trick myself into focusing on taking advantage of the situation. This little story may not represent the situation of many other graduate students. There are people that needed lab work more than I do but can’t have access to it. The conversations we normally have facing real people, now must be done facing a screen. Depending on how we see it, sometimes it feels harder because we can’t see expression from our audience and their natural reaction to our speech patterns. I, however, try to see the side where all the current lockdown situation is not all bad but it is not fun either. We would all probably agree that it feels like living in a war zone. The good thing is that all we need to do to fight the war is to just stay at home.

-- By Anonymous [Submitted March 27]

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How Preparation and Positivity Will Get Us Through This

No doubt, COVID-19 has joined in the list of historical phenomena that have revealed the vulnerability of human communities. We never saw it coming! This is partly true in some sense. Because by it, I began to consider (hopefully, I am not the only one in this boat) how scientific predictions and warnings from epidemiological data should be taken seriously by our modern culture. It is instructive that things like this could have been averted or at least prepared for? In his 2018 talk, the ecologist Daniel Streicker described how we can prevent rabies outbreak by tracking the movement pattern of vampire bats which function as a host to the virus. He believed that with some ingenuity on our part as humans, such as using genomics to forecast outbreak and spread of edible vaccines among the primary host, we can stall transmission to human population. He was optimistic that studies like his has the potential to keep us one step ahead of rare pandemics. As another example, in an article published some thirteen years ago, Vincent and his colleagues warned that we are potentially at risk of novel viruses emerging as a result of viruses living in horseshoe bats and human interaction with exotic animals. Bill Gates captured the whole thing in this compelling video following the success of the Ebola outbreak. That was only three years ago and how accurate were his suppositions. How chilling were the warnings! [See Bill Gates’s TED talk “The Next Outbreak, We Are Not Ready” https://www.ted.com/talks/bill_gates_the_next_outbreak_we_re_not_ready?language=en]

We could only imagine how the trajectory of the current COVID-19 outbreak would have emerged if such profound statements and predictions made by scientists and concerned persons over the years have been heeded. This is indeed a serious concern for me as a graduate student doing basic research. True, my research may have little or no direct implication on community health. Maybe it is high time systems and policies are geared towards follow-up on predictions and findings for research that do. A typical graduate student does not merely want to see his or her work published. He wants to see the positive impact in form of policies and resources emanating from those toilsome expeditions in a remote Africa village or among natives of America. 

All that being said, being a grad student during this moment of the COVID-19 global health crisis kindled within me a deep sense of responsibility to the scientific community and the entire human population. The world is turning to researchers and frontline medical personnel to help stop the scourge. Two weeks ago, friends from my home country called. With a pinch of humor, they asked, something like this, “How close are you to finding a cure to the disease?” While I never once told them that my thesis focus on viruses or infectious diseases, their joke could not be taken any less seriously. They echo the way people view scientists. And it is this kind of trust that a graduate student researcher needs to continue vigorously in the quest to push back the frontier of knowledge as it relates to the good of humanity. In 2019, I had to drop my initial plan to visit my home country during the summer of 2020. This was on economic grounds. However, as I observed the unfolding anecdote of the COVID-19 in the world, I became somewhat compelled that this was one moment I needed to be back home (indeed if it were possible not to have any risk of getting COVID-19 myself or putting others at risk!). Why? I wanted to go to remote villages in my hometown to sensitize the communities on personal hygiene. I have always felt that as a student I am being equipped to serve poor communities and COVID-19 challenged my willingness to do that. 

Covid-19 has drastically affected a few things for me. This is not something I regret. One example is my research work. I believe I can always pick up from where I stopped, and that the topmost priority must be given to combating the spread of the disease. But the cancellation of classes the week before spring break was a real boost to my research. Since there were no classes for me to teach that week, I had some great time working in the lab. And indeed, it was amazing what progress I made in just a few days! I have looked forward to a scientific and academic meeting. But not anymore. The disease has altered routines, expectations and calendars. Once again, I must admit that I feel no regret. Now, the focus is to join in the fight to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Every other thing must wait.

My response has been that of hope and willingness to join in the fight to halt the spread of the virus. I am however deeply concerned about the decisions that are being made and how people might possibly react in the different cultures all over the world. I am concerned about my host country and my home country. As a citizen of an emerging economy, my empathy is for the people because of the sickly health care system and widespread poverty. My communications with family and friends back home have mostly centered on encouraging them to take the disease seriously by being strict on compliance to advice from health experts. Last week, I got so burdened. I wanted to reach out to the foremost medical research institute (I had my undergraduate internship here) in my home country to take seriously measures against COVID-19. Being a graduate student in a place like the U.S is helping me to learn more about global issues, getting different perspectives on them and somewhat strengthening my capacity to be more involved with communities. 

COVID-19 has come this far. It has had an overwhelming sway on many nations, especially in countries with the finest technology. It seems the disease is taking advantage of the apathy, lethargy and complacency on our part. Personally, I came to deeply appreciate the need for not just insight but also foresight in the issues of life. I felt the need to always know what exact decision to take and to be resolute about them. But you may ask, “How do you do that if you have to wait for scientist to be able to characterize COVID-19?” The lesson, I think is that we should always act as if we are in a war: always ready, ever ready. As a grad student, one of the training I am receiving is to think ahead. This always save time. For instance, when running an experiment, I should have the right controls. Failure to do so results in lost time if your data becomes questionable afterwards. 

Universities, including LSU are suspending face-to-face instruction; hence, making transition to virtual education. This is a massive shift. And it is not without the price of adjusting to the available technology. We are getting engaged with the new rhetoric’s of Zoom! This could possibly be overwhelming for both instructors and students. Obviously, this falls short of perfect, but are necessary to slow down the spread of the corona virus and flatten the curve. 

The COVID-19 pandemic impact on education is global. With this uncharted experience it becomes necessary that incoming graduate students should be exposed to training on how to effectively access and use virtual learning tools in future. This near approach of remote learning has been considered as an emergency learning. Hopefully, this whole experience will help in the synthesis of what is an effective way of using the online tools. 

These are extraordinary circumstances and they present stressors for international graduate students. One is the question of health insurance. Does it get even more complex should there be a case of an international student with the COVID-19? The other is that of employment in the U.S. This latter issue will be critical for a graduating international student who had returned home for some reasons and cannot return to the U.S any time soon owing to the travel restrictions. The 90 days window of unemployment prior to start of the optional practical training program, or OPT could be lost, making it impossible to secure a job in the U.S. This could also be a problem for the graduating student even if he is still in the U.S. These international graduating students are really concerned about how the state of the economy will affect their opportunities for a job in the U.S since it is unlikely many offers run remotely. Except, of course if you can get an academic position. These are the reality faced by graduate students studying in the U.S and elsewhere. The whole thing is obviously complicated and sophisticated. The good news, however, is that the NASFA: International Association of Educators recently sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to address this and other issues of concern to international students. 

One of the beautiful scenes is the incredible warm-hearted gestures circulating amidst the COVID-19. Domestic and international students expressed their willingness to offer me help if I need anything. And it is not just from fellow students. The emails sent to all students from the LSU Interim President and other offices, or the ones I received from my professors and leaderships of a few LSU students’ organizations have been tremendously encouraging. Having this re-echoed in the LSU Reveille is supposed to be reassuring for the international students. Such benevolence is important in a time of crisis. As an international graduate student, it is pleasing to know your interest and welfare are valued by your University. Making this gesture more tangible by rolling out practical strategies and support systems for now and the future will go a long way in engaging the trust of the student’s community, including international graduate students. 

The COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented but when things ever return to normal, we would have learned our lessons. How should we treat scientific findings that affect community and global health? Can we pay too much attention to building an effective health system, especially in poorer countries? How much can we invest now to prepare people for the next pandemic? How should we respond to an unknown crisis even though it has not yet or may never come near our shore? Is it possible to have in place effective strategies to ensure continuity of innovation and education in the face of another future global epidemic? How do we ensure inclusion for international students should there be more nuances to future pandemics? Again, and again, our decisions should be such that help preserve lives. It must be people centered. School authorities and leaders everywhere are faced with a tremendous challenge. We may have to use some patience and understanding with them. But each one of us, including our leaders have the responsibility to take actions that are geared towards upholding the dignity of human life. We want to support those homes and persons already affected while protecting ourselves and others adopting the prescribed behavior mandated for taking the life out of the spread of COVID-19. That will take sacrifice. 

Uncertainties are inevitable. But God is sovereign and good and just. It is this conviction that keeps through my personal life and academic journey. It is not impossible to be anxious about one’s work and life as a grad student in the uncharted circumstances arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. I am however, not disturbed. As a lad growing up and having to endure financial hardships at home, one truth kept me unbroken: God is in control. Relax! It was painful. But, having this mindset has kept me motivated and secured my gaze on God for mercy and grace. Not only has this helped me to stay focus, but I see how having hope myself I can bring hope to those around me. Two weeks ago, a friend told me how distressed she was over the COVID-19 and that she wants to get my thoughts. I responded by sharing my hope in God, that I’m not afraid but instead look to God for mercy. Feeling humbled by this opportunity to share, I left her and went back to my task for the time. When I returned to the preparatory room, she had left a note by the door of the microwave machine that read, “Thank you for making me feel better about the virus!” Like everything that threatens our existence we always encounter fear as an emotional war. As a grad student in the era of the COVID-19 I have remained calm and full of hope knowing that God is in control. As I obey federal and state guidelines about staying home, social distancing, hand washing, and aligning myself to instructions on group meeting, I hope to make use of the time to read scientific papers as well as develop sound thoughts on my research. And, yes of course stay in touch with family and friends back home, in the U.S or other parts of the world.

-- By Anonymous [submitted March 27]

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Making the Best of a Bad Situation

Always, writing the first sentence is so difficult. Should it be,“COVID-19 negatively affects my life in the US?” No! There are also positive things caused by the situation. What about...”The Coronavirus changes my academic life in the US?” Yes..., but this sentence is somewhat vague. I am spending 30 mins to write just a sentence.

Should I go back to Korea?  I am a PhD student in LSU and come from South Korea. Actually, I went home to South Korea for Christmas holidays and re-entered the US in January 2020. At that time, I did not expect the COVID-19 would cause a lot of problems worldwide. I was worried about my family when the virus cases sharply increased in Korea in February and early March. In late March, the situation has rapidly changed. The Coronavirus cases have suddenly increased in the US but dropped in Korea. Currently, my parents are worried about me and suggest me to temporarily return to Korea until the situation improves. I cannot easily make a decision.  

LSU is closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and this has affected my classes, including “Academia & Beyond”, which is my favorite course in Spring 2020. Especially, I enjoyed discussing difficulties in the graduate school with my classmates. We shared our own issues and talked about how to improve the problems. It was a healing time for my mental health. However, the class has ended due to the situation. OMG!

In addition, my primary research is affected by the COVID-19 closures. In the situation, everyone in LSU needs to be telecommuting from home except for essential people. Because of this, going to the school is limited. As a graduate student working on insect taxonomy, examining tiny wasp specimens is mandatory to conduct my research. I can move my microscope to home, but I cannot bring my fragile insect specimens to home. Also, I cannot conduct molecular analyses at home. If I extracted DNA at home, I will be likely to get tons of Homo sapiens DNA.

Even though the COVID-19 pandemic disrupts my academic life, positive things are also caused by this situation, especially for my family. For example, I am spending a lot of time with my wife while stuck at home. Maybe, I know some guys do not agree with me :). In the normal situation, I usually work at school from 9am to 6pm, meaning that I do not have enough time to talk with my wife. After COVID-19 outbreak, we have enough time to share our thoughts and emotions. Also, we cook and eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner together at home. Additionally, we contact our parents in Korea more often. We usually contact them once a month, but currently once a week. This is a valuable gift for our family.

Research is really important for my future job, but I can postpone the work. The most important thing is maintaining my health and keeping those I care about healthy too.  Without good health, I will lose my wife, family, friends, work, and actually everything! Hope the current situation returns to normal in the near future.

-- By Anonymous (submitted 3/25/2020)