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
____________________________________________________
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)
____________________________________________________
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
____________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
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)
____________________________________________________
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]
____________________________________________________
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]
____________________________________________________
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)
