Lewis & Clark College

The Pioneer Log: Lewis & Clark College’s Student-Run Newspaper

Volume 94, No. 4

Lewis & Clark College Student Newspaper

Pioneer Log Staff

2020-03-20

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Lewis & Clark College: Pioneer Log / Mossy Log

Vol. 94 No.4 FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2020 www.piolog.com
Coronavirus edition
LC transitions
to online classes
for spring termAll overseas
programs canceled due
to global pandemic
RAYA DEUSSEN AND LEXIE BOREN/PIONEER LOGFRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2020
NEWS 2
All classes now held online in response to COVID-19 risk
By LEXIE BOREN AND
HANNA MERZBACH
ON MARCH 12, Lewis & Clark
announced that it will transition
to an online education model in
order to promote social distancing and
slow the spread of COVID-19. All classes
must be online by March 18 and will be
taught online for the remainder of the
Spring 2020 semester. There are still no
known cases of COVID-19 at LC.
LC decided to make classes online
after Oregon Governor Kate Brown
banned all public events with over 250
people and ordered all Oregon public
schools to cancel classes until March 31.
Other Oregon colleges, like the University
of Oregon and Oregon State University,
are also transitioning to an online
education model.
Vice President of Student Life
and Dean of Students Robin Holmes-
Sullivan provided more information at
the Associated Students of Lewis & Clark (ASLC) Senate meeting on March 12.
“We were waiting to have some type
of triggering event as to why (we move
classes online) because it’s disruptive and
it’s not the type of education we want to
offer to our students,” Holmes-Sullivan
said. “...and then the government office,
the Governor of Oregon, put out an
advisory that suggested that school should
be online. So that seemed like a triggering
event. And then the other Oregon schools
started to put that forward so that’s the
reason why we made the decision that we
did.”
The college is trying to ensure that all
students still get credit for their spring
semester classes. Many classes will be
held via Zoom or Google Hangouts. LC’s
Information Technology (IT) department
has been approved for emergency funding
for an additional 300 Zoom Pro licences,
which will bring the total to 500, enough
for each of the 400 faculty. They may also
use basic Zoom accounts, which are free
but have more limited features, or Google Hangouts.
The administration is working with
faculty to figure out how classes like
physical education will adapt to the
online format.
“So one of our operating principles
is trying to do everything we can to
not disrupt your academic progress,”
Holmes-Sullivan said. “We’re not just
going to say, here’s the credits, right?
Because that’s not fair to you, and that’s
not fair to the integrity of the college or
people who have gone through before.
We’re trying to do everything we can to
address those classes that just are not
going to scale to be online.”
According to Margeret Upton, the
director of the Health Service, LC has a
few coronavirus tests, although supplies
are limited. Some students have already
requested tests and received negative
results. The college has encouraged
students to take everyday actions like
washing hands and avoiding touching
your mouth, nose or eyes.
On March 13, LC officially canceled all
events expected to include more than 50
people during the Spring 2020 semester.
For the most part, no such events can be
scheduled moving forward.
According to an email sent by Vice
President for Operations and Chief
Financial Officer Andrea Dooley,
“Exceptions will be granted only when
an event is essential to the College and
if adequate social distancing and health
measures can be implemented.”
The Admissions Office will be closed
to visitors between March 19 and April
19, and all admissions related events,
including Admitted Student Programs,
have been postponed. The Admissions
Office has also extended the reply
deadline to June 1st for students admitted
to LC for the fall.
“Currently our deposits for 2020 are
looking good,” Eric Staab, vice president
of admissions and financial aid, said via
email. “We are trending higher/stronger
than last year at this time.”
In an email sent to some LC parents,
Holmes-Sullivan announced that the
commencement at Memorial Coliseum will not take place. She said that the
administration is thinking about a smaller
on-campus gathering for those that can
make it. These plans are forthcoming.
“We definitely want to do something,
but because we don’t know if the
Governor will reissue another order after
four weeks, we can’t promise anything,”
Holmes-Sullivan said.
Although many students assumed
that commencement would be cancelled
given the ban on large groups, no
information about commencement was
directly announced to students.
The administration’s goal is to
“de-densify.” Students — the largest
population on campus — were at first
given the option to leave and continue
online classes at home.
As the impacts of COVID-19 continue
to worsen in Oregon, the administration
has remained committed to providing
food and housing for those who need it.
However, they have begun urging all who
can return home to do so. Wiewel sent an
email on March 16 to the student body
increasing the urgency of leaving campus.
“In response to the changing nature
of the federal and state approaches
to COVID-19, we are now strongly
recommending that all students who are
able to leave campus for the remainder of
the semester do so as soon as possible,”
Wiewel said. “But know that if you cannot
leave, we will continue to support you and
provide food and housing, although you
may need to relocate to another room and
food service options on campus will be
limited and carry-out only.”
A 20% refund will be provided to
students who notify Campus Living
(living@lclark.edu) by the night of Friday,
March 20, and vacate their rooms by
Sunday, March 22. Wiewel also cautioned
students that they would not be permitted
to travel over Spring Break and return to
campus.
For the students who stay on campus,
there is a chance that they will be moved
to a new living space. Campus Living is
currently weighing the demands of social
distancing and consolidation, as there
will likely be fewer Resident Advisors (RAs) on campus.
The administration expects that
many of the students who stay on
campus for the remainder of the
semester will be international students.
They have been working with these
students to ensure that their visas still
apply to online learning.
The administration is waiting
to know how many students stay
on campus to coordinate with the
Pioneer Express and Bon Appétit. They
anticipate that the shuttle will continue
running. Bon Appétit has already taken
precautionary measures, making sure
all food is served by employees and
offering food for carry-out only.
Maggie’s and the Dovecote will
be closed for the remainder of the
semester.
The administration is also working
to ensure that students still have work
study opportunities, even if they have to
be done remotely. Students whose work
demands that they remain on campus
may still be paid for the hours they are
scheduled for.
“The federal government has given
institutions of higher education the
ability to continue paying students
who are on federal work study, and
we have a percentage of our students
who have that arrangement,” Holmes-
Sullivan said. “The federal government
recognized that they shouldn’t take
away that agreement since it was already
made at the beginning of the year and
these are students who perhaps have
the most financial concerns, so we will
abide by that as well. And we’re in the
process of looking at doing the same
thing for students who are on LC work
study. So we do have that option and
plan to exercise that option as much as
we possibly possibly can.”
All spring athletic competitions
have been canceled by the National
Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
and the Northwest Conference. College
Outdoors and Student and Leadership
Service (SLS) trips have also been
cancelled, including the upcoming
spring break trips.
CASPER PIERCE/PIONEER LOGTwo students and professor stranded in Ecuador
By HANNA MERZBACH
ECUADOR closed its borders
on Monday, March 16 at 11:59
p.m, trapping two Lewis &
Clark students, Kasia Enriquez ’21 and
Channing Stirrat ’21, and Associate
Professor of Physics Stephen Tufte
in the country. They had been on the
LC Overseas program in Cuenca, and
are now awaiting a solution in Quito,
the country’s capital. The other nine
students on the program flew out just
before the borders closed.
Many other Latin American
countries (including Argentina, Chile,
Columbia, Costa Rica, El Salvador,
Guatemala and Peru) have closed their
borders to foreigners. In Ecuador,
nobody, including citizens and
residents, can enter the country until
April 5.
Over the course of the last week, the
11 participants watched as the Europe
and Morocco programs were canceled,
and case numbers grew in Ecuador
and throughout South America. After
their trip to Yasuni National Park
was canceled on March 14 due to the
public closure of the park, the students
decided that their program should be
canceled.
“We were hearing rumblings of
the closing of airports, and we were
hearing about things happening in
other countries in South America and
Latin America as a whole,” Stirrat said.
“We were like, well, when is this going
to happen in Ecuador because at this
point it felt not like an ‘if,’ but a ‘when.’
We didn’t know if we felt comfortable
staying, knowing what could be
coming.”
Tufte, the professor, communicated
the students’ concerns to the Overseas
and Off-Campus Programs office. On
March 14, the office responded by giving students the option to return
home and continue course work online,
but did not cancel the program.
“Basically what this email meant
was that they were not helping us buy
tickets out of Ecuador, and that it was
basically up to us to decide whether
or not we wanted to stay in Ecuador
and wait this all out, or return home
to be with our families during a crisis,
during a pandemic,” Stirrat said.
The students had been informed by
the program’s in-country leaders that
Ecuador’s borders would likely close
by Tuesday, so they decided to proceed
with booking flights out of the country.
Both Stirrat and Enriquez’s
flights were booked for early Tuesday
morning, although borders closed and
most flights were canceled starting at
midnight.
“The reason my flight was at 4 a.m.
(Tuesday) morning is because that was
the cheapest flight for me to get back
to the States because I do not have the
funds to be paying for my own tickets
last minute,” Enriquez said.
Students were entirely responsible
for paying for their own flights back.
Although their program was not
officially canceled, Enriquez felt she
had no choice but to leave because the
rest of the group was leaving.
All of the students flew from
Cuenca to the international airport
in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. The
9 other students had a connection
flight through Lima just before Peru
also closed its borders at midnight.
Although Enriquez and Stirrat were
not as lucky.
“My flight had been canceled
because it was after midnight and it’s
an international flight,” Enriquez said.
“So basically what was happening with
Peru, Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, is
that all of these borders are closing to incoming and outcoming international
flights.”
Enriquez, Stirrat and their
professor, Tufte, were the only
members of the group to not fly out in
time.
They have since been in contact
with the U.S. Embassy in Quito,
although have received little help so
far since international flights can still
technically fly out.
“But the thing is, the airlines aren’t
allowed to land full flights in Ecuador
and if there aren’t flights coming in,
then there are no planes to take flights
going out,” Stirrat said.
“It’s very likely that we will be stuck
here for a few weeks until Ecuador and
other Latin American countries start
offering these international flights
again,” Enriquez said.
The group had booked a hotel,
however, it closed down due to the
strict restrictions and curfews imposed
in Ecuador. They had to scramble to
book an Airbnb.
“Since all of these hotels and
hostels and anywhere that you can stay
are becoming so inaccessible to people
here in Ecuador, there really is no place
for foreigners to stay if you don’t have
a house here,” Enriquez said. “I booked
our Airbnb with a lot of luck ... We
were able to get in, but we were even
stopped by security guards getting
into this building, asking how long we
have been in Ecuador and taking our
temperatures.”
The group is in communication
with the Overseas and Off-Campus
Programs office, which is calling on
government officials and the U.S.
embassy in Quito to repatriate them.
The office is also paying for their
Airbnb, food and possible flights home.
“Since it has evolved to the point
where we are stuck here, (Overseas and Off-Campus Programs) has been very
helpful and they’re working tirelessly
updating us constantly — they’re
talking to senators, they’re talking to
anyone and everyone,” Stirrat said.
“But it was a little disappointing that
it took them until we are actually
physically stuck here, supposedly until
April, if not even later, to actually jump
and start making things happen to help
support us.”
The students have been in
communication from a non-LC
study abroad leader in Quito, who is
helping get students and Peace Corps
volunteers on charter flights out of
Guayaquil, which is an eight- to 10-
hour bus ride from Quito. Due to the
restrictions on movement in Ecuador,
Stirrat and Enriquez are not hopeful
that they will be able to make these flights.
In order for them to leave Ecuador,
they say that either borders need to
open or government officials need to
step in to repatriate them. They are
calling on the LC community to call
representatives in Oregon, as well
as Arizona and Illinois (Stirrat and
Enriquez’s respective homestates) to
make noise to get them home.
“Our biggest hope is for the LC
community to know what’s going on
with overseas programs,” Enriquez
said. “I do want the LC community to
really be posting about this and really
spreading awareness that there are
not just us stuck in Ecuador, but there
are also people stuck in Morocco ...
and so the more people know about
it, the more noise that’s going to be
produced.”
COURTESY OF KASIA ENRIQUEZ
The 11 program participants and their leader in Cuenca prior to borders closing.With borders now closed in Ecuador, Lewis & Clark group now seeks repatriation from US government
On-campus residents urged to move out and go home for the remainder of the Spring 2020 semesterFRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2020
NEWS 3
By HANNA MERZBACH
AS OF MARCH 17, the Overseas
& Off-Campus Programs Office
has now canceled all Spring
2020 semester programs and is
working to get students home and
complete their coursework remotely.
The Overseas office’s protocol was to
cancel programs once they were given
a Level 3 Travel Advisory warning by
the Center for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC); however, countries
began to close their borders before
they were designated Level 3, making
it much more difficult for LC students
to return to the U.S.
President Wim Wiewel said that
although the College’s previous policy
was to cancel programs in Level 3
countries, this quickly changed as Trump
designated all of Europe Level 3 with the
travel ban.
“So there was a very un-nuanced
designation ... at that point, many
people said, ‘Well, this is no longer a
useful categorization. So we can’t make
decisions based on that,’” Wiewel said.
“So that’s why we and many others did
not then immediately go to say, ‘Oh,
now everybody has to come home’... We
felt that because of the sort of unspecific
nature of his statement, that we should do
a country by country review. ”
LC students studying in France, Spain
and Germany initially expected that their
programs would be canceled following
this designation. However, on March
13, Overseas and Off-Campus Programs
emailed the participants in Europe, saying
it was their decision to stay or leave.
“The situation is frequently changing,
and it is possible that travel-related
difficulties may increase in the coming
weeks,” the email said. “Students in
Germany, Spain and France may want
to make arrangements to return home as
soon as feasible. Students returning home
should work with onsite staff to arrange
for online continuation of coursework
to assure that credit can be awarded for
the full semester. If returning home is a
problem due to flight availability or other
issues, we expect that your program site will remain open and that you will be able
to remain there for the duration of the
program.”
Olivia Olson ’22, who was studying
in Strasbourg, was frustrated that the
program was not canceled once France
became Level 3 and all schools were
closed.
“When Macron announced that all
daycares, elementary, middle, and high
schools, as well as universities would
be closed, we assumed we would get an
email from Lewis & Clark canceling the
program,” Olson said via email. “We had
been told that if it reached CDC Level 3
we would be sent home. We were told that
if the university closed, we would head
home.”
After receiving word from LC that it
was their decision to leave or stay, most
participants made the decision to leave
and started booking flights to fly home.
Skylar Golleher ’21 was one of these
students.
“Based on everything that was being
said, and how cases have been growing
in France, I kind of saw this coming,”
Golleher said. “All the unknowns have
been very stressful and difficult for me.
And so I chose to go home. And I think
it’s kind of the same for a lot of people,
that were like, ‘I don’t want to deal with a
pandemic in an unknown country.’”
Ultimately, on March 14, France
moved to close all non-essential
businesses, and Overseas officially
terminated the program and told
participants to depart by Tuesday, March
17.
Milica Stanisic, who was studying
abroad in Seville, Spain, was on a
program run in cooperation with Spanish
Studies Abroad (SSA).
“(SSA) kept telling us that everything
was alright and that we didn’t need to
worry ... They said this even though the
Spanish government closed down all the
schools they would continue because
they are a private entity,” Stanisic said via
email.
Like the students in Strasbourg, those
on Stanisic’s program decided to leave
before the program was canceled by LC,
or SSA. “If we waited for the SSA to get their
acts together so we would buy our tickets
home, we wouldn’t have been able to
leave the country,” she said.
Stanisic started experiencing
symptoms of COVID-19 while in Spain
and went into strict self-quarantine after
returning to her home country, Serbia,
from Seville.
In a different part of Spain, Josh
Phillips ’21 has been in Alicante through
an LC program offered through the Center
for International Educational Exchange
(CIEE). On March 12, CIEE canceled
the program, and gave participants
until March 22 to leave the country. LC
canceled the program days later.
“Students from Penn State, Oberlin,
and Elon all received maximum pressure
and support (and in the case of Elon a
$1000 stipend) to return to the states
as quickly as possible,” Phillips said via
email. “The best we got from LC was a late
reiteration of CIEE’s decision to cancel all
European programs.”
It was previously said on the LC
website that if it became necessary
for students to return home the office
would “work with students to change
their existing flight or purchase a new
flight.” Phillips plans to try and gain
compensation from LC for his flights.
With LC students scattered around
the world, the Overseas office was not able
to aid all students in finding and funding
flights. When students were trapped in
Morocco and Ecuador after the countries’
borders closed, Overseas helped pay for
their expenses.
Director of Overseas and Off-Campus
Programs Blythe Knott commented on
the difficulty of the situation.
“Normal protocols didn’t work in
this situation,” Knott said via email. “It’s
not a normal situation on any level. We
always evaluate our protocols after any
emergency situation. Certainly we will do
so again once the dust settles from this
one.”
LC students saw this rapidly changing
environment first-hand.
Margarete Maneker ’21, who was one
of the students on the Taiwan program,
commented on the state of affairs in Taiwan. She was
previously on the
Beijing study
abroad
program,
but moved
over to
Taiwan after
that program
was canceled.
“Everyone
here in
Taiwan is
wearing
masks in
public —
If you’re on
public transportation,
it’s easily 95% of people,”
Maneker said via email. “As
part of our program, we went
on a walking tour of the older part
of Taipei last week. The tour guide
wore her mask the entire time and
told us that Taiwan is being so hyper
vigilant because they remember how
the SARS epidemic played out.”
Phillips said that while the
atmosphere in Spain is also filled with
fear and caution, he has seen much
apathy and racism.
“Now it has lessened, but college
students and kids at first took the closed
schools as an excuse to hang out, defeating
the purpose of closing in the first place,”
Phillips said. “Xenophobia and racism
are not limited to any country, but I have
personally heard the conspiracy theory
about COVID-19 being a synthesized
Chinese invention pop up too frequently
in my last few days in Spain.”
Chloe Safar ’21 was on the Mérida,
Mexico program, where the virus is just
starting to spread.
“Other parts of Mexico have had more
cases of the virus, this is just the start of it
in this area and it hasn’t been confirmed
yet in Mérida, but people are worried
and trying to take precautions to limit it
spreading,” Safar said via Instagram.
Some students said that they felt safer
in their programs than they would have
in the U.S., before their programs were
canceled.Alex Webb ’21 said this
about his program in Cuenca,
Ecuador, before the country decided to
close its borders.
“I personally feel pretty safe here,
especially since there are so few cases
compared to the U.S.,” Webb said via
email. “I am not worried about my
personal health or safety and I believe
that it wouldn’t make sense for us to have
to return to the U.S. early because it’s so
much worse there right now.”
Maneker also shared similar
sentiments about Taiwan.
“I feel very grateful to be here in
Taiwan, as it is vastly safer here than in
my hometown or America in general,”
she said. “I am from Westchester County,
NY, which is one of the epicenters of
the American outbreak, and Governor
Cuomo has recently sent in the National
Guard to assist in the quarantine of the
town next to mine.”
Although these students felt safe at
the time, the crisis has quickly grown.
Phillips hopes that people in the U.S. take
the situation seriously.
“I hope everyone in the states realizes
the importance of social distancing and
the responsibility we each hold to impact
the outcome,” Phillips said. “We change
our opinions based off of the norms in
our social circles. And to minimize harm
in this context literally every hour can
count.”LC overseas programs cut short amid global pandemic
ADA BARBEE/PIONEER LOGBy AMELIA EICHEL
The Lewis & Clark Overseas and Off-
Campus Programs office formally
canceled the Morocco study abroad
program on Friday, March 13 in response
to the COVID-19 pandemic. Seven of the
participants were able to fly home over the
weekend, but 12 students and Assistant
Professor in Political Science Leah
Gilbert were trapped in the country when
Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs
announced that all international flights in
and out of the country are suspended.
11 of the 12 students who were trapped
were able to fly to England on Wednesday,
March 18, leaving one student and Gilbert
in Morocco because they were not able to
get seats on the flight. They waited in line
for nine hours on March 17 to get tickets
for a flight from Agadir to London on
March 18.
“Two of the students (who received
Gilman International Scholarships)
are currently heading to Rabat for a flight from there to Washington, D.C.,”
Nicholas Nerli ’21 said via WhatsApp.
“They are joining the flight that the State
Department assembled to evacuate Peace
Corps volunteers.”
According to Nerli, the rescue flight
that he and eight other students took to
England was arranged by the Brits, not the
U.S. government.
Lauren Pichard ’22 was still able to
fly out of Morocco on Monday, March 16
when some flights were still leaving the
country despite the borders being closed.
After days purchasing up to five flights at
a time in desperate efforts to get out of
the country, the remaining students went
to the airport with their bags packed on
Tuesday, March 17, to try to board a flight
to London, but it appeared that all flights
in and out of the country were formally
grounded.
“It’s becoming more and more evident
that we’re reliant on the U.S. government
to do something,” Nerli said via
WhatsApp on March 17, before the British government came to the rescue.
During an interview on March 16,
President Wim Wiewel said he has been
in contact with government officials to
try to find a way to get the students and
professor out of the country.
“I just an hour ago got off the phone
with Congressman Earl Blumenauer,”
Wiewel said. “We’ve been in email contact
with Senator Merkley’s office, and they are
working very hard to put pressure on the
Department of State to get our students
out as soon as possible. So we are literally
going to the highest authorities we can call
on to take care of those students.”
Jacob Muscarella ’21 and a few other
students were contacted by congressional
offices. Muscarella is from Colorado, so
the constituent advocate for Colorado
Congressman Joe Neguse contacted
him. The constituent made sure that all
of the students signed up for the Smart
Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)
because the consular in Washington will
use that number to determine whether or
not there is a “critical mass” of Americans
in Morocco who need to be evacuated.
If they determine that there are enough
people, they will send a repatriation flight.
The students made an Instagram @
morocco_shabaab to update followers
on their well-being. Mary-Claire Spurgin
’21, who has returned to the U.S., made a
resource sheet and template to encourage
people to write letters to representatives.
Before they were able to fly home, the
group is staying in a hotel in Agadir, a
town on the coast of Morocco.
“There’s now an outbreak (of
COVID-19) in Agadir, and so we’re trying
to isolate and quarantine ourselves as
much as possible,” Nerli said on March
15. “A hotel, just with how many tourists
there are, isn’t ideal.”
Participants were assured that they
would be taken care of until they are able
to get home in an email sent on March
15 from the Director of Overseas & Off-
Campus Programs Blythe Knott and Dean of the College Bruce Suttmeier.
“We are reaching out to the U.S.
Embassy in Morocco and to our other
study abroad colleagues with students
there,” Suttmeier and Knott said via email.
“We are researching all options to help our
students leave Morocco. In the meantime,
our faculty leader and program provider
are organizing housing and meals for the
students for as long as they remain on-
site.”
At first, students had to buy their
flights home, and airlines have not
been refunding cancelations due to
an unprecedented amount of refund
requests.
“I’ve spent $4,000 on flights, and I
don’t have any money left,” Nerli said.
“So, right now, it seems like most of the
travel is on Lewis & Clark’s dime.”
The school has authorized Gilbert to
purchase food, lodging and flights for the
group on an LC credit card.
“They have money, we have put them
in safe living situations, they have food, if
we need to get them tickets or whatever
we upped the credit card for the faculty
member, so all the things that need to
be in place for them to do that (fly home)
are there — it’s that (the Moroccan
government has) to let us,” Vice President
of Student Life and Dean of Students
Robin Holmes-Sullivan said on March 16.
The U.S. and Moroccan governments
implemented travel restrictions so
quickly, that Wiewel says he wishes
in retrospect that they had canceled
the programs sooner, but that there
was no way to predict the Moroccan
government’s extreme response.
“We didn’t know that Morocco was
going to close the borders, just like I
think it was on Thursday, our partners in
France and Spain said, ‘Students can stay
or they can go. We’ll deliver the program
online, but they’re welcome to stay’
and then, 24 hours later, they reversed
themselves,” Wiewel said. “I’d like to point
out that just this morning at 10 o’clock, Governor Brown said that restaurants and
bars could stay open and at three o’clock
this afternoon, she said, ‘Oh, no, we’re
closing them all.’
The Overseas office planned to cancel
programs once the country was assigned
a Level 3 Travel Advisory by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC). Unfortunately, the Moroccan
government closed its borders without
warning, before it was designated Level 3,
so the College did not have a chance to get
the students out in time. Knott said that
the college will revamp its protocols once
the dust settles.
“Normal protocols didn’t work in this
situation, Knott said. “It’s not a normal
situation on any level. We always evaluate
our protocols after any emergency
situation. Certainly we will do so again
once the dust settles from this one.”
All of the participants emphasized
how amazing Professor Gilbert was
throughout the crisis.
“(Gilbert’s) positivity and guidance
has served as the backbone for us all on
this program, stranded or otherwise,”
Marian Hampe ’21 said. “The woman
is a trooper and a saint and I can only
hope that the school steps forward and
officially recognizes her efforts in some
formal capacity.”
“Leah (Gilbert) has absolutely gone
above and beyond her role as a program
leader,” Spurgin said. “She has done
everything in her power to make sure that
we all get back to the U.S. quickly and
safely – she stayed with us at our hotel
until 2 a.m. the last night that I was in
Morocco helping us find flights – while
also routinely checking in with us about
our physical and emotional wellbeing.
This is especially impressive because she’s
been working on getting her own family
out of the country at the same time. She
has stayed constantly calm and resilient
throughout, and I couldn’t imagine how
we’d be dealing with this situation without
her.”LC students leave Morocco after days in limbo
COURTESY OF NICHOLAS NERLI
Students on the Morocco program pose for a photo before their trip was canceled.Students on the Morocco program became trapped after Morocco closed it’s border’s due to COVID-19
FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2020
NEWS 4
By VENUS EDLIN
COLLEGE OUTDOORS (CO)
canceled their spring break
trips, as well as all trips for the
remainder of the semester on March 13
due to coronavirus.
In an email sent on March 12,
CO announced that they would be
continuing to rent out gear to students
and run trips with some modifications.
At the Associated Students of Lewis &
Clark (ASLC) meeting later that day,
Vice President of Student Life and Dean
of Students Robin Holmes-Sullivan
said that the trips would be canceled.
CO sent out an additional email the
evening of March 13 confirming the
suspension of the trips.
Director of CO Joe Yuska
emphasized health concerns in the
March 13 email after consultation from
administration.
“Although we share your
disappointment, this is an important
step in doing our part as responsible
community members and not causing
the spread of the virus to other parts
of the state, or to more vulnerable
populations than college students,”
Yusca said via email.
CO did not know trips would
be canceled when it was initially
announced at the ASLC meeting. It was
not until the next day that the policy
was communicatedtold to CO. Yusca
said that with the rapid changes that
were occuring due to the increasing
concern over the spread of COVID-19,
he can see why there would be lapses in
communication.
“There were so many decisions
being made and communication was
not always ideal,” Yusca said. “College
Outdoors was probably not their top
priority to get to, and I can understand
that because it’s great for students to
go out on spring break trips, but those were still a week away.”
Julie Goldberg ’22 was one of the
students signed up for a spring break
trip. She had paid to go on the “Hike and
Kayak the Redwoods” trip at Redwood
National Park in Northern California.
The lodging trip was canceled a week
before it was planned to leave.
Goldberg said she thought the trip
would not be canceled due to the initial
email sent out to students from CO and
the extra precautions trip leaders were
taking.
“It is unfortunate, but I was also sort
of expecting it because everything else
has been canceled,” Goldberg said. “A
part of me also hoped that CO would
pull through with the extra van and we
would be in like the woods where we
are far away from most other people so
it is probably safer.”
Goldberg was referring to the
van policy announced in the first
CO email, which said the amount
of transportation for trips would be
canceled in order to increase space
between participants. They also
announced trip leaders would take
the temperature of every participant
before departure and that sanitation
strategies such as washing hands,
coughing etiquette and snacking
methods would be emphasized.
In the March 12 email, Yusca said
the risk to go on a CO trip would be
low.
“Our trips go to remote locations
where there is limited interaction with
other people, so the risks associated
with attending a trip should not be
greater than the risks of being on
campus and in Portland,” Yusca wrote.
“Our top priority is to keep you, the
students, as well as our community
healthy and safe, and our plans may
change as the situation evolves.”
Goldberg was looking forward to the
trip as a way to socialize before going home.
“I really did hope that the trip would
not be canceled, because they really
hyped this up at the pre-trip meeting,”
Goldberg said. “I really wanted to go
and I thought this would be my last
chance to really have fun with other
people, since half the school would
be leaving.”
Trip leader Echo Miller-Barns
’20 was going to lead one of the
spring break trips as a raft guide.
Miller-Barnes has conflicting
feelings about the cancellations.
“I am disappointed just
because it means I will not
be able to interact with other
students and get them into
the outdoors to create a sense
of community through those
trips,” Miller-Barnes said. “I
also understandard we have to
travel in really close quarters for
long periods of time when we drive
places and that’s the perfect place for
someone to get coronavirus.”
Qwynci Bowman ‘23 is a CO
student coordinator. Though she was
not yet scheduled for any upcoming
trips, she would have helped organize
some later in the semester. Bowman is
more concerned about the trip leaders
who are affected financially.
“I feel really badly about it because
of all the people that can be impacted,”
Bowman said. “For me, as a student
coordinator, my job is not paid.
However, there are trip leaders that
it may not be their main source of
income, but they do get money from
leading trips.”
Another one of Bowman’s concerns
include Wilderness First Responder
(WFR) certification and New Student
Trips (NSTs). WFR certification is
scheduled for the second week of May
and if canceled, student coordinations
could not fulfill this certification to become
trip
leaders until
January.
“WFR certification
may or may not happen — that’s
up in the air,” Bowman said. “It is a
stepping stone for people trying to get
to the place to go on trips for money
and be trip leaders, so it’s really
important.”
According to ASLC, summer
programs including WFR
certifications and plans in place for
fall, such as NSTs, are still in place.
This could change later, but concerns
are more focused on current issues,
such as student transportation. CO
has been helping to fulfill this need by using their vans to transport students
to the airport.
Yusca said that COVID-19 is a
threat that needs to be taken seriously.
He advises students to follow health
guidelines and practice social
distancing.
“My biggest advice to the Lewis &
Clark community is to do everything
to minimize the possibility that you
will contract or spread the virus,”
Yusca said.All College Outdoors trips canceled for spring term
ASLC opens an emergency fund,
resource pantry for students
By HANNA MERZBACH
THE ASSOCIATED STUDENTS
of Lewis & Clark (ASLC) and
other community members
have mobilized to help students cover
unexpected costs, transportation and
resource needs due to COVID-19. In
order to help those who have immediate
financial needs, ASLC announced it
would open an emergency fund on
March 15.
This fund can cover expenses
like transportation, storage space,
food, health supplies and academic
resources. Since announcing the
emergency fund, ASLC has already
received over 20 applicants and been
able to start funding many of them. ASLC aims to be as generous as possible
with the funds.
Applications are reviewed by a
small, confidential committee daily,
and applicants can expect to hear back
within a day or two. To make requests,
fill out the google form in ASLC’s
instagram bio (@aslclark_), and direct
all questions concerning the funds
to the ASLC Community Services &
Relations Coordinators (csrc@lclark.
edu).
Additionally, the Equity, Inclusion
& Justice Committee (EIJC) is now
offering a COVID-19 Resource Pantry
in the ASLC office in Templeton
Student Center, across from KLC. The
pantry currently includes food, snacks,
beverages, menstrual supplies, and health, hygiene and cleaning supplies.
Uber gift cards are being offered on
a limited basis to students requiring
transportation to doctor appointments,
pharmacies, etc. The pantry has been
open this week (March 16 to March
20) from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and aims
to remain open over Spring Break and
into the remainder of the semester, for
as long as guidelines allow.
Anyone can donate items to the
pantry, and it is especially encouraged
for those leaving campus. The pantry
accepts sealed, non-perishable food,
as well as laundry detergent, dish soap
and cleaning supplies.
ASLC and EIJC are also providing
students work hosting open hours
at the Resource Pantry. Students
will receive gift cards as pay for their
time. There are openings for the week
of Spring Break. You can see the
available hours or sign up to host on
the spreadsheet linked on the EIJC
instagram bio (@equity_lc). Any
questions can be directed towards the
EIJC (aslcequity@lclark.edu).
College Outdoors was also offering
free shuttle rides to the airport from
Monday, March 16 to Friday, March
20. Shuttle rides were offered at 9 a.m.,
11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.
All questions concerning the shuttle
should be directed towards Joe Yuska,
the director of College Outdoors.
If none of the shuttle times work,
students can also take the Pioneer
Express. Starting on March 16, it is now
stopping at SW 10th and Salmon Street
in downtown Portland for easy access
to the MAX. From there, students can
take the MAX Red Line, which takes 45
minutes to get to the airport.
ASLC also hopes to help cover flight
costs for those who can not afford
them. Students are working with the
Financial Aid office to ensure this
would not alter students’ financial aid
packages, as transportation is included
in the costs of attendance. More
information will be available about the
funding of flights soon.
JO TABACEK/PIONEER LOG
A sign outside the Resource Pantry advertising the open hours and donations accepted.CORONAVIRUS FACTS
Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA closed its doors last
Saturday, March 14. This is the fourth unscheduled closure that the
park has experienced since it opened in 1955, and the first time that the
park will be closed for more than one day. The first unscheduled closure
was on November 23, 1963, as part of a national day of mourning after
the assassination of President John F. Kennedy; the second was after the
Northridge Earthquake in 1994, in order to inspect the rides for damage;
and the third was after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The park, which employs
nearly 30,000 people, is scheduled to remain closed through the end of
March, perhaps longer. During this temporary closure, the excess food
that will not be consumed by park goers will be donated instead to Second
Harvest Food Bank in Orange County to help combat hunger.
New York City postponed its 259th St. Patrick’s Day parade . With
over 150,000 participants and over 2 million spectators, it is the largest
St. Patrick’s Day celebration in the world. The parade had been happening
every year without interruption since 1762.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average has fallen by 31.9% as of
market close on March 18, putting the stock market well past correction
territory, which is typically defined as a decline of more than 10% from
an index’s most recent peak. Some stocks, however, are going against this
negative trend. Zoom Video Communications, Inc. ($ZM), has seen their
stock rise by more than 14.2% over the same period.
Carbon emissions from China have fallen by more than 25%
year over year . The canals of Venice, Italy, which are normally cloudy,
have become significantly clearer as the tourists and boats which normally
flood the city leave.
The nation’s blood banks are facing a severe blood shortage
as thousands of blood drives have been canceled in order
to reinforce social distancing . Older people tend to be more
likely to donate blood, but since they are the group most at risk from
the coronavirus, the number of people donating blood has dropped
dramatically.
Multnomah County, like many other counties around the
nation, has placed a moratorium on evictions during the
pandemic . The City of Portland and Multnomah county have worked
together to suspend evictions for residents who are unable to pay rent
due to COVID-19 related issues. Renters will have six months after the
state emergency status is changed to pay their accumulated back rent.
Additionally, Portland is working on placing homeless residents into
public buildings, hotels and motels to keep them off the streets during the
crisis.
Toilet paper sales in the U.S. have surged as people stock up for
a prolonged quarantine . This has resulted in shortages in stores across
the country. As a result of this shortage, many people have turned to bidets
as a longer term, renewable alternative. On a more serious note, there are
also critical shortages of surgical masks as people purchase them to protect
themselves from infection.Scheduled spring semester trips will not embark amid coronavirus pandemic and school closures
RAYA DEUSSEN/PIONEER LOGFRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2020
NEWS 5
Hanna Merzbach , Editor-in-
Chief
Amelia Eichel , Managing Editor
Mackenzie Herring , Copy Chief
Lexie Boren , News Editor
Venus Edlin , News Editor
Cassidy Harris , Opinion Editor
Ihsaan Mohamed , Opinion
Editor
Aidan D’Anna , Features Editor
Matthew Feldman, Features
Editor
Riley Hanna , Arts Editor
Justin Howerton , Arts Editor
Alex Barr, Sports Editor
Gabriel Mantione-Holmes ,
Sports Editor
Anna DeSmet , Backdoor Editor
Raya Deussen , Illustrations
Editor
Jo Tabacek , Photo Editor
Blake Ashby , Social Media
Manager
Mateo Kaiser , Web Editor &
Head of Broadcasting
Stuart Myers, Business Manager
Molly Robinson , Faculty Advisor
Contributors
Will Toppin
Aubrey Roché
Ada Barbee
Casper Pierce
Kayla Plater
Michael Kanter
Nick GothardStaff Box
International Students stay on campus during pandemicBy LEXIE BOREN
WITH LEWIS & Clark’s recent
shift to online classes, the
school’s digital resources
are becoming more vital than ever.
LC’s online classes are to take place
largely over Zoom, Google Hangouts,
and other online platforms such as
Moodle and Google Classroom.
Associate Vice President and Chief
Information Officer Adam Buchwald
spoke on how LC is adapting to its new
online-only classes.
“We had some tools available for
the faculty, and each faculty is then
going to choose a different set of
those tools to provide their kind of
instruction for their kind of discipline
in their kind of class,” Buchwald said.
“Now our challenge is to figure out
where the student is going to be, and
what challenges are ahead of them that
we’re going to have trouble solving.”
Though many students at LC do
have access to a computer or tablet
and wifi, not all do, which is a huge
hurdle as classes become accessible
only online. IT has created a Digital
Resiliency webpage with resources
for students, staff and faculty. The
page contains tips for online work and
learning, as well as links to on-campus
resources, such as the LC virtual private
network (VPN) that can allow access
to software LC owns. It also points to
off-campus resources, such as links to
Comcast Xfinity and AT&T websites,
both of which are offering free access
to wifi during the coronavirus crisis.
In addition, the IT Service Desk
will remain open and can loan out a
limited number of chromebooks for
the remainder of the semester.
Though the transition to online
courses has not been entirely
seamless, LC is shoring up its digital
resources for the coming months.
“(Our resources) were stretched
to the thinnest at one point, because
we’re not equipped as an online
institution,” Buchwald said. “We
weren’t really well equipped for
this kind of transition, and it took
a couple days to figure out what we
really needed. Now we have 500 Zoom
licenses, I think at least all the faculty
will get a Zoom pro license.”
IT staff is also working to provide equipment for the community to use,
but has limited resources when it
comes to hardware.
“We struggle sometimes even with
our classrooms aging and that sort of
thing, so talking about disbursement
of students is a difficult one to prepare
for,” Buchwald said. “We’re trying to
do our best and scrounge together, or
at least try to solve things on a one-by-
one basis as we can.”
Watzek library is also adapting
to LC’s move to online learning. A
webpage entitled “Watzek Library
Response to Coronavirus: General
Information” contains more
information about the library’s digital
learning features. The library will
be moving to online-only services
starting after 5 p.m. on Friday, March
20.
“All of Watzek’s online resources
including research databases, e
journals, ebooks, and (digital)
interlibrary loan should continue to
be available for students and faculty
to access,” Mark Dahl, director of
Watzek Library, said on the website.
“This website highlights some
additional services that we are making
available. They include: remote
research consultations with librarians,
digitization of print materials,
conversion of videos to online delivery
and request for purchase of ebooks.”
The library will also be waiving
fines that accrue during the remainder
of LC’s online semester, including fees
for Summit and InterLibrary Loan
(ILL) items.
Other academic resources,
including the Symbolic and
Quantitative Resource Center
(SQRC), the Writing Center, Student
Academic Affairs Board (SAAB)
tutoring and the Interactive Learning
Center (ILC), will continue to offer
support throughout the remainder of
the semester. The SQRC will be closed
for drop-in hours, but is offering a
course on Moodle where students can
ask questions after self-enrolling. The
Writing Center will also be closed for
drop-in hours, but plans to continue
to conduct meetings online via video
conference. SAAB tutoring and ILC
language tutoring will be continued
throughout the semester with options
for remote tutoring sessions.Gender Symposium
cancels last day events
By VENUS EDLIN
THE CO-CHAIRS of the 39th
Annual Gender Studies
Symposium “Tensions of
Possibility” decided to cancel the events
for March 13 after concerns arose over
the spread of COVID-19. Its theme
was meant to address the gendered
difficulties that arise when society
progresses.
The symposium kicked off the
evening of March 11 with a keynote on
dereliction and destitution by author
and Columbia University professor,
Jack Halberstam. The art show in the
Hoffman Gallery featuring the work of
students and other artists also opened
the same day, remaining open until the
cancelation of later events.
The following day’s activities
continued undisturbed, including a
workshop on intimacy as a path of
LGBTQ+ liberation and a keynote by
social influencer and author Feminista
Jones entitled “Radical Disruptors:
What We Can Lean from Queer Women
of Color.” Videos of her keynote as well
as Halberstam’s talk will be posted
online at a later date by the Gender
Studies Symposium.
Feminista Jones responded to one
of the symposium’s tweets about her
keynote. Her twitter name is now “wash
your hands” featuring clapping emojis
between each of the words in response
to the COVID-19 health crisis.
“Was so honored to do this and
grateful for all who came out to attend,”
Jones tweeted. “Wishing the best to the
students and faculty of Lewis & Clark at
this time!”
After Feminista Jones’ keynote, the
co-chairs decided to end the symposium
to helpde-densifying campus and
implement social distancing.
Sharon Soffer ’20, one of the co-
chairs, was frustrated by the decision
they had to make, but found it more
important to cancel the remaining
events.
“We felt it was our responsibility to
keep the health of our community and
everyone’s best interest in mind and
that’s why we just decided to cancel,”
Soffer said.
Another one of the co-chairs, Rayce
Samuelson ’20, said they did not feel
qualified as students to make the decision on whether or not to continue
with the symposium. Samuelson felt
that LC should have communicated
more clearly.
“Obviously, we’ve been working on
this for 11 months, the last thing we
wanted to do was cancel, and we felt
really abandoned by the institution,”
Samuelson said. “There’s been a really
poor lack of communication from Lewis
& Clark, towards the students, the
faculty, but also to us as event planners.”
The events that were canceled include
a collaborative arts and crafts space,
a presentation on assumptions and
representations, “From the Archives:
Creating and Revisiting Narratives,”
and a discussion about missing and
murdered indigineous women. They
also called off the March 11 showing of
“Marie Antoinette” with a post show
talkback with the director Rebecca
Lingafelter and the choreographer and
event co-chair India Roper-Moyes ’20.
Associate Professor of Gender
Studies Kimberly Brodkin has been
the faculty advisor for the symposium
for 17 years now. Brodkin said the
international aspect of the show made
it even more difficult to cancel.
“One thing you may not realize is
that people from around the country
submit their work for presentation
at the symposium,” Brodkin said via
email. “We widely distribute a Call for
Proposals, and we receive submissions
for individual papers, workshops, film
screenings, roundtable conversations
and other events that we then accept
and organize into complete sessions.
In this sense, the Gender Studies
Symposium resembles a professional
VENUS EDLIN/PIONEER LOG
Jack Halberstam at a symposium event.Resources for a
digital classroom
By IHSAAN MOHAMED
AS LEWIS & CLARK prepares to
limit campus activities for the next
six weeks, there is one remaining
group who are particularly vulnerable:
international students. While many
American students have been able to flee
campus to the safety of their own homes
and families, many international students
cannot do so. Instead, they are left living
at LC as COVID-19 dominates global
affairs.
The international community at LC
consists of over 60 students, many of
whom elect to stay in the U.S. during the
summer. Students like Tobias Varntoft ’21
from Denmark opt to rent houses close to campus during the summer so they
can have access to necessities, such as the
Pioneer Express. For many of them, the
U.S. is home for four years of school and
often a year after, as they try to navigate
college and life. Those who do usually
go back to their home countries during
school breaks are now unable to due to
COVID-19.
Emma Franco ’22, an economics and
international affairs double major from
Mexico knows that she cannot go home.
The spread of COVID-19 has led to the
U.S. and many other countries closing
their borders in order to ensure the safety
of their citizens. If Franco were to leave
the U.S., she may not be allowed re-entry,
despite her student visa status.Although many students could return
to their native countries, issues arise
once they arrive. Many countries across
the world have not yet been able to slow
the spread of the virus. The disease has
just recently entered Mexico, and much
like the U.S., they have not adequately
equipped themselves to deal with the
oncoming pandemic.
For other countries, the state of affairs
is even more dire than that in the U.S.
“For me personally, I would not be
able to go back,” Varntoft said. “The virus
in Denmark is the second worst in Europe
right now after Italy ... getting home is the
last resort for me right now.”
Varntoft maintains that the
international community on campus has
always been friendly. This is partially due
to the international students orientation
that they are required to attend at the
beginning of their freshman year. But
according to Varntoft and Franco, this
global hysteria has brought them even
closer. One student has offered up their
car for rides to the grocery store, and they
have even created group chats to help
support one another. This type of support
is crucial in moments like these.
They have also been advocating
for themselves. According to Varntoft,
there were tentative plans in place to
move all remaining students to Juniper,
the dorm with only singles. However,
a few days ago, the international
students got together and emailed seven
administrators, imploring them to allow
the students to remain in their respective
apartments and dorms. Both students
also stated that some halls, such as East
Apartments, are almost exclusively international students.
“Being put into (single) rooms would
be very damaging to our mental health,”
Verntoft said. Being alone would be
alienating to young students already so far
away from their families.
Another group that is also particularly
vulnerable during this time are the
foreign language assistants. Currently
there are six on campus, but at the time of
publishing, the Chinese foreign language
assistant will have returned home to
Taiwan.
Fulbright scholar and Russian
language assistant Zemfira Gogueva,
French language assistant Sara
Aitelhocine and German language
assistant Luis Markowsky are all worried
about their future at LC. According to
them, all of their countries are open for
citizens to return, but they do not want
the stress of quarantine that awaits them.
Low testing supplies and misdiagnosis
is also an issue that is currently plaguing
many nations, including the U.S. But
many international students want to
remain here for a variety of reasons, and
they are all grateful for LC’s continued
support.
“I’m kind of happy with the situation
because campus is remaining open,”
Aitelhocine said. “And they’re providing
us with housing and food … I feel like the
situation here is much better than (trying)
to go back home.”
Franco and Varntoft repeated this
sentiment. According to them, many
international students they knew at other
universities have been forced to leave
campus as COVID-19 forced complete
school shutdowns. But LC has pledged to keep campus open for those who opt to
stay, at the very least, until the end of the
spring semester.
Brian White, director of the
International Students and Scholars has
confirmed this detail.
“I told the students that I can commit
to you for the rest of the semester, that
we’re going to have a place for you, and
there’s going to be food,” he said.
But the ISS office, according to White
and Vostoft, also does not have a solid
idea of what to do if the situation changes.
According to White, the administration
has still not hashed out a detailed plan for
what to do for international students if
this pandemic continues into the summer.
“I don’t think there is a detailed plan of
what would be provided, or for how long,
past the spring semester,” White said.
And even though the administration
may be overwhelmed with all these
issues, the international scholars are
also overwhelmed over an uncertain
future. This extra stress on top of living
in a foreign country can easily overwhelm
even the most stable of adults, let alone
young students.
Like most LC students, the
international students are currently
shocked about the situation. Just two
weeks ago, the international community
on campus held the International
Fair in order to celebrate and share
their respective cultures with the LC
community. Within the span of a week,
their whole worlds have been turned
upside down. Their friends have left,
many of their countries are too risky to
return to and they remain at the mercy of
the Lewis & Clark administration.
NICK GOTHARD/PIONEER LOG
International students demonstrate how to make paper cranes at the International Fair.academic conference.”
Despite the event being cut short,
the co-chairs said they are happy with
the outcome of the symposium. Brodkin
and the co-chairs hope that attendees
still got the intended messages from the
event.
“It is always our goal that students
will be inspired, provoked and
engaged,” Brodkin said via email.
“We hope people feel challenged and
affirmed, and I especially hope other
students decide to get involved in the
future, either by participating in the
planning process or by submitting work
to the art exhibit or for presentation.”FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2020
OPINION 6
ON FRIDAY MARCH 13th in
my E&D course on biomedical
ethics I shared some ominous data
about the spread of the coronavirus
pandemic and the worldwide
healthcare concerns it has created.
We also examined the looming ethical
dilemmas that we now face here in
the United States. These include
the following: 1) How can we ensure
ethical integrity and justice as we
develop and distribute screening
tests, medicines and vaccines; 2)
How will we protect healthcare
professionals, distribute
limited healthcare resources
and still uphold those who
are most vulnerable; and 3)
What personal freedoms are
we willing to give up and what
other sacrifices are we willing
to make in order to contain
and control this pandemic?
At one point I asked
my students what we should do if
hospitals could not keep up with
treating those who became sick, and
how we might decide what to do if
there were not enough ICU beds and
ventilators for the gravely ill and
infected among us. As they pondered
my question I reminded them about
the committee of seven people we
had learned about at the beginning of
the semester. With the development
of new kidney dialysis machines
in Seattle in the early 1960s, these
people were given the responsibility
to decide which patients would
receive the life-saving dialysis. You
see, there were simply not enough of the new machines to go around.
This committee of seven people had
an overwhelming responsibility.
Whoever they chose received dialysis
and lived. Those they rejected did
not receive dialysis and died. Could
a similar kind of rationing scenario
happen again with the coronavirus
outbreak?
The facts indicate that this
is certainly possible. A recent
assessment of hospital beds shows
that Oregon has the lowest ratio of
any state in our nation with 1.6 beds
per 1,000 people. Nationwide we
average 2.8 hospital beds per 1,000.
However, in order to understand
the potential crisis we may face you
need only compare our ratio with
that of Italy which has 3.2 hospital
beds per 1,000 or Hubei province
in China where there are 4.3 per
1,000. Furthermore, a Johns Hopkins
Center for Health Security Report
from February 27, 2020 suggests that
in a “severe” pandemic on the scale
of the 1918 Spanish flu outbreak, the
United States might need up to 2.9
million critical care beds. The same
report estimates that we currently
only have a total of about 100,000 critical care beds. The report points
out the obvious by stating that, “Even
spread out over several months,
the mismatch between demand and
resources is clear.”
By now most of us have learned
about the importance of “flattening
the curve” in order to reduce the
impending demand on our health care
system, and about how important it is
for us to slow the spread of the virus
through reducing person-to-person
contact and by eliminating large
events and occasions where groups
of people gather. We can
only hope that we have been
successful in slowing down the
spread of the virus in order to
flatten the curve. Only time
will tell.
As I consider all of this
I find myself wondering if
enough Americans are willing
to sacrifice for the common
good anymore. I wish I could answer
with a resounding “yes,” but the
recent run on toilet paper in stores
and the hoarding of hand sanitizer
around the country doesn’t inspire
my confidence. I can only hope
that we will come together in our
communities, states and in our nation
to change the course of this pandemic.
I can only hope it won’t be as bad as
I fear, and that we will indeed rise to
the occasion by rediscovering what
really makes America great: e pluribus
unum (out of many, one).
Mark Duntley
Dean of Spiritual LifeSHIFTING TO ONLINE teaching
is particularly challenging when half
of your students live in a prison. I
teach an Inside-Out Prison Exchange
course. This class is composed of an
equal number of LC undergraduates
and incarcerated students who meet
together inside Columbia River
Correctional Institution (CRCI) to
learn together as peers and equals.
By opening space for communication
across profound social barriers, the
course provides opportunities for all
students to confront fears, explode
stereotypes, present themselves and
meet others openly, and generate
unexpected insight. Inside-Out
courses can address many subjects;
this one focuses on the history of
crime and punishment in the United
States. The encounter
between “inside” and
“outside” students is
central to the purpose
and pedagogy of the class.
Incarcerated students and
L&C students look into
each others’ eyes, listen
deeply, and nourish their
common humanity.
Inside students at CRCI lack
internet access. They lack computers.
When the call to move our courses
online first came, and my colleagues
scrambled to make the transition,
I felt nothing but paralysis and
deflation. To make matters worse,
our course was supposed to conclude
with a theater piece composed by the
students and facilitated by Rebecca
Lingafelter. Not only would the whole
mission and culmination of our class
be lost; the incarcerated students are
especially vulnerable to the virus.
They live in close quarters; they are
generally in poor health; they do not
enjoy adequate medical care. Hand
sanitizer is considered contraband
because it contains alcohol. I wrote to
my inside students in a letter passed
on by my trusted liaison at the prison,
“I am struck by the irony. The calls for
‘social distancing’ remind me of the
social distances we have been trying
to bridge with this course. In other
words, this episode just exaggerates
the isolation that you already must
feel on a regular basis. And yet, this
crisis reminds us of another truth:
That we are all interconnected, even if we are not physically together. It is
a lesson in mutual responsibility; an
injury to one is literally an injury to
all. Our fate is bound up with yours.
So please know that we are thinking
of you, missing you, and caring for
you, even from afar.”
When I held my first online class
meeting of the LC students, they
were clearly devastated by the turn
of events. One student said, “Of all
the semesters for this to happen,
why did it have to be this one?
What’s even the point?” Another
said, when I proposed discussing
the day’s reading—a memoir written
by a black Portland resident who
had experienced gangs, drugs, and
incarceration—“It doesn’t feel right
discussing this book without [the
inside students]. I want to know
what they thought of the book.” We
processed our feelings, hung our
heads, and then one L&C student
said, “Before we sign off, can we each
say the names of the inside students?”
“Paul.” “Irvin.” “Bones.” “Did anyone
say Paris?” “Stephen!” “Trey!”
And then something happened
while I was tossing and turning the
other night. I came to this: We have
built a lot of trust in this class. The
scales have fallen from our eyes and
our hearts have opened. Even as we
have to isolate, can we build upon
the openness, curiosity, listening,
and love that we have cultivated? Can
we in fact make our class a space to
process what is happening right now?
I am coming to see that this
crisis reveals the extent of our blind
faith in existing ideologies such
as our language of “public safety.”
In the past few decades, we have
come to assume that public safety
is something that only the military,
the police, and prisons can provide.
This unexamined outlook is at least
partly responsible for the rise of mass
incarceration. What about the role that nurses, supermarket cashiers,
and toilet-paper factory workers
play in our public health? Who gets
to be part of the “public” entitled
to protection? Just as in our course
we have been trying to parse the
coded meanings of “crime,” “law and
order,” and “victim,” can we redefine
public safety? As I read in a tweet by
James Zeigler, “Every one of the US’s
serious failings is going to contribute
to our devastation by this virus. The
unnecessary poverty, the unnecessary
incarceration, our pitiful and cruel
healthcare system, our aversion to
public health as a concept.” Can this
moment force us to reimagine the
world we want to live in? Perhaps this
situation will inspire a reckoning,
a questioning of our system of
punishment unseen since
the birth of the prison itself.
In short, I wonder whether
my students and I can look
to the community of our
class to wrestle with some
of these questions, to use an
anti-carceral lens to make
sense of what is going on. I
woke up thinking, instead of
cutting off contact, let’s insist on it.
So Rebecca Lingafelter and I came
up with a writing assignment in which
students will compose responses to
the themes of our class. The form
can be a poem, a list, a diary entry,
a manifesto—whatever, and needs
to respond to various themes from
the course, including the following:
“Love, connection, and resiliency
in the age of covid-19. What does
‘physical and social isolation’ mean
to those inside? ‘Health’? To those
outside? What does this moment
reveal about our society? How might
this moment allow us to reimagine
our society?” The inside and outside
students will share their writing
across the walls with the help of the
prison staff, and they will respond
to their classmates’ writing with
performative interpretations, which
they will film and send back out.
Last week I felt like our class was
destroyed by the current crisis. Now
I feel like our class is an opportunity
to make meaning out of this moment.
Reiko Hillyer
Associate Professor of HistoryI AM IN AN OFFICE that is not
student-facing. Unless someone
requests data for a class project (or you
were in one of my PSI sections), I don’t
interact with students much. Still, I
want to let you all know that you are
on my mind BIG TIME, even if I don’t
know you personally. The confusion,
anxiety and uncertainty are hard for
everyone to manage right now, and
as I think back to my college years, I
really cannot fathom how I would have
processed, let alone handled, a global
crisis such as this. Of course, that was
also in the days before the internet and
when email was new. Heck, we still had
to dial phones that were plugged into
the wall and write letters (on actual
paper) to stay in touch with friends! Anyway, I digress. Please know that
you are cared about and thought about
by everyone in the LC community. It
has been heartening to read messages
from faculty members speaking to
your resilience and your commitment
to your education. Kudos to you all.
And, as important as it is to finish out
the semester, please make sure you
are taking care of yourselves (and each
other).
Folks in the IR office are working
remotely right now, but if you want or
need to chat- send me a google invite or
an email- I am happy to listen.
Renée Orlick
Director of Institutional
Research and PlanningLETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Love in the time of COVID-19: the inside-out prison exchange
“Ethical challenges during the coronavirus epidemic”: dean
of spiritual life reflects on morality in a time of global crisis
As I consider all of this I find myself
wondering if enough Americans
are willing to sacrifice for the
common good anymore.I am coming to see that this crisis
reveals the extent of our blind faith
in existing ideologies such as our
language of “public safety.”A message to students and faculty: you
may not see me, but I am here for you
Biology professor explains the spread
of disease and how to protect yourself
I AM GRATEFUL TO the entire
LC community for doing their
utmost to reduce interactions and
practice social distancing in an effort
to slow the unprecedented pandemic
we now face. I hope that providing
a quick primer on the dynamics of
emerging infectious disease might
help everyone remain resolute to do
our utmost to slow the spread in our
community. You can consider this a
5-minute sound bite from the first 6
weeks of Bio 370: Disease Ecology.
The rate at which new infections
arise is related to transmission rates
and what fraction of the population
is susceptible or already infected.
Transmission depends on contact
rates between people and features
of the virus or the host that make it
more or less contagious.
Multiplying these together gives
the rate of new infections, which
means anything you can do to lower
one or more of those numbers makes
the overall number of new infections
lower.
We want the new infection
rate to go down and spread out
through time, rather than grow
uncontrollably, so that the number
of people needing medical care
can be accommodated by available
medical resources. You can search
online for many excellent resources
about this goal, termed “flattening
the curve.”
How can each of us help?
Lowering contact rates is under
your control, and this is the heart
of “social distancing.” Interact
with as few people as possible on
a daily basis. By not gathering in
classrooms, the library, or campus
cafes, we are cutting a large portion
of our daily contacts. Each contact
has some small probability of being
the source of transmission of the
virus to a new susceptible person. By
avoiding contacts you do not give the
virus an escape hatch to a new host
individual.
Transmissibility is partly a
feature of the virus and partly of
immune systems. Do what you can
to bolster your immune system and
reduce the ways you get the virus
into your system (hence advice to
wash hands frequently, clean high-
touch surfaces and not touch your
face).
Without a vaccine, we can’t change the susceptible fraction of
the population. That’s a while off.
This means the virus will continue
to circulate until we can reduce
the susceptible fraction through a
vaccine, or until very many people
become infected with the virus,
recover, have immunity (not clear yet
if this occurs), and then have “herd
immunity” based on there being very
few people in the population.
The more people in the infected
fraction, the higher the probability
of new transmission. Anyone feeling
at all ill must stay home, be isolated,
so that there is no opportunity for
transmission. Mild symptoms must
be managed at home to preserve
hospital resources for the most ill
and vulnerable.
What is most worrisome for
society, though potentially hopeful
for individuals in our LC community,
is that many people appear to have
mild or no symptoms. Others suffer
tremendously, though, and there are
high death rates for some age groups.
Mild cases also means there is a
significant amount of transmission
happening from individuals that
otherwise feel healthy, as the
most up-to-the-minute research is
showing. Just because you feel well,
or don’t fall into a high-risk category,
it is quite possible you could be
transmitting the disease to others
who are. Without sufficient testing,
and our testing has been woefully
inadequate, we just do not know
how many infected individuals there
are. Please take social distancing
seriously and do all you can to isolate
yourself from contacts outside your
household. Do this to protect the
vulnerable in our community, as well
as to protect your own health.
Finally, use your voice. Convince
others that these practices are
important too. Read what the
Italians are saying they wished
they knew just weeks ago. Let’s
learn from other examples and
join together to give the medical
professionals a fighting chance. I
have been so grateful to see how
my students and colleagues have
responded to the crisis.

Margaret Metz
Assistant Professor of
BiologyFRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2020
OPINION 7
LETTER FROM THE EDITORS
By HANNA MERZBACH &
AMELIA EICHEL
WHEN WE FIRST heard that
Lewis & Clark would be going
online, we faced a decision: to
print or not to print this issue of The Pioneer
Log. Like many other organizations across
the country, we did not have a contingency
plan for a disturbance of this size, let alone
a global pandemic.
Until now, we have had sparse
coverage of COVID-19 because, before this
last week, its effects on the LC community
were fairly minimal. When the overseas
trips in China were canceled, the virus still
seemed so distant. Within no time, it was
in our own backyard. In our most recent
issue, we covered the growing number of
cases in Portland and LC’s subsequent
reaction. But even then, we did not expect
to be in the position we are in now.
Although we, as a news organization,
have been trying to join the 21st century
and adapt our content to online, we are
still far from achieving this goal. We exist
in this tiny bubble where there is actually
still demand for print newspapers, where
we have the opportunity to individually
hand papers to each of our readers every
other Friday and see the visible impact that
our coverage has on our small campus.
We typically only publish articles every
two weeks with our print issue, which
feels hectic to us but is nowhere near a
24-hour news cycle. While we have given
our website and Instagram a substantial
facelift this semester, as well as developed
our first podcast series, The PioPod, we
are still far from being a modern news source — heck, many people still do not
know we have a website (piolog.com).
So, when we heard that all classes
would be going online by this past
Wednesday and that most people would
not be on campus, we had a few options.
We could halt operations altogether, we
could go completely online or we could
print one last issue this semester. We
immediately recognized that this is a
historic time for the entire world, and
for the LC community. As information
has been coming in sporadically from
administrators and different groups on
campus, we saw it as our role to fill in
the gaps in information and record this
moment for generations to come.
We ultimately decided to publish the
most pressing information on our website
immediately, but to still print one last issue
filled with stories about the pandemic. For
the past week, we have been documenting
the multitude of stories on and off campus
where LC students are feeling the effects
of the virus.
Our hard-working team of editors,
most of whom have never had a journalism
class (ourselves included), have dedicated
themselves to putting out this special
edition and making sure that we can
include as many perspectives as possible.
We talked to students who are stranded
in Morocco and Ecuador. We talked to
students who dedicated countless hours to
organizing events that will not be realized,
and spoke with seniors who are mourning
the cancellation of graduation and the
anticlimactic end to their college career.
While we hope to provide you with
some entertainment, with an extra page of satire and some suggestions for how to
use this newfound freetime, we also hope
you consider the systemic shortfalls and
gaps we have identified in our coverage.
Sick people have always been there, but
they rarely receive the attention and
coverage they deserve. There is finally
enough sickness to expose to the public
which social and economic institutions
are equipped to care for people during a
crisis and which ones are not.
This crisis is showing us, along with the
rest of the nation and the world, what gaps
need to be filled, what changes need to be
made to our organizations, institutions
and systems, and our responsibility to
help in those efforts. The Pioneer Log,
for one, needs to continue to adapt to
the changing news environment and the
online format. We also need to continue
to create and nurture journalists who will
dedicate themselves to filling in gaps in
information when that information is so
desperately needed.
Our research for this issue has
shown us that the people responsible
for making big decisions during a crisis
cannot be the same people documenting
and reporting on them. Independent
journalism is important because crises
like these reveal who in power is capable
of leading, adapting, and mobilizing, and
who is not. The Trump administration has
disappointed us in this regard. We believe
the Lewis & Clark administration will
learn from this experience and develop
even better protocols for the future. We
need to elect a president of the country
who possesses a similar compassionate
and growth mindset. We hope this crisis will be a catalyst
for change. From the federal to the
local level, people were inadequately
prepared for this pandemic. We hope this
causes all institutions to better prepare
for eventualities like these, including
ecological disasters.
Although this is the last print issue
of The Pioneer Log this semester, in the
coming months, we will be documenting
stories in the LC community. We hope to
continue to cover those students trapped
abroad, as well as faculty and students
adjusting to online classes. We also hope
to cover any changes that LC makes to
its disaster protocols and educational
offerings relating to crises. We would love
to see new courses on mutual aid, civic
engagement and public health. We know
that the LC community has just become
much more scattered; however, we hope to provide some sense of connection for
our community. We aim to show how this
community is coming together and not
just how it is coming apart.
As we are both seniors, this is our
last time working on a print issue of
The Pioneer Log. It will be our last time
spending nearly 12 hours crammed in a
tiny office, straining our eyes to scrutinize
every page (although we both plan to go
into journalism, so you never know). We
will miss our dedicated team of editors
and contributors, but we are excited to see
what The Pioneer Log does in the years to
come. Keep on improving this place, stay
informed and take care of each other!
Hanna Merzbach is the editor-in-chief
and Amelia Eichel is the managing editor
of The Pioneer Log.
A thank you letter to my future
alma mater; always in my heart
By MOLLY ROBINSON
Molly Robinson is the faculty advisor
of The Pioneer Log.
LATELY, I HAVE been thinking about
migraines. No, not the migraines we
are getting more of now that we’re
doing Zoom meetings all day. I have been
thinking about migraines because when I
get them, one of the upsides of the whole
experience is how, when the migraine
finally passes, for a brief time normal,
migraine-free existence feels so amazingly
good, and I really appreciate how good I
have it most days. I am feeling something
similar about having to move classes online
at LC. It never seemed particularly special
to me before that I got to teach my classes
in person. But now that I am not going to be
able to be in the same room as my students
anymore, I am realizing how wonderful
it was. I feel like somehow, I should have
savored it more.
So in a gesture of retroactive savoring
(and proactive too – we’ll be back!), I’ve
made a list of some of my favorite things
about Lewis & Clark. Here they are, in no
particular order:
1. The way the birds sing in the many,
many trees
2. Seeing students blanketing the Howard
steps on a sunny day, talking and laughing
and acting outlandish
3. The constant availability of activities
to watch and marvel at: plays, music
performances, sports events, lectures, and
more
4. Passing by former students and
searching my memory banks for if I know
them from a French class (in which case
I greet them with “bonjour!”), or from
E&D or PioLog (in which case the more
appropriate greeting is in English)
5. Entering the ILC or walking down the
Miller third-floor hallway and hearing
many different languages being spoken
6. Walking into my class and feeling my
heart lift just a little bit to see my students
again and hear them say “bonjour!”
7. The way sometimes my students talk
animatedly as I write the day’s agenda on
the board, and sometimes they are quiet, and I never know which it will be
8. The Festival of Scholars
9. Knocking on the door of the PioLog
office (because I can never remember the
code and don’t feel like fishing my phone
out of my bag) and hearing the happy
tumble of voices and laughter inside until
someone opens the door for me, and then
I see everybody scrunched up tight onto
couches and chairs (no social distancing
there!), smiling faces turned my way
10. Students coming to my office and
confiding in me about some trouble they
are having and feeling like maybe I help
sometimes
11. Finishing off the last issue of the
PioLog for the semester and experiencing
the editors’ somewhat shocked relief at
realizing their work is done
12. Going to meetings I sometimes
complain about but actually almost always
ending up enjoying because I love my
colleagues, and have known many of them
for 15+ years, and let us face it, we are
growing old together
13. Meeting parents at the departmental
reception for seniors and seeing their
child’s faces or hearing their child’s voice
patterns in theirs, and being able to say,
thank you for sending your child our way
14. Clapping for the seniors as they walk
through the two lines of professors at
graduation and catching the eyes of the
ones I know
15. Clapping when the names of any
seniors I know are called out at graduation
16. Walking out of the classroom after the
last student has left on the final day of the
semester, and turning around to look back
at the room for a few seconds and say a
silent “thank you,” before I turn off the
lights and leave the room.
I will sure miss these things in the
coming month or two. I do already. My
heart aches for our seniors who have to
grieve the loss of all of their favorite things
about LC just a little too soon, without
ceremony, without ritual. Please come back
and visit us when this all passes. We will try
and find ways to help you experience your
favorite things once again. Amelia Eichel, managing editor (left), and Hanna Merzbach, editor-in-chief (right).
By LEXIE BOREN
AS I LOOK into the remainder of
my senior year, I feel a sense of
overwhelming loss. This year,
there will be no graduation; there will be
no last day of classes, no senior social and
no sense of celebration. Lewis & Clark is
a vibrant community filled with caring
and kind people, and I am incredibly
sad that for my last few months here, I
will remain at a distance. Despite that,
however, I am incredibly grateful to be
at a school like this one during a crisis.
Through the past week of
transitioning to online classes, LC has
demonstrated its compassion. It was
there in the email I received from a
certain computer science professor,
assuring his students that although we would be a safe distance away, LC
would continue to deliver small classes
and available faculty. It was there when
I picked up the phone at the IT Service
Desk to help very stressed, frustrated
people, and they took the time to thank
me for the work I was doing. It was there
in the emotional support offered by
friends, co-workers and fellow students.
This has been and will continue to be a
difficult time for everyone, but I am so
grateful to be a part of a community that
is so caring and supportive.
In better times, I loved this school.
Now, I find myself simultaneously
grieving and grateful to have been
a part of it. I will miss this beautiful
campus, with its Dutch cobblestones
and its trees that drip icy rain down
the back of your shirt. I will miss the sometimes incredibly intimate and
always interesting discussions in my
English classes. I will miss late nights
in the library fueled by coffee and
stress and the silent knowledge that my
classmates are suffering too. I will miss
the Dovecote in the morning and the
smell of flowers in the spring and the
satisfaction of finally driving home after
a long, long day.
LC is doing the right thing by
transitioning to online classes, and I am
glad that the administration is taking
deliberate and conscious steps to keep
its students, staff and faculty safe. I
see schools throughout the country
shuttering their doors and forcing their
students out, and it makes me proud to
be a part of a community that realizes
that not everyone can or should leave.
ANNA DESMET/PIONEER LOG
My favorite LC things
I will miss this springWhy journalism remains important in the coronavirus crisis
JO TABACEK/PIONEER LOG By IHSAAN MOHAMED
W E ARE LIVING in one of the
most powerful and developed
nations in the world. Our wealth
is unmatched, our military is indestructible.
Yet in such a country, our chosen leaders
continue to lack the guts and decency it
takes to run it successfully. Time and again,
we have seen our politicians select short-
term gains over long-term benefits for our
country.
Despite the abnormal amount of gun-
related deaths in school-age children,
politicians continue to accept money and
support from the National Rifle Association
and refuse to even consider gun control.
Despite the fact that whole cities continue
to be literally poisoned by inadequate water
supply, politicians ignored their citizens’
cries until public pressure forced them to.
And despite the fact that climate change is
a factual phenomenon, middle-aged and
older politicians refuse to acknowledge it in
order to secure their own individual power
and wealth. Instead, the burden of fighting
for these truths fell on young activists, who
began sacrificing their time and education
to fight for change. And this COVID-19
outbreak is showing us that once again,
young people are stepping up where our
politicians have failed us.
For the past few weeks as the pandemic
has literally taken over the world, our most
senior official, Donald Trump, has refused
to acknowledge that it is a serious issue.
He has repeatedly claimed that it was a
hoax that would quickly go away. And if
his words were not damaging enough,
Trump’s actions have been downright
dangerous. He has cut CDC’s funding by
80%. He has failed to ensure that enough
testing kits are provided for the American
people. And to make matters even worse,
he fired Barack Obama’s entire pandemic
response team back in 2018 and never
rehired anyone to take their spot. The fact
that this man continues to have supporters
at this point is ridiculous. During the first
few weeks of the pandemic, he continued to
hold crowded public rallies, directly putting
people in danger of spreading the disease.
He continued to shake hands and disregard
all protocol for containing COVID-19. It
took mass hysteria and the stock market crashing before Trump declared a State of
Emergency after so much damage had been
done.
But you know who has been canceling
rallies and urging people to stay home
despite wanting to fight for a good cause?
Greta Thunberg. A 17-year-old is more
concerned about the health and safety of
our nation, and the world, than Trump,
“leader of the free world.” Do you know
who has been helping share safety tips
as well as where people can find food and
resources in these difficult times? Ilhan
Omar’s activist daughter Isra Hirsi. Why
is a whole generation bearing the burden
of accurately helping Americans during
this pandemic, when actual paid leaders
should be? Politicians are disregarding the
words of scientists and doctors, while young
people help spread them because they are
actually concerned about the safety of the
public. It is sad and ridiculous that young
kids have to take up this responsibility.
How is this going on in one of the wealthiest
nations in the world?
Now, some might disagree entirely
with these statements. They might see it
as a positive thing that young people are
actively invested in the future of their own
generation. And I agree completely. It is
refreshing to see that new generations of
children are interested in changing the
world for the better. However, they should
not have to bear the majority of that burden.
Young people should be safely in school
securing an education that they can utilize to
make change in the world. They should not
be forced to give up their education to fight
for basic human rights that our lawmakers
should be protecting. The era of politicians
putting their personal interests above that
of the American people should be one of the
past. It is time for change, and the fact that
presidential elections are coming up opens
up an avenue for the biggest kind of change.FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2020
OPINION 8
LC senior reflects on the loss of
celebration, still remains grateful
By ANNA DESMET
I AM CURRENTLY a senior at Lewis
& Clark. I will graduate in May, God
willing (though it seems as though he
has been a little less willing of late). I have
been excited for my college graduation
since my high school graduation, when
I realized that I would graduate in the
year 2020. What a fun, repetitive year to
graduate in.
Frankly, I became excited about my
college graduation before I was even in
high school, when I attended my sister’s
graduation from UC Berkeley in 2011.
My (now late) grandparents attended,
my aunt and her family came and it was
a time of celebration and love that I could
not wait to later be centered around me in
eight years’ time.
Obviously, plans have changed.
I am a little heartbroken that the
graduation ceremony itself is in question
due to the COVID-19 shutdowns. The
same aunt who attended my sister’s
graduation was flying from California to
see me graduate. My aunt on my mom’s
side was going to fly in from Florida.
It was going to be a day full of love and
celebration, just like
how I remember my
sisters’ graduation.
That said, I
appreciate that LC
is doing its part in
limiting exposure
to and the spread
of the coronavirus.
College-aged
students are the mostly safe, but those to
whom we might spread it are not. It is the
moral and right decision to move classes
to an online platform, even if it does feel
terrible.
I greatly appreciate that LC will keep
the dorms open for students who need
it and that they will continue to provide
food and services as they are able to.
I am deeply appreciative of all of my
wonderful professors who are striving to
still deliver competent classes. I am even
more thankful to all of the professors
who are learning new video systems in
order to teach us. I am incredibly grateful
for the staff on campus who are not professors that are still working hard to
ensure the quality of our education. In
short, I am pleasantly surprised that it
seems as though the LC community has
come together during this time instead of
falling apart.
That said, the motivation I have been
struggling to muster this semester is
certainly not going to be helped by online
classes I can attend in pajamas. The
classes that I felt are almost perfunctory
this semester in order to get my degree
are now even more of a joke. Can the
college really say that our quality of
education has not gone down with the
introduction of Zoom and online classes?
It burns that this is the education we are
still paying tens of thousands of dollars
for. If I wanted an online education,
I could have watched Khan Academy
videos for free.
I will no longer see the people who I
have seen everyday for four years. Myself, every other student and especially
every senior have lost the final sense of
community a few more months together
might have given us.
But there is nothing to be done. LC
needs the money that they already took
to pay our professors and faculty and
keep the campus pretty. Our professors
need to receive their salary. We need
to graduate. School must continue. So,
Zoom to the rescue.
On the bright side.
I have flown home coincidentally for
my dad’s birthday this year. My stay at
home has suddenly been extended. The
time of love and celebration that I may or
may not have in the form of a graduation
ceremony can be recreated now. I am
fortunate enough to be healthy and to see
my family for a longer time than I had
planned, when I was not even planning
on coming home after graduation. Before
I am scattered to the wind, I can return
home once more.
Some students cannot return home,
whether because of prices or travel bans.
For some, home is not a place of joy and
love. Many students will be impacted by
this more than me and my silly graduation
ceremony. For them, I mourn more. And
for them I do not have a solution. I hope
that love and support, in any form they
might come, will be enough. Trump’s harmful behavior must not be forgotten
Americans should remember why the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S. is so dangerous in the first place
JO TABACEK/PIONEER LOG
LEXIE BOREN/PIONEER LOG
By WILL TOPPIN
FACED WITH A disease that
threatens millions of lives
around the globe, it is obviously
counterproductive to blame any one
person or waste time and energy on
divisive polarization. But there is one
person we cannot avoid talking about:
the president.
Many are hailing Trump’s
recent pivot on COVID-19. His
administration has recognized the
threat of the pandemic, declared a
national emergency, encouraged social
distancing and enacting measures to
aid the economy and those who are
financially vulnerable. CNN’s Dana
Bash went so far as to call Trump “the
kind of leader that people need.”
These recent efforts should be
praised. It is high time to treat this
virus like the threat it is. But giving
Trump a “forgive and forget” card
would be a big mistake: he is directly
culpable for the severity of the
crisis in this country. As the soon-
to-be pandemic grew for months in
countries like China and South Korea,
his administration seemingly did little
to prepare. Indeed, it is clear that they
did not regard the virus a significant
threat until a few weeks ago. China
announced that it had isolated the
virus on Jan. 7, and released the
sequenced genome on Jan. 12. When
Trump first publicly acknowledged the
threat on Jan. 22., he said “we have it
totally under control.”
Weeks after the U.S. saw its first
case in January, Trump continued
spreading misinformation. He
demanded on holding his Feb. 27
campaign rally, where he insisted
that the virus would “miraculously (go) away.” He continued shaking the
hands of world leaders. Over and over,
he downplayed the predicted severity
and duration of the crisis, spurring his
followers to not take it seriously.
In this crisis, individual action is
really important — those who are at
the least risk from the disease and
show no or mild symptoms are among
the most likely to spread it. This
means that it is hard to overstate the
importance of disseminating accurate
information about the severity of the
threat and how every person can do
their part in preventing its spread.
The Trump administration’s failure
to facilitate widespread testing
may have even worse
consequences than
its continued
broadcasting of misinformation. The first COVID-19
test was created in mid-January, and
multiple countries have created their own
successful tests. The World Health
Organization dispatched kits to 56
countries on Feb. 14, but the Trump
administration refused to accept their
kits and committed to making its
own. The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention’s first batch of kits
were subsequently found to be faulty,
delaying the process of domestically-
produced kits even further. Successful
tests have now been around for two
months, yet the U.S..... still lags far
behind countries like South Korea.
Widespread, effective testing is
absolutely crucial to combating this
outbreak. Health care officials simply
can’t track and respond
to the outbreak
effectively if
only celebrities and those with the most
sever symptoms get treated. Dr.
Anthony Fauci, director of the
National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases, said of the CDC’s
system of testing: “It is a failing. Let’s
admit it.”
Better testing is coming, but time
is of the essence. Indeed, one report
says that COVID-19 has an epidemic
doubling time of “about a week.”
We needed these tests weeks ago
when they could have helped stem
the initial outbreak in the US. While
the Trump administration spread
misinformation and hampered
effective testing, people were dying. It
has become clear that it was only the
beginning.
I know that this is no time for
polarization or partisanship. And
Trump has not been the only one
muddying the waters — China hid the
growing outbreak for weeks. But the
two most precious resources we have
right now are time and data — and
Trump has actively hindered both. We
had weeks of warning that COVID-19
was coming. His administration
squandered it.
Right now, every human being has
a common enemy, one that threatens
millions of our lives — and every
human being has an important role in
fighting it. For now, let’s focus on that.
Let us focus on being with friends
and family and adapting to these
trying times. Let us focus on coming
together to fight our common foe.
When all this is over, though, there
will be a reckoning. And for every
person that could have been saved if
not for the Trump administration’s
botched, laggard response? Well, the
buck stops with him.
LEXIE BOREN/ PIONEER LOG
Young activists bear the
burden of changing lives
Many students will be impacted
by this more than me and my silly
graduation ceremony. For them, I
mourn more. FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2020
FEATURES 9
How to wash your hands correctly and why it
is so important during the COVID-19 crisisBy MICHAEL KANTER
ON MARCH 13, Spain began to
control movement on a national
scale and regulate regions outside
of the COVID-19 hotspots in Madrid,
Cataluña and the Basque Country.
Similar to the U.S. refusing entry to
foreign nationals from many countries,
on March 12 Spain restricted travel to
travels who absolutely needed to return
home.
I began asking people how long they
thought it would be before we reached
a standstill like Italy. Most answered
with estimates within a week, thinking
that this was a conservative guess and
that there was no way we made it longer
than seven days without an enforced
lockdown. Grocery stores began to be
emptied and trucks full of food clogged
the narrow streets while shelves were
restocked. Small towns appeared to be
completely deserted until you found
the entire community standing in line
outside of the grocery store or pharmacy.
By 12 p.m. on March 14, the City of
Alicante had transitioned into a self-
enforced close. Police in masks stopped at
storefronts, coffee shops and restaurants,
ordering them to close immediately.
With the exception of people running
errands and walking dogs, there were
hardly any people on the streets. Grocery
stores that had been restocked and full
of people in the morning, were now
completely empty. Nonperishables and
hygienic supplies had been gone for
days. By the 14th there was hardly any
food on the shelves. On Sunday the 15th,
local and national police began ticketing
people on the streets unless they were
making a quick trip to a bank, pharmacy
or grocery store. Enforced lockdown
began 36 hours after I had started asking
when people expected it. The military
arrived at the local airport on the 14th to
enforce travel restrictions.
While the rapid progression of
the situation has been alarming, it is
reassuring that citizens began self-
regulating almost a full day ahead of the lockdown. There is a lot of solidarity
and resilience in the community here.
In a culture where the majority of life
is lived outside and on the street, it is
incredible to see people make this shift
with such urgency and still be grateful
for what they have. Every night at 8 p.m.,
windows open and the city applauds the
healthcare workers.My 72-year-old host mother has
not left her apartment for the last five
days. She has had serious cardio and
pulmonary issues for the past 20 years.
16 days ago she asked that I avoid big
cities and airports for the duration of
my stay in Spain. Two days after that I
went to the gym and the pool for the last
time. Since then, the largest gatherings I attended were academic classes that are
now canceled. However, I did not start
avoiding the beach early enough, and
every day I fear that I will find my host
mother coughing more than she already
does due to her chronic health issues. She
maintains an incredibly positive attitude
and spends the majority of each day on
the phone with her sisters, children and grandchildren. Her son told her that
they will not be able to visit her for the
foreseeable future and if she has to go to
the hospital she will go alone. She now
has enough of her medication to last for
several weeks, and enough food to last
until the grocery stores are restocked.
One of her neighbors will leave food at
her door.
Though I may have a biased
perspective as a result of my host
mother’s situation, the data coming
out of this outbreak speaks for itself.
The Medium provides a clear analysis
of what needs to be done and the
statistics that prove the urgency of the
situation and has an updated and more
general coronavirus feed. Additional
research done by a group of European
Universities highlights the importance
of individual action. Lastly, the Johns
Hopkins University GIS system captures
the severity of the current situation and
the hopeful possibilities if we take the
right steps now. I encourage everyone
reading this to visit these links and share
them with as many people as you can.
You can find links to these sources in this
article at piolog.com.
The CDC and WHO websites also
provide valuable information. These are
the people we should be listening to right
now. It is possible that if Americans act
now and take social distancing seriously,
hospitals may not get too overwhelmed.
If we change our behavior now, doctors
and nurses may be able to sleep, triage
may not have to be as exclusive and we
may have enough oxygen tanks. From a
more individualistic perspective, if you
start social distancing now, we may be
able to avoid total isolation in the future.
If you limit your interactions to close
friends, family members and grocery
store employees, it is likely that you
will be able to continue to be with these
people. This is a learning opportunity for
our generation. What this means is that
we need to act now to flatline the spread
of the virus. Once this is accomplished
we will need to make policy changes in
preparation for future crises.
By AUBREY ROCHÉ
IF YOU ARE CONCERNED about
the risk of coronavirus, the simplest
thing you can do to lower your
risk of contracting it is something you
should already be doing many times a
day: washing your hands. Basic soap is
enough to kill most viral germs that may
be living on your hands. This makes it all
the more important to wash your hands before touching your face, eating or after
you have used the bathroom or touched
communal, germ-filled surfaces. It may
seem simple, but many people either do
not wash their hands for long enough or
do not wash them at all.
According to the Centers for Disease
Control (CDC), effective hand-washing
involves wetting your hands with clean
water, applying soap and lathering
your hands generously. You should be scrubbing your hands, making
sure to wash your palms, the backs of
your hands, and in between all of your
fingers. Handwashing should last at
least 20 seconds, which you can time
by singing a song in your head. For this,
you have a couple of options: you can
sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice,
the alphabet song or even the chorus
of “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers. As
long as you are washing for at least 20 seconds, it does not matter how you time
it. This may seem like a long time while
you are washing, but it is worth it to keep
yourself and others safe. After you have
scrubbed your hands well, you should
rinse them off completely under clean
water, and dry them with a towel or let
them air dry.
If you are in a situation where you
absolutely cannot wash your hands, it
can also suffice to use hand sanitizer,
as long as it has an alcohol content of at
least 60%, as recommended by the CDC.
However, hand sanitizer is not entirely
effective in removing all germs and any
chemicals that may be on your hands, so
do not rely on it as your primary method
of hand cleaning. If you do use hand
sanitizer, make sure to rub it in for about
20 seconds and make sure it covers all
areas of your hands.
If you are still not convinced, here are
some fun facts about hand-washing:
Hand-washing can prevent one in
three diarrhea-related illnesses and one
in five respiratory infections.
65% of women wash their hands after
using the bathroom, while only 31% of
men do.
Hand hygiene was not identified by
the CDC as an essential way to prevent
the spread of disease until the 1980s.
Global Hand-washing Day occurs
every year on Oct. 15.
According to the Global Hand-
washing Partnership, the promotion
of hand-washing has been linked to
higher educational achievement in many
countries, as it keeps children healthy
and able to attend school.
You can stay safe amidst the spread
of coronavirus simply by washing
your hands effectively. Regardless of
coronavirus, you should be washing your
hands regularly anyway. You can learn
even more about washing your hands at
cdc.gov/handwashing/.Spain’s expedited journey to a lockdown
The experience of national lockdown in Spain from the eyes of a Lewis & Clark student studying abroad
MICHAEL KANTER/PIONEER LOG
KAYLA PLATER/PIONEER LOGDue to resource hoarding in Spain, markets are empty, as seen above. Despite the complete lockdown, markets remain open.
PORTLAND
RESOURCES
Handsonportland.org
has community service
opportunities.
If you need resources
and are in Portland, visit
211info.org or call 211 and
someone will connect you
with the health and social
service organizations.
A community effort has
created forms to both
volunteer and/or request
child care assistance from
the local community.
Use the QR Code below (just
point your default camera
app at it) to find links to the
above resources and more
or visit:
piolog.com/covid-19-resources/
FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2020
FEATURES 10
By EDITORIAL BOARD
HOPEFULLY EVERYONE is
nurturing in their introverted
side during this time. But
isolation, even if it is the responsible
choice, can be challenging. Below is
a list created by the editors of The
Pioneer Log with suggestions on what
you can do to stay entertained, sane
and safe.
Take a hike. Hiking can be
a wonderful solitary activity, and
moreover, if you go from your car,
to the park, wash your hands before
and after, it is a mostly safe option.
Maybe spend less time caressing
tree trunks, just in case someone
with coronavirus did the same, and
minimize your contact with any
strangers you might encounter along
the way. It was about time the suave
head-nod made a comeback anyway.
In a similar vein, Portland has a lot of
wonderful viewpoints that are perfect
for sitting with a quiet activity and
contemplating the current state of our
democracy.
Pick up a new hobby. Learn
how to embroider, sew, paint, make
jewelry, pick up a new instrument or to
Gregorian throat singing. You have the
time and there is a YouTube tutorial
for absolutely everything nowadays.
Teach yourself new skills.
Freecodecamp.org is a great way
to learn how to code. There are so
many free classes you can take on the websites edX and Coursera. You
can learn how to edit videos, make a
podcast, become a graphic designer,
all on YouTube. Many tech companies
are offering discounts or extended free
trials that can help you learn how to
use various software like Trailhead
for Salesforce. Watching TED Talks,
documentaries and reading books is another great way to expand your
knowledge.
Clean your home. You have been
putting off doing laundry all semester
and there are socks strewn all over
your floor — we have all been there.
Doing small, easy tasks like cleaning
can help you feel like you are in control
of something, with the added bonus of making your newly restrictive living
quarters more enjoyable to inhabit for
extensive periods of time.
Dedicate time and effort to
your relationships. Maybe you are
living with roommates who you could
get to know better. Maybe you have
a partner or significant other who
you have not been prioritizing lately. Maybe you are back in your childhood
home and feeling the tension. Whether
in person or over the phone, now is
the perfect time to invest your time in
others — ask people to tell you about
their favorite memory, their favorite
vacation or the best party they have
ever been to.
Invest in your mental health.
Practice meditation, read a book,
listen to some music. It is easy to
become overwhelmed in the never-
ending cycle of horrible news, online
classes and bickering with your
roommates, so you should take a
break and do something for yourself.
You deserve it.
Update your resumé. We all
know it takes way longer than we want
it to, and the Career Center is still
available to help remotely. Plus, with
that huge recession we all know is
coming, now is truly the time to think
about your future career endeavors
(and how to get the next paycheck).
Don’t forget that you are still
a student. As much as it feels like we
are done for the year, or like online
classes are not as hard as in-person
ones (the jury is still out), remember
that ultimately, you came to Lewis
& Clark to learn. Perhaps this extra
time is exactly what you need to
actually finish all your reading for
once, or to put that extra effort into
your final project. LC is still there to
teach you—try to continue to be there
to learn.
By MATTHEW FELDMAN
NOT ALL CLASSES will be able
to transfer to an online form as
easily as others. In particular,
classes relating to the arts and STEM
labs are encountering the challenges
of converting a very tactile learning
environment to a remote one. Both
professors and students alike are
struggling with how to transition
to online classes. According to the
department chairs of the respective
departments, all lab and art classes
will continue online and will still give
full credit.
Greta Binford, the biology
department chair, sees the six lab
classes currently in progress as still
being able to continue albeit with an
altered curriculum. The lab classes
have already collected plenty of data
that can now be analyzed online.
Binford also indicated that any lapses
in data gathering can be supplemented
by previously collected data.
“For most of our lab classes the
students have worked hard in the
first part of the semester to build
the conceptual understanding
needed to ask and answer questions
within the realm of the topics of the
class,” Binford said via email. “So
now most of us are transitioning to
students working on data analysis and
interpretation. Our curriculum deeply
emphasizes the scientific process and
there are many ways for students to
actively engage in that process without
the hands on aspect of collecting their
own data.”
Tallie Steiner ’20, a biology major
says that the shift to online classes has
“drastically” affected labs.
“Most labs are canceled and bio usually has semester-long projects
which now will have to be cut short,”
said Steiner via email. “For example,
in plant bio we have had to end our
greenhouse projects and take final
measurements on all of the plants we
had been growing for our study.”
Anne Bentley, chair of the
chemistry department, indicated that
the department is also working hard
to transition labs to an online format
while maintaining the curriculum of
the classes.
“The chemistry department faculty
are working to continue to conduct the
lab portion of our courses in an online
format while still meeting the learning
goals for the labs,” Bentley said via
email. “The exact plans differ by
course. We have received notification
from the American Chemical Society
that our use of virtual labs for
the remainder of the spring 2020
semester will not pose any risk to our
status as an ACS-approved chemistry
department.”
Matthew Johnston, art department
chair, also indicated that art classes
will continue online and that art
professors are currently in the process
of managing the switch from in-
person to online classes.
“I suppose the main thing is that
the switch to online instruction was
unexpected and faculty have differing
levels of familiarity with the various
options that are available,” Johnston
said via email. “The studio art faculty
are developing assignments that
students can work on independently.”
Across the board, faculty are
working on the transition to online
classes but still expect to be able to
teach, even in cases where classes
were traditionally very hands-on. By IHSAAN MOHAMED
AS THE COVID-19 pandemic is
sweeping through the world,
one thing has become painfully
obvious for seniors across the country:
commencement will not be happening.
The moment that many students have
been looking forward to for almost four
years is gone, swept away by the chances
of infection from a dangerous disease.
Lewis & Clark was just one of hundreds
of colleges and universities across the
U.S. that have decided to cancel its
traditional commencement ceremony.
So far, it has been established
that the Memorial Coliseum has
confirmed the cancelation of the official
commencement. However, according
to the Vice President of Student Life
and Dean of Students Robin Holmes-
Sullivan, there may be a chance that a
smaller graduation could be held on the
football field. Holmes-Sullivan relayed
this information through a general
webinar she held for all LC parents.
Although students have received
information about all large events being
canceled, the seniors have not received
any information from LC specifically
about graduation.
Biftu Sultan ’20 is a Portland
native whose parents immigrated
from Ethiopia over 20 years ago. The
biochemistry and microbiology major is
the eldest in her family and was excited
to share that moment of celebration
with them.
“It’s not just about me anymore,”
Sultan said. “It was supposed to be a
milestone, a moment for our parents
to see everything they worked hard for
come to fruition.”
According to Sultan, it was not just
about walking across that stage anymore
for a diploma, but rather her whole
family celebrating her achievements
that she managed through their
support. And now that moment may be
lost to the pandemic.
Vice President of Student Life
Robin Holmes-Sullivan emailed some
LC parents notifying them that the
Memorial Coliseum commencement
was canceled. The administration is
still thinking about holding a smaller
ceremony on campus for those who can
make it. But the school is still waiting to
see how the crisis develops.
“We can’t promise anything,”
Holmes-Sullivan said.
However, it is important to note
that the email did not reach all LC
senior parents. Many seniors found out about the canceled commencement
either through friends or the official
commencement webpage.
According to LC President
Wim Wiewel, the administration
is determined to do something to
celebrate the senior class. Although the
Memorial Coliseum commencement
will definitely not happen, Wiewel
stated that the senior speakers have
already been taped and are awaiting
selection.
“We can webcast that (senior)
speech, we will webcast the ceremonial
piece, even if that means me sitting in
my office by myself and a camera person
... we will have a ceremonial event.”
Wiewel said.
Wiewel also stated that students
should not worry about travel plans if
they planned to return for a possible
ceremony. “All I can say is that I think
there will be a lot of cheap flights and
empty hotel rooms available for last
minute reservations,” he said.
Annika Clunk ’20 hails from
Arizona. An economics major who was
also on the school’s golf team, Clunk
had a lot riding on graduation.
“This is all too surreal,” Clunk said.
“I never thought I would have this
situation where I couldn’t walk for my
graduation.”
For Clunk, graduation was about
celebrating four years of hard work and
athleticism, But her senior year and
graduation were also about her being
able to present her thesis with her class.
Since January, she and many other
upperclassmen have been toiling over
their passions and preparing it for the world. Now that moment may never
come for them.
“Everything went wrong so quickly,”
Clunk said.
This is not to say that LC seniors do
not recognize the significance of what is
going on in the world. Aisha Kheir ’20, a
psychology major and pre-med student,
understands that the health of students
and their families always comes first.
“There are people whose health
would’ve been at risk if big events were
to happen,” Kheir said. “And the school
did the best that they could.”
Sultan and Clunk also echoed these
sentiments. Both students had elderly
grandparents who were planning on
attending the ceremony, and they did
not want to put them at risk. However,
all three also wished the school had
been more transparent with them and
notified seniors about this decision
directly.
“We’re still waiting for an email
explanation on graduation,” Sultan
said.
To them, it seems as though
four years of backbreaking effort is
being swept under the rug by the
school. According to these students, a
notification would have eased many of
these students’ worries that they had
been forgotten.
And in the grand scheme of things,
many realize that this is just a part
of life. However, in times of panic,
clutching onto the familiar can also be
a helpful coping mechanism.
“You only graduate college once,”
Clunk said, a sad sentiment echoed by
seniors across the world.How to make the most out of social isolation
The challenges of
STEM & Art online Seniors heartbroken by canceled
commencement ceremony in MayJO TABACEK/PIONEER LOG
ADA BARBEE/PIONEER LOGMATTHEW FELDMAN/PIONEER LOG
Labs and certain art classes face particular challenges moving classes online.FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2020
FEATURES 11
By MACKENZIE HERRING
DUE TO CONCERNS related to
the spread of COVID-19 and
Kate Brown’s limitations on
large events, many major Lewis & Clark
symposia scheduled for this spring have
been canceled. Among them are the
International Affairs (IA) Symposium,
the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Symposium and the Environmental
Studies (ENVX) Symposium.
The 58th annual IA symposium,
titled “Facets of Force: Navigating Global
Power and Influence,” was scheduled for
April 6 through 8. The symposium would
have tackled topics and controversy
surrounding leadership from those with
power and governing bodies’ response to
positions of great authority.
Student co-chair Zoey Steel ’20
expanded on what would have been
discussed at the symposium and the
work that had already been put into the
event.
“It is a true shame since we had an
amazing lineup this year, including
debates about fake news, government
surveillance and pandemic response
management which is particularly
relevant,” Steel said via email. “Co-
chairs, Kaitlyn Vlahoulis (’20) and I are
disappointed to not see the work that
has been put into this event since last
May come to fruition, but the situation’s
severity clearly demanded cancelation
... We are so proud of the steering
committee members for all of their hard
work and I will forever be amazed by
their devotion to making this event the
best it could possibly be, even as we were
faced with challenges along the way.”
With many of the speakers being
from an older demographic and flying
internationally, it would have been
particularly risky for them to continue
the event.
Professor of International Affairs and
Faculty Advisor for the Symposium Bob
Mandel spoke more on the events and
goals of the symposium.
“This symposium models the value
for presenting students, faculty and
members of the outside community with
sharply diverging perspectives within each session on global controversies,
providing a shining example of critical
liberal arts thinking where audience
members are empowered to think for
themselves after listening to opposing
views,” Mandel said via email. “The
Monday night session with Michael
Chertoff, former Director of Homeland
Security, in a spirited debate was what
all of us were looking forward to the
most.”
The sixth annual MENA Symposium
would have been from April 1 to 3. The
symposium, titled “Alternative and
Emerging Histories of the Middle East and North Africa,” aimed to highlight
representations of and personal
stories from the MENA region that
are not colonialist and focused on
underrepresented and marginalized
communities. The symposium would
have consisted of panels on immigration
experiences, comparative education,
migration and two panels consisting of
student research.
“This student-led event is designed
to showcase student research and local
resources in the field to supplement
academic opportunities on campus,” the
LC website said.One of the co-chairs of the MENA
symposium, Grace Starling ’20 said that
the symposium would have included a
variety of works from the LC community.
“Since the MENA symposium would
likely draw crowds of over 50 people,
we had to cancel the symposium,”
Starling said. “This came as a great
disappointment due to all of the hard
work students, faculty, and guests
had put into what was going to be a
very exciting schedule of events and
great move forward in growing the
symposium.”
The MENA faculty advisor, Associate Professor of Anthropology Oren Kosansky
said that all of the planning this year puts
the committee in a great position for next
year.
The ENVX symposium would have
included two Spring Engagement events,
the first to Portland Harbor Superfund
site on March 14 and the second was an
overnight camping trip to the Klamath
Basin April 10-11.
Both of these trips would have
explored the “uneven development
theme in the context of urban pollution
in Portland and rural natural resources,”
according to the LC website. The
festivities would include “a day trip to the
Portland Harbor Superfund site, a stretch
of the Willamette River where federal
and municipal agencies are addressing
industrial pollution of river sediments,”
the LC website said. “Participants will
learn about the history and current
status of this site, engage with a variety
of partners who are impacted by the
water quality, and have the opportunity
to contribute public comments to the
current proposed actions. The trip will be
led by ENVS Associate Professor Jessica
Kleiss.”
About 24 students had registered for
the Portland Harbor engagement and 18
were registered for Klamath Basin at the
time of the cancelation. Environmental
Studies Program Administrative
Specialist Laura Mundt BA ’91 said that
there are plans to reschedule the Klamath
Basin overnight trip.
“The Portland Harbor Superfund
Engagement probably won’t be
repeated,” Mundt said. “That timing
was tied to a special public comment
period about the remediation of the site.
We are anticipating offering the trip to
the Klamath Basin again next academic
year, probably in the spring. The topics
that were going to be discussed dovetail
well with this year’s theme of Uneven
Development and next year’s theme of
Conservation Science.”
LC’s symposia cover a wide range of
topics and interdisciplinary approaches
that contribute to the college’s goals as a
liberal arts institution. More information
regarding these symposia are on LC’s
website.All spring symposia canceled due to COVID-19 concerns
Immunodeficiency in the age of COVID-19
By RILEY HANNA
The rapid spread of the
coronavirus (COVID-19) has
stricken fear into people of
all ages across the world, yet it is
safe to say that younger people are
less concerned than the elderly, as
according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), the
virus poses a much larger threat
to older populations. Yet, the
virus disproportionately impacts
individuals with pre-existing chronic
medical conditions as well, regardless
of age. According to the CDC, people
with lung disease, diabetes or heart
disease are at higher risk of getting
very ill from the virus.
Numerous immunocompromised
students live within the Lewis & Clark
community, with various conditions
and degrees of severity. Importantly,
many conditions students have are
invisible, meaning that to the naked
eye they do not appear to have a
disability or illness.
Match Kay ’20 is an
immunocompromised student.
She explained her condition and
symptoms via email.
“I have had recurring pneumonia
for a few years, but as a baby I got
shingles from my older sister who
was in kindergarten when I was one,”
Kay said. “She got chickenpox, and it
turned into shingles for me, so I was
put into a medically induced coma
for a few months when I was one,
and ever since I get sick with passing
viruses, the flu, and pneumonia pretty
constantly.”
Due to her heightened
susceptibility to illnesses, Kay
has taken numerous preventative measures against COVID-19.
“To begin with, I wash my hands
about 15-20 times a day, but since
all of the news about the virus I have
increased that number to probably
30-40,” Kay said. “I have tried to avoid
touching everything at school, and
when I sit at desks in classrooms I’ve
just done my work on my lap instead
of on the tables. I don’t use any of
the computers on campus because I
sterilize my laptop as often as possible
and trust it more.”
Tristan Saldanha ’20, another
immunocompromised person,
explained his diagnosis via email.
“I have a low white blood cell
count: I’ve got about 20-25% of a
healthy amount,” Saldanha said.
“It means I have less ability to fight
infections; I get sick more often and
for longer than most people do.”
Like Kay, Saldanha is taking
preventative measures against
COVID-19 very seriously to reduce his
risk of contracting the virus.
“I’ve followed the social distancing
rules pretty strictly,” Saldanha said.
“I started staying in my house for
non-essential things on Saturday.
It’s a little different from how other
people are doing the social distancing
because it’ll be a pretty big issue for
me once I get sick, compared to most
healthy people who will just have to
get over it in a few days.”
Many younger people have
downplayed the seriousness of the
pandemic, like college students across
the nation are still gathering in massive
crowds on Florida beaches to party
over spring break. Yet, it is crucial
to remember that numerous young
people are immunocompromised,
and not practicing proper prevention puts these individuals at higher risk.
Disabled Student Union Co-President
Sarit Cahana ’20 emphasized how
not taking the virus seriously puts
vulnerable populations at a higher
risk.
“There is a lot of rhetoric dismissing
the needs of immunocompromised
folks going around, with folks not
following social distancing, or saying
that ‘they’ll be fine’ so they don’t
isolate or wash their hands or saying
that ‘it’s not that bad, it only affects
old and sick people,’” Cahana said, via
email.
Kay commented on the importance
of limiting large gatherings, despite
this going against social norms in
college.
“If anything at this point, students
need to be understanding and not
pressure people to be social and
participate in big events,” Kay said.
“Even throwing parties at this point is
a bit irresponsible, knowing that folks
(who might be immunocompromised)
would still feel tempted to gather in
big groups.”
Saldanha further emphasized the
dire importance of social isolation
during this time.
“People need to know that in terms
of links between people, they’re only
as safe as the least safe thing they do,”
Saldanha said. “If you’re ordering
food from restaurants, even if you’re
getting it delivered, that still links you
with the entire kitchen staff and your
deliverer, and you’re 2 links away from
all those people’s friends and families.
If you only hang out with a couple of
your friends, but one of them isn’t
quarantining at all, your quarantine
becomes pretty much pointless.”
Despite social isolation being called for, many immunocompromised
people will be in need of help at this
time. Cahana stressed the importance
of ensuring that supplies reach these
vulnerable individuals.
“Many of the resources that
are being hoarded are ones that
immunocompromised individuals
need the most and cannot access,”
Cahana said.
If you or someone you know is in
need of resources, use the QR Code on page nine and click on “PDX
Mutual AID.” That links to a Google
Drive folder filled with both local and
national resources on COVID-19. The
folder includes links to volunteer and
request assistance, links to groups
and petitions dedicated to the aid of
various marginalized communities,
tutorials on how to “pod map,” which
is organizing the names of others in
your community in a visual diagram,
and many others.
BLAKE ASHBY/PIONEER LOG
Steering Committee members of the International Affairs Symposium pose for a gr0up photo behind the Frank Manor House.
CASPER PIERCE/PIONEER LOGBeing immunocompromised presents certain challenges in the age of the coronavirus-induced panic
Canceled symposia including International Affairs, Middle East and North Africa & Environmental StudiesARTS 12
JUSTIN HOWERTON/PIONEER LOGPortland venues close, campus events canceled
By JUSTIN HOWERTON
ON MARCH 13, Kate Brown enacted
a formal ban on public gatherings
of 250 people or more for four
weeks following the announcement.
In response to the growing threat of
coronavirus (COVID-19), venues,
galleries, performance art groups
and other organizations have ceased
operations for the time being.
The Portland Center Stage at the
Armory has opted to either reschedule
or cancel all previously scheduled events
and performances through April 8. This
includes performances of the acclaimed
play “The Curious Incident of the Dog in
the Night-time.” The Wonder Ballroom,
citing Kate Brown’s governmental order,
has postponed all events until April 8.
The venue’s website mentions that they
are working to reschedule the shows
and will update ticket holders with new
information “as details are confirmed.”
If an event is canceled outright, “all
tickets paid for via credit card will be
automatically refunded.” The Portland
Art Museum has canceled events and
programs until April 8.
Many other venues around Portland
have followed suit. Additionally, on March
16 Oregon closed all dine-in restaurants
and bars and restricted public gatherings
to a total of 25 people; take-out and
delivery at this time are still viable options.
The Ronna and Eric Hoffman Gallery
of Contemporary Art at Lewis & Clark
closed on March 15 after the conclusion
of its exhibition titled “Making a Better
Painting.” The exhibit aimed to raise
questions about contemporary painting
practices and painting production in a
larger, more accessible public sphere.
Specifically, it examined the ways in
which artists contend with painting
in the Anthropocene, in the wake of
technological advancement and in our
current political climate.
Gallery attendant Noe Reyes ’20
described the scope and content of this
current exhibition while also commenting
on the gallery’s collaborative effort with
multiple institutions.
“This exhibition in the Hoffman
Gallery (seeks) to demonstrate art
in different spheres,” Reyes said. “It
(includes) art to convey political messages,
art in relation to technology, art in relation
to some social aspect. We have partnered
with other galleries and higher-education
institutions in the area.”
Participating institutions included the
Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland State University, and others.
The closing was set to occur on the
previously mentioned date and was not
affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. That
being said, concerns have been raised
on how senior art majors will be able to
exhibit their final projects. Usually, they
display their work in the Hoffman Gallery
as part of the spring senior art show, but
the outbreak will likely compromise that
tradition.
Reyes emphasized that the gallery
will prioritize the visitors’ safety and that
no clear decision as of yet has been made
concerning how the senior studio art
majors’ work will be exhibited.
“Safety for our visitors is an important
aspect of the gallery itself,” Reyes said.
“Typically, art senior majors do present
their work in the gallery in April. That’s
something that still needs to be addressed.
Faculty and staff in the art department are
thinking about the decision.”
In an email sent out to art majors
and minors, Chair of the Art Department
Matthew Johnston included an excerpt
from a recent email that Jess Perlitz had
composed regarding the thesis work of
studio art majors. Given growing health
and safety concerns, Perlitz noted in
the email that “it is becoming very clear
now that we can’t hire someone to help
install and document the work after
break.” Perlitz also encouraged seniors
to “document everything you can now”
but also emphasized that they should
prioritize their safety above all else. At the
time of publication, no definitive solution
has been publicized, although one
proposed alternative involves compiling
images of the seniors’ work in a hardcopy
book.
The annual spring event Dance Y has
also been canceled in response to sanctions
on public gatherings in an attempt to
contain the spread of COVID-19. Dance Y
and Dance X serve as the two main dance
events of the academic school year and
often give new and experienced dancers
and choreographers alike the opportunity
to perform and choreograph.
Jack Waite ’23 participated as a
dancer in scheduled rehearsals for would-
be Dance Y performances this year.
Waite appreciated how the event allowed
performers of all skill levels to contribute.
“Amateur dancers like me got to try
out dance as a form of expression and
exercise,” Waite said via email. “Budding
choreographers got a batch of new and
experienced dancers to experiment
movements with.”
Gila Winefeld ’23, a choreographer
By VENUS EDLIN
THE MAINSTAGE PLAY “Marie
Antionette” closed early with the
final date moved to March 12.
The cast of the production started
their day off on March 12 unsure of the
show’s fate. After their first four-show
run the week prior, the play had to cut
three remaining shows scheduled for
that weekend due to gathering policies
established to prevent the spread of
coronavirus (COVID-19), making the
March 12 show the last.
House Manager Ellie Pearson ’20 said
the uncertainty was difficult for those
involved in the production.
“We all just wanted to know what was
going to happen,” Pearson said. “Had
we already done our last show? Cast
members were devastated, especially the
seniors, that this beautiful show would be
cut short.”
The cast was relieved to find out they
would have one more show, but seniors
especially struggled with the abrupt
cancelations. Olivia Mathews ’20, who
played the lead role of Marie Antoinette,
expressed that the cancellations were a
hardship for her and her family.
“There were definitely some tears ...
before the show, thinking that this is going
to be our last one,” Mathews said. “I also
had family that were flying in for closing
night and they all canceled their flights,
so personally it’s been pretty devastating.”
According to Pearson, the cast put all
of their effort into the closing show with
a nearly full crowd in the Main Stage
theater. Members of the cast said they
were happy with their performances so far and were excited to have one more night
to present what they had been working on
for six weeks.
“When we found out that we would be
able to have one last performance, we were
at least excited to get a chance to have a
true closing night,” Pearson said. “There
was a mixture of tears and excitement.”
Associate Professor of Theatre and
Director Rebecca Lingafelter said it was
important that the show was canceled.
“In terms of canceling, I would say that
while it is disappointing, I think the health
of our community and beyond is a priority
right now,” Lingafelter said via email.
Cast members echoed this sentiment.
“I definitely understand the safety
concerns, especially with a show like this —
it’s not isolated to campus,” Mathews said.
“Lots of people come from off campus,
so even though there’s no corona(virus)
cases on campus, we’re inviting a bigger
audience.”
Lingafelter said she finds the play,
written by David Adjmi, relevant in times
like that of a pandemic. The play has a
personal narrative aspect that deals with
what a woman does when her entire life
changes rapidly in ways that she is not
equipped to deal with.
Lingafelter said attendees can use this
personal narrative and the questions it
presented as a useful way to frame their
experiences in a quickly changing world.
“The play asks, ‘What is your capacity
to change?’” Lingafelter said. “Which I
think is a profoundly important question
right now, whether it’s coronavirus or
climate change or societal change — we’re
all living inside of these extreme paradigm
shifts.”Many have argued that COVID-19
also brings to light systemic inequalities
in the U.S., which is something “Marie
Antoinette” aspires to do by comparing
the French Revolution to the modern
American social and political climate.
The play incorporates more recent history
by including modern day slang, musical
interludes with pop hits of today and
choreography inspired by “voguing,” a
style of dance created by the LGBTQ+
community, inspired by the images in
Vogue.
Lingafelter wrote about the play’s
parallel with current times in her director’s
statement.
“The resonances between 18th
century France and 21st century America
are chilling — rampant inequality,
the instability of political and social
institutions, a glorification of image over
substance,” Lingafelter wrote.
For Evelyn Wohlbier ’23, who was
casted as Marie Antoinette’s best friend
Thérèse de Lamballe, the play served an
important role during a health crisis like
this. As social distancing is becoming
more required, she said that the impact of
a live performance has significant power.
Wohlbier said that the last show was
a way to occupy attendees minds with
something other than COVID-19 for the
duration of the play, while still connecting
with the audience’s heightened emotions.
“Just instilling ideas shows how
theater is so important in this day and
age,” Wohlbier said. “You have people
sit down and come to a show that they’re
expecting to laugh and be entertained
and walk away with some serious thought
provoking ideas.”Mainstage play “Marie Antionette” showings cut short
FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2020
and dancer in another choreographer’s
piece, commented on the increased
operations of this year’s late Dance Y.
“What made this year special was that
there were about twice as many pieces as
there have been in previous years, from my
understanding,” Winefeld said via email.
“We (the choreographers) were all really
excited to see the turnout at auditions and
to welcome people who had little to no
dance experience into our community. I
was particularly excited because this was
my first time choreographing for a group
of my peers like this. I had envisioned
a large group piece and having a lot of
people at auditions meant I could actually
make that come to fruition. I’m sad that
I didn’t get to see this project all the way
through but I’m grateful for the time we
did have.”
Winefeld encourages interested
students to apply for Dance X in the fall.
It is unlikely that this year’s Dance Y will
be rescheduled.
“I’m sad that I didn’t get to see this
project all the way through but I’m grateful
for the time we did have,” Winefeld said.
“I really enjoyed the process. I don’t know
if it would be practical to reschedule
Dance Y but I would just hope that those
who didn’t get a chance to perform this
time around will consider auditioning for
Dance X this fall.”
In the midst of the cancellation of so many artistic events both on and off-
campus, it is clear that artistic expression
is not our current priority. More
immediate concerns such as food, housing
and healthcare take precedence. But this
attention shift towards basic survival
necessities should not directly coincide
with the abandoning of our creative
interests. Art can comfort, liberate and transcend. Drawing a picture of a juicy
sirloin or a crowded bar will not make one
appear in front of you, but it can contribute
to the hope that you will have these things
again. I am not advocating for escapism.
I am only advocating that we leave some
room for that enduring creative spark that
continually propels us towards the future.
To hope is to create.This mixed media piece titled “Tipping Point” by Susan Murrell raises questions about time, human activity and the environment.
JUSTIN HOWERTON/PIONEER LOG
“Cold Night For Dogs” by Grant Hottle uses an interesting, varied color palette.
COURTESY OF OWEN CAREY
Olivia Matthews ’20 poses as Marie Antionette in the opening scene of the play.Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, on and off-campus events have been compromised, including Dance YFRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2020
ARTS
Symposium art show stuns, canceled early13
The Gender Studies Symposium Art Show featured pieces grappling with sexuality, gender and identity
RAYA DEUSSEN/PIONEER LOG
By RILEY HANNA
THE 39TH ANNUAL Gender
Studies Symposium Art Show
held in Stamm Dining Room
was a creative multimedia experience.
The symposium’s theme of “Tensions
of Possibility” sparked a diverse array
of mesmerizing pieces including
paintings, photographs, sculpture,
poetry and mixed media works of art.
Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus
(COVID-19) outbreak, the events
scheduled on March 13, the final day
of the symposium, were canceled. This
included the art exhibit.
Each featured piece was uniquely
thought-provoking alone, but the
collection of creations, which were all
based on the same theme, promoted
an atmosphere of investigation and
examination. The juxtaposition of
these diverse works of art told a
story — the story of how strict gender
binaries impact so many individuals.
Yet, in refusing to conform to these
limiting stereotypes and shattering
barriers that have existed for far too
long, art and beauty are created.
Additionally, many pieces featured
commented on immense pain and
struggle, such as facing gender and
sexual discrimination, coping with
feelings of dysphoria and the journey
of self-acceptance. While other pieces
did not appear to draw from a personal
experience, this theme of pain and
struggle was captured in the use of the
materials themselves. These pieces
included shattered pottery and pieces
composed of frayed and tattered fabric.
Thus, the pieces in unison similarly
told the story of how art emerges from
dark times and how beauty can still
exist within the imperfect.
It was truly a shame to see the art
show have such an abrupt ending. As
for myself, I wish I could have spent far
longer inside the exhibit, taking in the
pieces as a collective unit. Yet, I was
forced to limit my time in Stamm and
did not touch the interactive pieces
due to fear of exposure to COVID-19.
Seeing that this will be the last time I
will be able to attend a gallery space
for a while, this exhibit was one that
has left me with much to ponder and
has inspired me to reconnect with my
own artistic self during my time in
quarantine.
By EDITORIAL BOARD
LET US BE honest with ourselves.
While we may want to use this time
to do some spring cleaning or dust
off a skill that has been in disuse for years,
we probably will not. The extra time we
have in Portland, home and elsewhere
will mostly be filled with us laying on
our beds, laptops open, in search of
some mindless entertainment to keep
our hearts lighter in this dark time. Here
are some suggestions for your viewing
pleasure.
“Seeking a Friend for the End of the
World”
If you are of the mind set that we are
in the end times, or enjoy laughing at
coronavirus memes to cope, this is the film for you. This apocalyptic film released in
2012 is riddled with dark, twisted humor
and romance that will make you laugh,
cry and cringe (sometimes all at once). Be
prepared that this is not a light-hearted
rom-com by any means, but a profoundly
moving, beautiful cinematic experience
with an impeccably soulful soundtrack.
Also, the film pairs Steve Carell and
Keira Knightley as love interests. While
they might seem like a strange couple at
first, their on-screen chemistry is lovely
and endearing, as they find love and
comfort in each other in the impending
apocalypse. Lastly, Knightley’s character
“Penny” is an absolute dreamboat with a
killer (pun intended) aesthetic. (Riley)
“Daniel Sloss: Live Shows”
Also on Netflix, Sloss is one of my favorite comedians, in part because he is
able to make jokes about incredibly dark
and heavy topics and still earn uproarious
laughter. Do you not believe me? A large
segment of his show is about his late
mentally challenged sister … and it is
hilarious. (Anna)
“Contagion”
Dare I say it? If you feel like you’re
prepared enough, have a dark sense of
humor or just want to worry yourself a
little bit more, check out this 2011 sci-
fi film that depicts pretty much exactly
what is happening now, and wonder to
yourself if Steven Soderbergh is, in fact, a
time traveler. (Lexie)
“The Circle”
This is yet another Netflix reality
show, but in stressful times it makes
sense that we are drawn to the trashiest,
mindless media such as a popularity
contest. This social media competition
show will also have a completely different
layer of relatability now that we are all
socially isolating and communicating
solely through technology, just like the
competitors on “The Circle.” This show
does have a heart though, and a lot of
important questions about image and
oppression are brought up. (Venus)
“Neon Genesis Evangelion”
I may get shit for including this show,
but that is something I expect given the
series’s reputation. That being said, do not
be dissuaded by this show if you typically
do not watch anime. It has one of the
most compelling, moving and mysterious
plots in television generally. While it aired
more than twenty years ago, it has held
up visually with elements of steampunk,
science fiction and evolution. The only
qualm I still have after watching the series multiple times involves the amount
of time I have spent feverishly conducting
research on enduring enigmas in the
show. Available on Netflix. (Justin)
“Schitt’s Creek”
This is the best show since The Office,
in my opinion. Seasons one through five
are on Netflix, season 6 is still premiering.
It is hilarious and heartfelt and has some
of the most quotable characters of all
time. This show is super bingeable, so
remember to get up and hydrate between
seasons. (Amelia)
“Your Undivided Attention”
This podcast changed my outlook on
life dude. Aza Raskin, one of the hosts,
used to work for Apple and he invented
the infinite scroll. Then he realized that
companies are investing in technology
that gets people more and more addicted
to screens, so he quit and co-founded
the Center for Humane Technology with
Tristan Harris and the made this podcast.
The guests are so knowledgeable about
how technology is used to manipulate and
misinform people and everyone needs to
know the information contained in their
13 riveting episodes. I’m here to discuss
when you finish. (Amelia)
“This Podcast Will Kill You”
Can’t stop thinking about infectious
disease? Disease Ecologists and
Epidemiologists Erin Welsh and Erin
Allmann Updyke will walk you through
the history and the biology of several
different infectious diseases throughout
history. (Lexie)
“I Think You Should Leave”
Good laughs have been few and
far between but “I Think You Should
Leave” will leave you with a tummy
ache from laughing. It is one of the first sketch comedy shows I have seen that
is continuously funny throughout its
runtime. It may be short with only one
season but it is worth the watch for the
laughs it brings. (Gabriel)
“Welcome to Nightvale”
I started listening to this podcast as an
angsty seventh-grader with bangs and an
affinity for being different, before I even
understood what satire was. It was weird,
and I liked it. Since then, I’ve come to
fully appreciate the humorous, satirical
nature of this bi-weekly podcast that
takes the form of a local radio stations
updates to their community. I personally
love the weather reports that feature a
variety of new music in each podcast.
Welcome to Nightvale is a great stand-
alone podcast, but there is definitely an
engaging overarching story to follow
should you want to invest in starting from
the beginning. (Jo)
“Psych”
All seasons 1-8 streaming on Amazon
Prime, this is my favorite show of all
time. The perfect balance between funny
and serious, crime drama and absolute
ridiculousness, this show has it all. There
is a character for everyone to love, and not
a single one that will not leave you dying
of laughter. If you are looking for a show
to get invested in to take your mind off
the current state of the world, this is the
perfect show for you. (Aidan)
“Grey’s Anatomy”
A true throwback, I know. Maybe it
will remind you a little too much of the
global pandemic, but this medical drama
is just dumb enough to feel fictional and
just real enough to keep you on the edge of
your seat. I cried. Several times. (Lexie)Editors’ picks: our recommendations for entertainmentRILEY HANNA/PIONEER LOG RILEY HANNA/PIONEER LOGRILEY HANNA/PIONEER LOGBLAKE ASHBY/PIONEER LOGRILEY HANNA/PIONEER LOG
This untitled ceramics piece by Lauren Cloughesy comments on healing and breaking.
Hannah Cohen’s piece “Belly” comments on gender expression within binaries. This pencil drawing by Coltyn Cody is titled “Portrait of a Man with Long Nails.”This series of watercolor paintings is called “Mending 1, 2, 3” by Eva Szobszlay.The smiling curators of the art show stand in front of Hannah Cohen’s “Sugar 1-4.”FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2020
SPORTS 14
Student-athletes have been granted an additional semester or season of eligibility by the NCAALC sports canceled by COVID-19 outbreaks
ON MARCH 12, National College
Athletic Association (NCAA)
President Mark Emmert
canceled all remaining spring and
winter NCAA Championships. Nine
Lewis & Clark sports teams had their
championships canceled.
“This decision is based on the
evolving COVID-19 public health threat,
our ability to ensure the events do
not contribute
to spread of
the pandemic
and the
impracticality
of hosting such
events at any
time during this
academic year
given ongoing
decisions by
other entities,”
said the NCAA
website.
The NCAA cancellation means that
all LC practices, competitions and
workouts will be discontinued until next
semester. For many student-athletes
this will mean losing community, stress
relievers and work they have spent all
on and off-season training for.
The NCAA Division III
Administrative Committee has also
issued a blanket statement granting
an additional season or semester of eligibility for student-athletes
participating in spring sports. Head
Men’s and Women’s Crew Coach Sam
Taylor commented on this policy.
“The thing to remember would be
that students would have to come back
to school for another year and pay for
that,” Taylor said. “For anyone who
wants to take a few extra credits or
pursue a graduate degree those options
are still available. Anyone who this
would be their fourth year would have
the option to come
back for one more
year.”
For many
seniors this
cancellation of the
season will mark
the end of their
collegiate athletic
career.
“We are trying
to do an end of
season ‘thank
you’ to our seniors as well as give out
awards that would have been given at
the end of the year,” Taylor said. “The
whole athletics worlds is going through
this together, every college coach I
know, every college athlete I know
has had their season canceled and it is
something that is challenging, but there
is a lesson to be learned that if it all
comes to a stop at least we had the time
we had and we can appreciate that for
what it was.”Track & Field distance runner Kara
Wood ’21 was sick for her last race and
had been looking forward to her next
meet.
“In all honesty, I do not think that
it has totally hit yet that my season is
done,” Wood said. “At this point it just seems surreal. I was just Facetiming
a friend and saying that it felt like we
were all thrown into a bad teen novel
about the apocalypse.”
With the season ending so abruptly
many teams have moved up their end of
season get-togethers. “Our team had a special event for
seniors because we did not get to have
a senior night,” Wood said. “It was this
big thing it was live streamed as just a
chance for the seniors to get that last
final step and finish line in.”“I was just Facetiming
a friend and saying
that it felt like we were
all thrown into a bad
teen novel about the
apocalypse.”By GABRIEL MANTIONE
Weight room changes
protocol for COVID-19
P.E. classes are forced to adapt
to the new online environment
WITH ALL LEWIS & Clark
classes transitioning to an
online format, physical
education (P.E.) classes are uniquely
affected. Since the nature of these
classes depend on students being
present and physically active,
professors are uniquely challenged
adapting to an online format.
Though some P.E. instructors have
yet to inform their students of the new
online protocols, some classes have
received information about what their
adapted P.E. classes will look like.
Students in weight training classes
are being asked to continue training
and keep their coaches informed about
what types of lifts they are doing. If
they have access to a gym after spring
break, they are being asked to go to
that location two times a week and
continue their normal workouts. If they
do not have access to a gym, they are
supposed to watch and follow along
with body weight workout videos,
and keep track of what they do. After completing their workout, students
are to email their instructor the day of
class with a list of lifts or exercises they
performed that day.
Gym Class Heroes is also
transitioning to an online format.
Students will be sent a YouTube video
each week of the game they would have
played, and they are to keep a journal
logging responses to the videos.
They are to write “one thing they
enjoy about the sport” in a journal on
Google Docs, instructor Eric del Prado
said in an email, then send it to him
each week.
They are supposed to attempt to
play the sports, but if they are unable
they are supposed to think about how
they would have felt if they could play.
Indoor cycling classes are
abandoning the original model of the
class in favor of students getting some
form of physical exercise. Students will
have access to a table in a Google Doc
where they are to record their exercises.
“Put your initials and what activity
you did under the date, saying that you
did some sort of physical activity for 30-
DESPITE LEWIS & Clark’s recent
transfer to online classes, the
weight room in Pamplin will
remain open to current students, faculty
and staff for the foreseeable future. In
accordance with national guidelines,
the maximum occupancy of the weight
room, as well as the basketball courts,
swimming pool, tennis courts and
Griswold stadium, will be limited to
10 people. Operational hours will be
adjusted.
Deriontae Green ’21, a football
player and member of the track & field
team at LC, weighed in on the weight
room remaining open.
“I’m glad that it’s staying open for
athletes who still want to work out,”
Green said. “Obviously their season is
taken so I think that’s a big thing that
it’s staying open.”
Though the weight room always
complies with recommended cleaning
standards, hygiene measures have
increased in recent days.
“All student workers are tasked to
wipe equipment constantly,” Angela
Dendas-Pleasant, head strength and
conditioning coach, said via email.
“All student workers regularly check
cleaning stations to make sure spray
bottles have disinfectant solution in it and paper towels are available.”
Tristan Saldanha ’20 frequently lifts
in the weight room.
“I expected them to close,” Saldanha
said. “I think they probably should shut
it because it’s kind of the best place to
transmit disease on campus. But until
they do, I want to keep going.”
Green said that due to classes being
held online, he will probably lift more
now.
“I plan on lifting every day,” Green
said. “I’ll use hand sanitizer, and I’m
sure Coach Ange (Dendas-Pleasant) will
make sure things are wiped down and
clean.”
Dendas-Pleasant recommended
some ways for students to increase their
own health and safety in the weight
room, including washing hands or using
hand sanitizer (located at the entrance
to the weight room) before and after
working out, and wiping the handles,
seats, back pads and floor mats of
equipment with disinfectant after use.
She also recommended a few
ways for students to stay active while
maintaining social distancing protocols.
“With the accessibility of social
media these days, a quick search of
#coronavirusworkout can give you
500+ ideas of how to workout at your
home, in your garage, etc,” Dendas-
Pleasant said via email. JO TABACEK/PIONEER LOG
Griswold Stadium will remain empty of all LC practices, games and meets untill the NCCA cancelations ceases next season.
35 minutes,” indoor cycling instructor
Nancy Molina said via email.
Molina is also focusing on the
importance of collaboration during a
time of “social distancing.” The table
also functions as a way for students to
share exercise ideas, “as well as a list of
songs that you can add to that are good
workout jams,” Molina said.
Bouldering classes held at Circuit
Climbing gym are still in a state of flux.
“As the impacts of COVID-19 are
being felt throughout our community
... we have made the difficult decision to
close the gym as of Sunday, March 15th,
with a tentative reopening date of April
1st,” according to the Circuit’s website.
Instructors of bouldering classes
are unsure of what their transition to
online classes will look like in light of
the Circuit’s decision.
P.E. classes are facing a
disproportionate challenge in the
transition to online instruction.
Instructors have been creative while
being forced to adapt to the new model
of instruction and maintaining the
integrity of a physical education class.JO TABACEK/PIONEER LOG
A sign outside of Pamplin Weight Room states the facility’s new policy on capacity.By AIDEN D’ANNA
By LEXIE BOREN
JO TABACEK/PIONEER LOG
While P.E. classes will no longer be held in the Pamplin Weight Room, it may still be used to perfom exercises for P.E. classes.Kara Wood ’21 FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2020
15
I swear crystals cure COVIDA new drinking game to get you quaranturnt
Stay healthy, stay horny:
sex, coronavirus and you
ADA BARBEE/PIONEER LOGANNA DESMET/PIONEER LOG
ANNA DESMET/PIONEER LOGBy VENUS EDLIN
JUST BECAUSE there is a
pandemic spreading at an
unprecedented rate with
relatively little known about it, that
does not mean people want to stop
having sex. What other options do
you have when you are quarantined?
Let us be realistic about it, and
suggest the dirtiest positions to stay
clean.
1: Doggy Style
This fan favorite is a classic go-
to and the avoidance of face-to-face
contact really helps to limit both
the spread of disease and intimacy
with your partner. Remember,
condoms now serve as another form
of protection, not just for unwanted
pregnancies, but to protect from
viruses. Using a condom can also
help limit the use of tissues for clean
up, which are needed for any virus-
related coughs or sneezes.
2: Elbow Deep
Before all sports events were
canceled, sports players were
encouraged to congratulate each
other elbow-to-elbow — the same
concept applies for everyone who still
wants to get it on (and in). There is
no better time to try fisting than now.
You can avoid fluid transmission by
using your hands and even adding
another layer of sanitation by using
latex gloves.
3: The “Social Distancing”
It is about time that mutual
masturbation got a new name, one
that is a little more interesting
and topical. This position would
dramatically mitigate the amount
of contact during sex and you may
be more likely to orgasm anyways.
Experts suggest people maintain at
least three feet of distance between
each other, which is very manageable
with this option.
4: Zoom sex
We live in a digital world where
things often go viral in addition to
diseases. Why not take advantage of
the technology at our disposal? Phone
sex was big in the past, but video
conferences are the sexy Polaroids
of the future. With professors now lecturing over Zoom, you can even
add a realistic professor-student
roleplay aspect to your sexy video
call.
5: Scissoring
Scissoring does not really do
anything anyways, so I assume the
same idea also applies to the spread
of disease. Is it an ineffective position
for pleasure? More like, it is an
ineffective position to catch a rapidly
spreading virus that can appear
asymptomatic and that has long-
lasting respiratory health impacts.
6: Hands-free
The feet are really the hands of the
lower body, when you think about it.
Go hands-free to prevent spreading
the virus from your hands by using
the feet with the increasingly popular
“footjob.” One person gets off, the
other gets a foot massage and you
both prevent the spread of corona.
7: Skin-to-sheet-to-skin contact
When a man loves a woman
very much, and they are in a
cisheteronormative, religious
relationship sometimes they have
sex in the strangest ways. In the
midst of an outbreak however, we
can learn from them. The “toad in
the hole” method, or when a penis
is put in through a hole in a sheet, is
very useful not just for some strange
Protestant traditionalism, but to also
increase the cleanliness of corona-
friendly sex. Other uses for sheets,
such as to make a quick and easy
ghost costume, prove this position’s
efficacy. The sheet may scare off any
remaining virus particles.
Try any of these seven exciting
options to spice up your socially
isolated life. Just remember, no
rimming. COVID-19 has been found
in stool samples.By JUSTIN HOWERTON
THANKS TO A TIP from
an anonymous member of
the Scientology community,
scientists have recently discovered
that certain crystals can cure
COVID-19. That being said, not all
crystals are created equal; scientists
have verified that malachite and
black tourmaline are the only
crystals that both eliminate and
prevent coronavirus. Scientists
have confirmed two methods of use
that serve as viable options: crystal
insertion and injection. This has
come as a shock to many, but some
Lewis & Clark students have taken
this discovery as affirmation to what
scientists have not yet corroborated:
crystals have the power to cure just
about any ailment.
Meadowlark Petri ’23 commented
on her feelings of strength and
affirmation concerning this
landmark scientific event.
“Yeah, it is really validating to
know that the scientists are finally
confirming what my friends and I have known for like the past few
months,” Petri said. “My roommate
contracted the virus, and the first
thing I did was charge my crystals
on the windowsill.”
Petri went on to mention that
after the crystals had absorbed
plenty of natural light she inserted
the longest shard into one of her
bodily cavities.
“I live in a quad so it is kind
of difficult to perform the crystal
healing ceremony in private,” Petri
said. “But I am used to not caring
about what other people think. I
sleep on the top bunk so I just put
a crystal up my asshole before I go
to bed. Sometimes I wake up the
next morning with a sore anus, but
it is well worth it for making myself
immune to coronavirus.”
Lilypad Truffle ’21 has opted
to follow the other possible
method outlined by scientists.
As a recovering drug addict,
Truffle appreciated the familiarity
associated with once again injecting
a substance directly into their
bloodstream.“It is very comforting to know
that scientists have recommended
this method of injection,” Truffle
said. “Injecting crushed crystals
has not only cured my coronavirus,
but I have also taken this
recommendation as an initiative to
start using again.”
Truffle also mentioned that they
accidentally snorted crushed onyx,
which scientists had not verified as
capable of healing, out of excitement
after reading a factually incorrect
article in The Pioneer Log. The
publication has issued a correction
in the wake of this incident.
“I saw something in the news
section that opted for snorting
crushed onyx, and I had one
laying about in my room,” Truffle
said. “I trusted The Pioneer Log
wholeheartedly and proceeded
to crush the one on my bedside
table with a mortar and pestle;
I had bought these tools for my
Introduction to Apothecary and
Witchcraft Practice in the SOAN
Department. After the second
line, I experienced an orgasm and
proceeded to astral project. Despite
my proficiency as an experienced
astral projector, I was not able to
fully detach my spiritual component
from my material one. This
dissonance caused my form in the
physical realm to spastically flail in
frustration as I struggled to regain
control over my body.”
Paramedics arrived at the scene
after one of Truffle’s roommates
found them convulsing on the floor
of their common area. Although
they did post on social media about
transferring schools in response to
“LC’s new-age gen-z bullshit,” the
roommate declined to comment
about the incident.
Some LC students have started
incorporating crystals into their daily
routines even though scientists have
not yet confirmed these methods. For
more ideas about how to use crystals
in baking, resurrections, RHMS
classes, and summoning the divine
spirit of the universe, turn to our
article in Features. And remember,
crystals only work if you charge them
with intention. If it does not work, it
is your fault you stupid fake wook. By MACKENZIE HERRING
IN AN OLD TRADITION of
attempting to kill germs and
boredom with alcohol, the World
Health Organization (WHO) has
outlined a drinking game to help
those practicing social distancing
and alcohol dependency. The game,
dubbed “Coronatime,” was the
result of an hours-long research
project commissioned by Corona
Extra brewing company, who has
been suffering from the worst case
of associational bad luck since my
second cousin was named William
Cosby. (He is 14 now and uses it to
justify his teen angst, little shithead.)
The WHO recently added a stu-
dent portion to the game, focusing
on Zoom conferences and other dig-
ital meeting spaces. The more con-
troversial add-on for Boomers was
recently retracted after 13 retirees
got so drunk that they thought they
could “floss” and broke their hips.
It’s Coronatime! Take a shot
each time:
Your roommate endangers
everyone by going to the dispensary
or bars despite them insisting it
was necessary for self-care. Social Distancing is important, Taryn.
You see conflicting tweets about
the virus, some from your hometown
idiot, some the President.
You hear, “It is pretty much the
flu.”
You see someone buying 15
gallons of milk, 60 rolls of toilet
paper and 76 condoms, presumably
for the indefinite future. The last
statistic could change given the
confidence of the individual (or if
they forget that condoms can expire).
A child is conceived. Neither WHO
or Corona Extra are responsible
for any children conceived while
playing.
A child is conceived that will be
named Quarentina.
You see people holding hands. In
this climate?
COVID-19 is used as a rhyme
for bovid McQueen, eroded spleen,
bloated teen, throated hygiene,
implode in my jeans, toasted
white bean, quoted Charlie Sheen,
bowlegged James Dean, Perot’s dry
clean, come on Eileen, Shostakovich
sardine, low bid meme, etc.
When you run out of disinfectant
wipes. Poor this shot out on the
counter and use it to wipe up your
germs.Coronatime, Zoom edition (for
college students!). Take a shot
each time:
Someone pretends to be frozen so
they do not have to answer a question.
Your professor insists that they did
not “have” to cancel school.
Technical difficulties (take an extra
shot if it is an easy fix but you just can-
not be arsed to help).
Someone superimposes a
background behind them to hide the
state of their room. It is that bad.
The parents of your classmate are
arguing in the back, a dog is barking or
your classmate has to move locations
and you end up getting a Cribs-like
tour of their home. Open floor plans
carry sound, Chip and Joanna.
You are suddenly informed that
someone is not wearing pants. Take an
extra shot if it is you or your professor.
Take an extra extra shot if it is your
SOAN professor, just because it sounds
probable.
Take 15 extra shots if your professor
insists on not using Zoom and instead
opts for a different, more complicated
platform, thus adding extra stress to
your day otherwise filled with binging
the Masked Singer with your mom. We
all knew it was Tom Bergeron.
Someone forgets to mute themselves and a Grindr notification goes off.
A joke about the virus comes up and
no one laughs.
A joke about the virus comes up and
everyone laughs.
A joke about the virus comes up and
no one laughs because it was a Kyle.
A joke about the virus comes up and
no one laughs because it was a Kyle
Lascarettes.
Someone’s hydroflask falls down
and makes more noise than the fight
at your local Fred Meyer’s over the last roll of toilet paper.
The WHO urges people to drink
responsibly unless it is Corona
Extra. If it is Corona Extra, the
WHO recommends that you get
“incomprehensibly trashed. Lord
knows we all need it now.”
Those who are under 21 are
recommended to not drink alcohol and
instead substitute substances with the
sweet nectar of youth that they have so
been denied since the 2012 rapture. Keep class interesting and keep on drinking with a new Corona drinking game. Please drink responsibly.*CONTENT WARNING: DRUGS, SEX AND ALCOHOL. HIDE THIS FROM YOUR KIDS* *CONTENT WARNING: DRUGS, SEX AND ALCOHOL. HIDE THIS FROM YOUR KIDS* ANNA DESMET/PIONEER LOG
FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2020
16
Tweets from our President,
long may Trump reign, ruleMillenials to have edge in
job market for very first timeStudents cough once,
forcibly quarantined
By PRESIDENT TRUMP
THOUGH THIS is in The
Backdoor, every tweet written
here are tweets that have come
from our 45th President of the United
States, Donald J. Trump, in response
to the coronavirus (COVID-19) global
pandemic. They are not fake. It is only
in the satire section because I will cry
if I do not laugh.
“I only signed the Defense
Production Act to combat the Chinese
Virus should we need to invoke it in
a worst case scenario in the future.
Hopefully there will be no need, but
we are all in this TOGETHER!” (March
18)
“The DNC will have gotten their
fondest wish and defeated Bernie
Sanders, far ahead of schedule. Now
they are doing everything possible
to be nice to him in order to keep
his supporters. Bernie has given up, just like he did last time. He will be
dropping out soon! MAGA/KAG.”
(March 17)
“I always treated the Chinese Virus
very seriously, and have done a very
good job from the beginning, including
my very early decision to close the
“borders” from China - against the
wishes of almost all. Many lives were
saved. The Fake News new narrative is
disgraceful & false!” (March 18)
“The world is at war with a hidden
enemy. WE WILL WIN!” (March 17,
2020).
“Federal Government is working
very well with the Governors and State
officials. Good things will happen!
#KILLTHEVIRUS” (March 17)
“The “Times” is a disgrace to
journalism!” (March 16)
“God Bless the USA!” (March 16)
“TODAY IS A NATIONAL DAY OF
PRAYER. GOD BLESS EVERYONE!”
(March 15)
“SOCIAL DISTANCING!” (March
14)
“BIGGEST STOCK MARKET RISE
IN HISTORY YESTERDAY!” (March
14)
“We will remove or eliminate ev-
ery obstacle necessary to deliver our
people the care they need. No resource
will be spared!” (March 13)
“To this point, and because we
have had a very strong border policy,
we have had 40 deaths related to
CoronaVirus. If we had weak or open
borders, that number would be many
times higher!” (March 13)
“Sleepy Joe Biden was in charge
of the H1N1 Swine Flu epidemic
which killed thousands of people.
The response was one of the worst on record. Our response is one of the best,
with fast action of border closings & a
78% Approval Rating, the highest on
record. His was lowest!” (March 12)
“KEEPING THE HOME SAFE,
ENCOURAGE YOUR FAMILY
MEMBERS TO ... (a graphic on
coronavirus tips)” (March 12)
“Someone needs to tell the
Democrats in Congress that
CoronaVirus doesn’t care what party
you are in. We need to protect ALL
Americans!” (March 11)
“Vanity Fair Magazine, which will
soon be out of business, and their
third rate Fake reporters, who make
up sources which don’t exist, wrote yet
another phony & boring hit piece. The
facts are just the opposite. Our team is
doing a great job with CoronaVirus!”
(March 11)
“Our CoronaVirus Team has
been doing a great job. Even
Democrat governors have been VERY
complimentary!” (Mar 10, 2020).
“So last year 37,000 Americans
died from the common Flu. It averages
between 27,000 and 70,000 per
year. Nothing is shut down, life &
the economy go on. At this moment
there are 546 confirmed cases of
CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think
about that!” (March 9)
“The Fake News Media and their
partner, the Democrat Party, is
doing everything within its semi-
considerable power (it used to be
greater!) to inflame the CoronaVirus
situation, far beyond what the facts
would warrant. Surgeon General, “The
risk is low to the average American.”
(March 9)
“So much FAKE NEWS!” (March 9)RAYA DEUSSEN/PIONEER LOG
By CASSIDY HARRIS
IT IS A DANGEROUS time to
have a common cold. Before
coronavirus, the maximum
amount of coughs allowed per
class was around 10 or 15 before
one became embarrassed and
everyone in the class became fed
up.
Now, one cough and everyone
looks at the perpetrator as though
they have just committed an
unforgivable act of bioterror. The
developments of coronavirus have
made life for those with a normal,
non-global pandemic related
illness impossible to bear. These
are their stories.
“I have had a cough for a
couple weeks, and it is still
lingering,” Ann Thracks ’21 said
via Zoomphone interview. “I am
literally not even sick anymore,
but I coughed twice in my political
science lecture, and five minutes
later, two figures dressed in full
hazmat suits came in shouting and
dragged me out of the classroom
like that scene in Monster’s Inc.”
As sniffling students attempt
to go about their normal lives,
many report being ostracized by
their friends and classmates. It
is even rumored that if students
are observed coughing in classes,
professors and others are to report
them to the Health Service so they
can follow up with the potential
biohazards.
“I am not messing around,”
Cee DiCee ’23 said. “My girlfriend
cleared her throat and claimed
it was allergies, but I know the
truth. I will not let her in my
room, and I will not let her hug or kiss me. I reported her to the
Health Service. Social distancing,
baby.”
If ostracization from friends
and classmates is not enough to
make someone feel like they are a
disgusting Corona slime monster,
social distancing has been
emphatically enforced by Lewis
& Clark’s administration. Despite
there already being a significant
amount of social distancing among
the LC community regularly, the
college still seeks to eradicate
any trace of sickness from our
campus. This meant switching
to an online education model to
make sure that students are not in
contact with one another.
In a recent email, Cole Vid,
the Dean of Health and Wellness,
said, “If your mic is unmuted on
Zoom and you are heard coughing
or sneezing, we encourage
instructors to remove you from
the Zoom meeting immediately.
CDC officials are still unsure
if the virus can be transmitted
via audio/video platforms and
other forms of technology. In
other words, if you even so much
as sniffle, please do not even
leave your bed for the next six to
eight weeks. We are not messing
around, motherfuckers.”
On the bright side, flu season
is almost over. With any luck,
those with normal colds and flus
may soon be spared from the deep
embarrassment, guilt and social
shunning from daring to step
outside. In the meantime, stock
up on cough drops and practice
holding your breath for as long as
possible, just in case you feel the
need to cough in public. Be strong.
Stifle it. Do not cough it out.By ANNA DESMET
FOR THE FIRST time in their short
lives, millenials and Gen-Z had
an advantage in the workforce in
spring of 2020: they will most likely not
die from the highly infectious disease
that was quickly travelling across the
world.
This new reality was slow-growing.
Four months had passed after the initial
coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China.
Too many professionals were stuck
working from home. As companies
quickly found out, there is only so much
work that can be done remotely.
Young people came to the rescue.
With face masks on and gloves donned,
they began to do what they had been told
was the purpose for all of their lives: they
worked. First it was medical assistance
and relief to those who needed it. But
eventually, like the number of confirmed
cases of the virus, their roles grew.
Those who still ventured outside
during the pandemic began to notice
that many of the people they interacted
with in the world — their bank teller,
their grocer, the gas station attendant,
the police force — were all younger than
50. The classic economic prophecy of
supply and demand had been fulfilled:
where there once was a gaping void,
young people were happy to fill it.
Of course, several health officials
warned the public that this would do
very little in regards to slowing the
spread of COVID-19. On the contrary,
they said, this will only exacerbate the
spread of COVID-19.
“This is a grave mistake, do not do
it,” said CDC spokesperson Cassandra
Wang. “Oh God, please listen to us, why
does nobody listen? Even if these young
people either have mild symptoms or
no symptoms at all, they still carry the
disease and pass it onto every surface,
hand or body that they touch.”
Nobody listened, and even more young people entered the field as
President Trump announced in his first
press conference this year that this age
group was actually incapable of getting
this virus, or indeed, getting sick at
all. They were still at the age in which
invincibility runs through their veins.
It would be fine. It would be better
than fine, it would be perfect! The most
perfect workforce the world had seen
yet.
Hours later, a correction later
came from a senior White House
correspondent that discounted every
claim previously made by the POTUS.
Sadly, the damage was done. The very
same people who listened to Trump
when he said there were enough tests
believed him when he said the young
people were the way to keep the country
running and safe.
As the supply lines dried up,
people panicked. People wanted
their Diet Coke more than they
needed their hoarded toilet paper
and hand sanitizer.
Soon, a few corporations
began sending in young people,
without even a day of experience, into
corporate offices as “surrogates” to
the big bosses still at home.
It was not long until the
lengthy updates to the
big boss became short
assurances of “It will be
fine, Karen, just leave
it to me.” Eventually,
the new, young bosses
stopped bothering to
call at all. The workforce
saw record numbers of
people of color, women and
people with disabilities (but
strong immune systems).
The old, white men who
were previously in power now
stayed home, powerless to the
decisions the young people made
in their stead. (Here is a secret: the young people made better decisions,
too.)
A troublesome divide was created,
a public in which young people could
run freely, and the older generations
who were stuck in their homes, with
their iPads, luncheon meat and grocery
delivery service.
Eventually, a vaccine was found.
Baby boomers and their middle-aged
comrades were ready to take their
positions back without so much as a
thank you. But there was one problem.
Suddenly, listed in all job openings,
was the innocuous line: “One-plus
year of hands-on pandemic experience
preferred.” The remaining boomers did
not know what to do with this. They
cried foul play. They said it would have
been dangerous
and impossible
for them to have
gained hands-
on pandemic
experience. We
could have died,
they said.
“Did you
consider an
internship?”
The young ones
asked.
RAYA DEUSSEN/PIONEER LOG