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https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/eeddeb170e06b32c61363fb953eefc1a.pdf
3c69f21e1334e9dcbf0bf183ee02d51d
PDF Text
Text
Letter From Denmark – Final Draft
Griffin Amrein
WRT 365
As of today, the United States has experienced over ten-million cases of coronavirus
infection, and many individuals have died as a result of the rampant spread. As we walk through
the public streets, once filled with care-free groups of people, now populated only by spaced out
individuals wearing monotonous masks, many of us begin to question if things will ever return to
normal, or what normal may even look like. For many countries, the coronavirus was
background news until it was too late. Nobody in the crowds could foresee what was to come,
and it was shocking. Some people, however, did see at the beginning what was in store for us,
and were able to prepare accordingly. Perhaps if only certain small factors were changed, there
would be a drastic change, and the infection rates could have been slowed enough for the rest of
the lockdown to be mild in comparison to what it is now, and lives could be saved before ever
being put at risk. Well, hindsight is always 20/20, especially in the year 2020, and now tens of
millions around the globe are feeling the consequences of a pandemic. However, there is a place
in Europe that boasts remarkably low statistics compared to most other countries.
Although the peninsula mainland of Jutland lies just above Germany, the Kingdom of
Denmark stretches its dominion across hundreds of northern islands of Scandinavia and the
Atlantic, even including Iceland and Greenland. It is home to over 5.8 million people, about half
of whom inhabit the island of Zealand. The coastal capital city of Copenhagen is slightly smaller
in population than Detroit and is zig-zagged by bustling canals and characterized by centuries-
�old architecture surrounded by colorful apartments often no taller than 4 stories. It is a very welloff nation with a uniquely modern infrastructure that is built upon about one thousand years of
rich cultural history, in fact it isn’t an uncommon sight to see a brand-new Tesla parked down the
street from a Medieval castle.
Denmark is a relatively homogenous yet accepting country with a reputation of being one
of the most enjoyable places to live. The citizens are patriotic and proud, but are knowledgeable
of world affairs, mostly fluent in English and other foreign languages, and enjoy the ability to
travel across Europe with ease. The country’s geography makes for polarized weather with the
pleasant summer days experiencing frequent alternations between rain and sun, and the cold
winters seeing extra-long nights. When the weather is good, the natural beauty of the landscape
is highlighted, and the citizens take advantage of this by enjoying the forests, rivers, and
grasslands which are often closely blended into urban areas. The Danish love the outdoors and
use their bicycles as a method of transportation just as much as they use cars. The natives of
Denmark are relatively healthy and have a stereotype for being blonde haired and tall with
slender bodies and, despite being huge consumers of sweets (which are likely more licoricebased than most Americans are used to), this stereotype is largely based in reality. Despite
technically being one of the few remaining monarchies in Europe, there is a parliamentary
system of representative democracy which puts political power mostly in the hands of the
people’s vote and elected officials. Denmark has been referenced a lot in American politics as an
ideal of democratic-socialists such as Bernie Sanders, and with a high tax rate that is used to fund
public education, healthcare, and welfare, as well as great concern for carbon emissions and
recycling, the country certainly has a “one-for-all” mentality.
�With this in mind, it should be no surprise that Danish citizens were quick to react to the
threat of a global pandemic. As the virus spread through the world, Denmark was one of the first
countries in Europe to initiate quarantine measures. In early March, 2020, most people around
the world would have thought that closing down schools, universities, borders, and public
gatherings was an extreme over-reaction, but shortly after it became clear that the rest of the
world would have to follow in the footsteps of countries such as Denmark. In addition, Denmark
has a government funded health care system which allows a higher number of people to seek free
help if they believe they may be infected. In the United States, finances are something one
typically must consider if they believe they may be infected, so this is likely a discouraging
factor for many Americans to get a test, especially if they are unsure about their symptoms.
As is the same for any case study, however, only time will tell how successful any of the
quarantine measures will be in the long term. With so many factors at play, it is hard to paint a
full picture of how widespread the effects of the Coronavirus are, have been, and will be. Despite
this, looking at the data can help us get some context of our current situation. What we can learn
from the data as of November 12, is that there are/have been 10,708,728 cases of Coronavirus
infection in the United States, and four percent of these cases were fatal for the afflicted.
Germany, the second most populated country in Europe and Denmark’s southern neighbor, has
accounted for 726,176 cases of infection, with three percent of the cases ending fatally. In
relatively small Denmark, the number of Coronavirus cases reaches 57,952 with only two
percent (753) of them ending fatally. The number of active cases per day in both Germany and
Denmark follow a somewhat similar curve when graphed over time with a sudden spike over the
last few months, but while Germany’s curve has begun to wane in recent weeks, Denmark’s is
�actually dropping. Compared to both, the United States has seen a steadier increase in the
number of active cases, going up with a slight wave motion (Worldometer).
Despite having access to this information, it is a more complicated endeavor to make
sense of it in a real-world context. Numbers can often times mislead, and when it comes to
COVID-19, Denmark might seem safer than other countries. It is important to remember that
there are more factors than one can possibly think of that determine the infection rate of a disease
like this. Learning from a first-hand source may help to clear the fog.
Lars Zeiger is a Swedish-born citizen of Denmark whose named I made up for the sake of
privacy. He is an educated, middle aged and middle-class single father who lives in an apartment
with his teenage son and daughter in a small urban town about 30 minutes away from
Copenhagen. A former professional swimmer, he’s energetic and jubilant, and has his family
speak English around the house every Sunday to strengthen their fluency. Contrary to the data,
Lars takes the virus very seriously. On a scale from one to ten, he described the threat of
infection to be around eight or nine worldwide, and a solid nine in his country, although it
reacted quickly. Perhaps he gives the danger such a high estimate because he knows the potential
for infection in a country with so little open space.
Like anywhere else, the Danes made many sacrifices for quarantine measures. Business
has taken a similar hit to the United States, with many businesses closing down or having
employees work from home. The recent growth in their tourism industry was projected to
continue increasing in 2020, so when the virus made its appearance, the economy had already
begun to shift in the direction of accommodations for overseas visitors. Many brand-new hotels
were never inhabited and money was quickly drained away. The government is extending
financial support to companies, but only if they had good earnings in recent years. To keep
�people from crowding, only one person per family may enter certain shops at a time, however
education seems to have been prioritized as much more essential with schools operating
relatively unchanged.
Lars remains a positive man during this and says that life in Denmark is still pretty good.
Perhaps this type of satisfaction is one reason why the populous was so willing to comply with
governmental restrictions. “Our government has been very keen on having an honest and good
dialog with the press.” Lars insists, “The people here in [Denmark] are very pro the government
in how they act.” He states that press conferences are regular with a number of important
officials and health experts, allowing for a more open dialogue directly with the country. Lars
points out that Sweden, which is another country known for its higher than average rates of
happiness, chose the path of less restrictions. To consult the data again, Sweden has less than
twice the population of Denmark but accounts for more than eight times the number of infected
citizens (Worldometer).
Until a day comes when things can settle back into a sense of new normalcy, people just
like Lars across the world can only wait. Although there is room for differing opinions on how to
proceed, we cannot pretend the crisis is over, or that it does not exist. To do so would circumvent
the problem rather than defeating it. It is impossible for a single opinion to prevail over a global
disease, and this is why the world must unite. Amidst divisions seeming to widen in the United
States and in the world, we must remain vigilant of the fact that it is not person versus person; it
is people versus the Coronavirus problem. What can we do about a problem but live in sacrifice
for the good of others? From Copenhagen, to Wuhan, to New York, all people must work
together in this challenging time.
�Works Cited
“Denmark.” Worldometer, 12 Nov. 2020,
www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/denmark/.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19 Journals
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled.
The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Subject
The topic of the resource
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
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Identifier
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COVID-19_2021-01-14_AmreinGriffin
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Amrein, Griffin
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2021-01-14
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter From Denmark
Description
An account of the resource
A news article by GVSU student Griffin Amrein about the situation of COVID-19 in Denmark contrasted with other worldwide countries.
Subject
The topic of the resource
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
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application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/554aac265c95df3c004e42ada05a1113.pdf
9cd0d7dc214962a5b515526fa2e35c71
PDF Text
Text
Life During a Pandemic
Since campus closed and classes went to remote learning, I have decided to stay at my
apartment which is off campus. I enjoy staying at my apartment because I would most likely go
insane trapped in a house with my family. My three roommates and I have all been quarantined
at our apartment together.
Online classes have been going well so far. I like being able to complete assignments at
my own pace from home. Professors are very understanding of the situation as a whole and are
more than willing to video chat or communicate by email. Other students seem to be enjoying
online classes as well due to the fact that they get to study at their own pace. The only
disadvantage for me is my laboratory classes where most everything is hands on. To complete
these classes, my professors have uploaded videos of them performing the experiments and we
are tested on those accordingly.
I am not involved in any student organizations, sports, or clubs on campus and I did not
have a job prior to all of this, so I have not been affected in that way.
Everyday has basically been repeating itself so far. I wake up in the afternoon and do
some homework/study and then I watch Netflix for most of the night. From what I have heard,
my parents and siblings at home are going crazy because they are getting tired of each other. I
have a five year old brother who talks constantly and always wants to play and he is getting on
my sister’s nerves.
No one that I know has had any symptoms of the virus yet, and hopefully it continues to
stay that way. I don’t know anyone that has been to the hospital because of this, or anyone who
has been tested for COVID 19.
When going to the grocery store, we wear masks and we also see many other people who
wear masks as well. Everytime we have gone, there have been shortages on toilet paper, hand
sanitizer, and Clorox wipes.
I am hoping that things will get back to normal very quickly. I realized that I had taken
for granted simple things like going out to eat, going to the movies or even the grocery store, and
even going to class. Although this situation has opened a lot of peoples’ eyes on what we take for
granted, I am ready for things to get back to normal.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19 Journals
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled.
The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Subject
The topic of the resource
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Life During a Pandemic
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Anonymous
Description
An account of the resource
Journal of an anonymous GVSU student's experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-04-20
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
COVID-19_2020-04-20_Anon_001
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Language
A language of the resource
eng
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https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/bb0e0e8e5bd354d7ab6cc6ab46b8f8e3.pdf
1f5d0fc0387439e780f9653066d53e74
PDF Text
Text
Today’s date is April 20th, 2020. For me, quarantine started when GVSU cancelled classes on
March 11, 2020. Before then, I vaguely heard COVID-19 being mentioned in the news starting
in January 2020. At the time, it seemed like a minor inconvenience - an inconvenience that only
affected people in China. Then, I went on a Spring Break Mission Trip with Campus Ministry to
Bithlo, Florida from February 29th to March 7th. In the middle of the week, our supervisor came
to us saying that, due to the coronavirus, the Campus Ministry staff had a phone call regarding
whether they would allow us to fly back home like we had planned. We were all confused, and,
truthfully, thought he was overreacting. We had not heard of anyone in the U.S. having COVID19. They ended up letting us fly back; classes started up again Monday, and by Wednesday,
they were cancelled for the next two weeks. Then, before the two weeks were up, it was
cancelled for the rest of the semester. It was overwhelming to return from an awesome trip to
feel ambushed by a global pandemic. It seemed to happen so fast. My generation has never
experienced something like this, so it is really difficult to know how to help each other through it.
Fortunately, I have Jesus in my life and can rely on Him and my wonderful friends and family
during this time, but not everyone has that. I am very involved in Campus Ministry at GVSU, and
am on the Hospitality leadership team. Our job is to reach out to students, invite them to CM,
and make new students feel welcome when they come. Obviously, this was all put on hold when
the campus closed. The hardest part for me, though as a student at GVSU is thinking about
what my friends who are seniors are going through. They had no idea that they would be going
to their last CM event before going on Spring Break. We didn’t get a chance to honor them at
the last CM event of the year. They didn’t even get to properly say goodbye to the amazing staff
and students at CM that have been a part of their journey throughout the past four years. I feel
blessed to only be a sophomore, as I have a lot to look forward to, even though the second half
of this semester was “lost” in a sense, so I am hopeful for the future, but it definitely is not easy
some days when it feels like we’ve already been in quarantine for years.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19 Journals
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled.
The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Subject
The topic of the resource
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
GV COVID-19 Journal
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Anonymous
Description
An account of the resource
Journal of an anonymous GVSU student's experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-04-20
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
COVID-19_2020-04-20_Anon_002
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a86a06111ee24156ff5e68f46a967b3a.pdf
27783c1c19deee454ddda4c499992d54
PDF Text
Text
Online Classes and COVID-19
Online classes for GVSU began Monday March 16, although the campus shut down faceto-face lectures starting on March 12. I believe that overall the switch to online courses will
negatively impact the grades of many students attending GVSU. Many people benefit from faceto-face traditional lectures for many reasons including being more attentive, hands-on learning,
and many more unsaid reasons. Although, I do believe the switch to online lectures was the best
decision in this unprecedented situation to maintain the health and safety of students. Personally,
my online classes have been going just fine but there are subjects in which I can tell I am falling
behind and not comprehending the information as deeply as I would normally. It has been the
hardest to switch over my chemistry lecture, lab, and my cadaver lab. Regarding chemistry it is
so much harder to learn the information and make connections between all of the concepts when
learning virtually than in person because you can ask questions and often go in more depth to the
topics. Labs in general have been very hard to switch online because they are hands on, but I
believe the professors have done a great job at attempting to bring as much online as they could.
Next, my professors have been great regarding the messages I have received and the
support they are willing to give. All of my professors have been sending emails out multiple
times a week with updates, announcements, support, and due dates for material, so we don’t miss
any assignments. The professors have offered help regarding the class material and also have
given us extra resources for outside of class for help with mental health and other related issues.
Overall, I believe the staff at GVSU has done a great job at accommodating material and lectures
during this time. I am very grateful for that because without them and their enormous efforts to
put these classes online this semester could have panned out much worse for many students.
In regard to student organizations, I participate in the Pre-PA Club. The closure of
campus and COVID-19 has caused our meetings to be cancelled since Mid-March through the
end of the school year. This included our normal scheduled meetings, extra smaller group meet
ups, and planned tour trips to various PA schools, including GVSU’s PA school. Our executive
board has done a great job reaching out to us, keeping us updated about what is going on, and
even transitioned some aspects of the club online. While this was great for us members of the
club I feel it may have put some extra stress on the leaders of the Pre-PA club.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19 Journals
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled.
The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Subject
The topic of the resource
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Anonymous COVID-19 Journal
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Anonymous
Description
An account of the resource
Journal of an anonymous GVSU student's experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-04-21
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
COVID-19_2020-04-21_Anon_004
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a7a7b7e9782cb3b039add423929e4743.pdf
d83e78c34e5f7acfd4ad5c75e6630a65
PDF Text
Text
The Effects of COVID-19
COVID-19 has had both positive and negative effects on my life, as well as the lives of
others. After GVSU made the transition to online courses on Wednesday March 11, I quickly
moved off campus the next day. This is because students living in on-campus housing facilities
were told to move out by the end of that week. However, at this time, the university was only
planning on having courses online for two weeks, so a few weeks later, I had to drive three hours
back to GVSU to move out the rest of my things. Luckily, my parents were able to help me with
this process, as they were also working from home. Moving off campus in the middle of the
semester and transitioning to online courses was definitely a whirlwind of an experience.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I had to cope with new losses which was
difficult for me. Specifically, one of the most significant events was the cancellation of my study
abroad trip to Ghana this summer. I am currently a sophomore and I had been looking forward to
this trip since the beginning of freshman year. This year, I applied to the competitive study
abroad program, was accepted, and already began planning a number of things. Aside from the
trip, there were other events and activities on campus that I was looking forward to as well. So,
not only am I missing out on these experiences, but I am now completing 15 credit hours of
schoolwork online. I am an extremely focused and dedicated student. I spend a lot of time
studying and completing schoolwork in order to get good grades. With that being said, I like
face-to-face learning and being able to utilize opportunities such as office hours, tutoring
services, etc. While I am still finishing the semester strong, I will admit that it is has been
difficult to find motivation for online classes. However, all of my professors have been
supportive in the process, sending encouraging messages along the way. Currently, my biggest
fear is that we will continue to have online courses in the fall as well.
Aside from school, my daily life at home has been uneventful. I spend a majority of my
days studying and completing assignments for school. My mom and I have also been going on
walks, watching a new TV series, and working on puzzles. I must admit that my daily life is
getting boring. I am a member of the Pre-Physician Assistant Club on campus, so I have attended
a couple virtual meetings at home as well. The other clubs that I am involved in on campus have
not continued their meetings and events during this time. Furthermore, while I did not have a job
on campus, I am scheduled to work at a nearby nursing home in a couple of weeks to occupy my
�time. I worked there last summer as well and since I am no longer studying abroad, this is my
“plan B” for the summer. I am hoping to attend Physician Assistant (PA) school, so I am
required to have a large number of patient contact hours. However, I am becoming incredibly
nervous about going back to work because there have been many positive cases of COVID-19 at
the facility for both employees and residents. My family and I are currently healthy, and I would
like to keep it that way. Luckily, the facility is providing the necessary PPE including masks,
gloves, and goggles.
Lastly, I want to address my family’s experience in getting everyday items such as
groceries and household goods. My parents and I have had to be creative with our meals since
we no longer have the option of going to a restaurant. We go to the grocery store about once a
week in order to get food and other household products if they are in stock. There are many
shortages of these basic goods including toilet paper, paper towels, and cleaning supplies. My
family is almost out of disinfecting wipes, so our next project is to make our own wipes with
paper towels, water, rubbing alcohol, and dish soap! Also, there have been various food products
out of stock as well including pasta noodles, flour, butter, etc. Plus, we are limited to only one
type of meat at a time due to the high demand. Luckily, a friend of ours sewed masks for us, so
we can wear those to the grocery store. In the near future, I think that we will be required to wear
masks in public.
This has definitely been an unexpected experience that has required both major and
minor adjustments. Recently, I attended a virtual lecture about how to stay engaged in the
transition to online learning. The lecturer recommended that we use this experience as a time for
personal growth and development. With that being said, I am trying to think about the positive
aspects of quarantine, so after this semester is finished, I am going to start developing a plan for
my future. I plan to solidify the PA programs that I want to apply to and begin working on my
personal statement (since I have extra free time!). Overall, it is important and necessary that we
stay resilient and adaptable during this time of uncertainty!
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19 Journals
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled.
The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Subject
The topic of the resource
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Effects of COVID-19
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Anonymous
Description
An account of the resource
Journal of an anonymous GVSU student's experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-04-21
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
COVID-19_2020-04-21_Anon_005
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/265dc7a7426d87b781843c57982d6227.pdf
c1fd2214a20f24b7b33f70a3babd82bb
PDF Text
Text
Online Classes and COVID-19
Online classes for GVSU began Monday March 16, although the campus shut down faceto-face lectures starting on March 12. I believe that overall the switch to online courses will
negatively impact the grades of many students attending GVSU. Many people benefit from faceto-face traditional lectures for many reasons including being more attentive, hands-on learning,
and many more unsaid reasons. Although, I do believe the switch to online lectures was the best
decision in this unprecedented situation to maintain the health and safety of students. Personally,
my online classes have been going just fine but there are subjects in which I can tell I am falling
behind and not comprehending the information as deeply as I would normally. It has been the
hardest to switch over my chemistry lecture, lab, and my cadaver lab. Regarding chemistry it is
so much harder to learn the information and make connections between all of the concepts when
learning virtually than in person because you can ask questions and often go in more depth to the
topics. Labs in general have been very hard to switch online because they are hands on, but I
believe the professors have done a great job at attempting to bring as much online as they could.
Next, my professors have been great regarding the messages I have received and the
support they are willing to give. All of my professors have been sending emails out multiple
times a week with updates, announcements, support, and due dates for material, so we don’t miss
any assignments. The professors have offered help regarding the class material and also have
given us extra resources for outside of class for help with mental health and other related issues.
Overall, I believe the staff at GVSU has done a great job at accommodating material and lectures
during this time. I am very grateful for that because without them and their enormous efforts to
put these classes online this semester could have panned out much worse for many students.
In regard to student organizations, I participate in the Pre-PA Club. The closure of
campus and COVID-19 has caused our meetings to be cancelled since Mid-March through the
end of the school year. This included our normal scheduled meetings, extra smaller group meet
ups, and planned tour trips to various PA schools, including GVSU’s PA school. Our executive
board has done a great job reaching out to us, keeping us updated about what is going on, and
even transitioned some aspects of the club online. While this was great for us members of the
club I feel it may have put some extra stress on the leaders of the Pre-PA club.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19 Journals
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled.
The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Subject
The topic of the resource
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Online Classes and COVID-19
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Anonymous
Description
An account of the resource
Journal of an anonymous GVSU student's experiences with online classes and student organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-04-21
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
COVID-19_2020-04-21_Anon_006
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1883784e42d4b92b7dcea6c221e15356.pdf
1d8f2d7dd075b050fb12ad22a6a74b72
PDF Text
Text
Shortly after the first case of covid-19 in Michigan was announced, I made the three hour
drive back to my hometown. My parents were very adamant that they wanted me home with
them during this time. They also said that if I didn’t come home soon they didn’t want me to
come at all since they were worried that I would later be exposed to the virus and not able to
travel. I didn’t need much help bringing any of my belongings home since I live in an apartment
off campus so I didn’t need to completely move out. The tough part was deciding exactly what
necessities I needed to bring home since I didn’t know the next time that I would be back at my
apartment. Although, at the time I was packing things I only thought I would be gone for a few
weeks so I didn’t bring much home.
The transition to online classes has been both easy and tough for me. The online classes
are easier I think because most of my professors have changed all of our quizzes and exams to
open notes. Although, I will say that statistics is not easy to learn online. I am more of a visual
learner so without seeing my professor go through examples on the board, it is tough. My
professors have been sending out almost an email a day and I can tell that they are trying to be
very helpful. I think that the adjustment is just as difficult for them as it is for us as students.
When I was on campus I wasn’t involved in any student organizations, sports, or clubs but I bet
the students who were must be really missing their hobbies.
During this quarantine I have been spending a lot of time with my parents. Since I'm at
my apartment most of the time during the school year I see them as much as I can. It has been
nice getting to spend this time with them but sometimes we get sick of eachother and need space.
There isn’t much to do to “get space” so I usually just watch movies in my room to give myself
some alone time. I wish that I could spend time with my hometown friends since they are all
home from college but I also understand that social distancing is very important right now. I am
�thankful that my friends and family are all healthy and being safe. Although, my dad is
considered to have underlying medical conditions with his high blood pressure so we are being
extra careful to stay germ free in our household.
I have two jobs lined up for me when I am home. One is working at a pool so that is
strictly for the summer. The other job is working as a host at Applebee’s and as of right now,
Applebee’s is only taking pick up orders so they don’t need hosts to work. I do not know if the
pool will even be opening up this year due to the virus. I also don’t know when Applebee’s will
be opening up either. If neither of them open soon then I won’t have a job this summer, let alone
two. My parents are not working right now either. My mom is an occupational therapist and
works in nursing homes so when more and more cases started to arise she chose to take a leave
of absence. My dad owns his own cement company in Detroit, which usually opens April 1st, but
since it isn’t considered an essential business he has not been able to work.
When we go grocery shopping we wear masks and gloves in the store. That seems to be
the new norm these days. When we get home from the grocery store we use lysol wipes to wipe
down all of the groceries before we bring them inside our house. We haven’t been experiencing
any supply shortages recently. Although, when the cases in Michigan started to increase we did
have a hard time finding things like toilet paper and paper towels since people were buying in
bulk. Things are getting better in Michigan, slowly but surely, and I hope that it continues.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19 Journals
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled.
The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Subject
The topic of the resource
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Covid-19 journaling
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Anonymous
Description
An account of the resource
Journal of an anonymous GVSU student's experiences with online classes, moving off campus suddenly, and work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-04-22
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Attribution (CC-BY 4.0)</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
COVID-19_2020-04-22_Anon_007
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/987f47cfce059d426460300cfc210b21.pdf
b4f589d1d6f8283471c35ec7678b7bbc
PDF Text
Text
April 23rd, 2020
Because of COVID my parents made me leave my off campus apartment, they feared it would be
too dangerous to live there. They came up to Allendale and helped my sister and I pack and move the
day the shelter in place order was given. Since my mother is a nurse my sister and I couldn’t move
back home out of the fear of getting sick. We were forced to move up-north until classes were over
because this was the only place that had internet, which we needed to finish our online classes. I
struggled a lot with my online classes because some of my professors were not lecturing and forcing us
to learn everything on our own. This resulted in me being swamped with additional readings and
assignments. Since classes moved online professors were assigning way more work than what would
have been assigned if we were still taking in person classes. Also, they made the exams were
extremely hard. I found myself studying substantially more than I ever did and still receiving bad
grades, due to time restraints and extremely difficult questions. I know both my friends and I became
extremely unmotivated after a few weeks and became very overwhelmed by everything, it felt like we
were drowning.
I was a part of the GVSU swim club and everything was canceled once the school shut down.
There were no more practices or team bonding because a lot of people moved home and the pool and
gym were closed. I am stuck up north with just my younger sister and I absolutely hate it. I have been in
quarantine with her and my dogs for an entire month and I could not wait to finish my classes so I could
move back home with my parents. My parents really miss being away from us, they have come up
every other weekend and dropped some food off with us and leaving us each time is very hard on
them, my mother especially. This pandemic but a lot of strain on my relationship with my boyfriend. But
I was able to see him and clear everything up but the isolation has made me go stir crazy.
I had a job working as a home aide with an individual who has muscular dystrophy. She had to
move home because of this virus since she is extremely immunocompromised. Me and six other girls
on staff all lost our jobs when this happened. I was unable to collect any unemployment from the state
of Michigan and I was also ineligible to receive a stimulus check since my parents still claim me as a
dependent. I was donating plasma while I still lived in Allendale but since I have moved I have no way
of bringing in an income to pay my bills.
Currently no one in my family is sick but we did have a scare with my mother. She had a high
fever two times as was turned away twice from work because of it. Two days ago she went somewhere
to be tested for COVID and just today we received the negative test results. But she still has to go back
and work at the hospital where she is constantly in contact with COVID patients so we worry about her
health. We also worry about my grandma’s because they are both extremely high risk for contracting
this virus. They have been in quarantine since the shut down and my parents drop off food at their
houses so they don’t have to go grocery shopping and put themselves at risk.
I used to work as a nursing technician for Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids and I actually quit
one year prior to this outbreak. When I worked there I never experienced any problems with having
PPE availability but those resources weren’t scarce then. I do have a friend who still works there as a
nurse technician though and she says that they barely have any PPE to go around. She doesn’t even
get a N95 for her 12 hour shifts. She is supposed to wear one of those basic surgical masks for her
entire shift and they are only supposed to be used for a max of 30 minutes. Everyone working in the
health care field is not being given the proper PPE to protect themselves.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19 Journals
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled.
The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Subject
The topic of the resource
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
COVID-19_2020-04-23_ANON_008
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Anonymous
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-04-23
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID Impact
Description
An account of the resource
Journal of an anonymous GVSU studdent, describing the impact of COVID-19 on their life.
Subject
The topic of the resource
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a1cc75a212f15c4194ea920ff9b90199.pdf
4fbff5bf3cf847b3c1b952ca31c310b0
PDF Text
Text
Change Amidst a Pandemic
The date was March 11th, 2020. I remember it being a Wednesday evening; my roommate
and I were having dinner and watching the news when we first received word that our University
was closing it’s doors and switching to an online format. We had the next two days off while
teachers rapidly conformed their entire curriculum from in-class lectures to completely virtual.
An uneasy and anxious feeling warped through my body.
We had heard on the news of various Coronavirus cases around the world, but we were
yet to have any confirmed in Michigan… until today. This whole thing just got entirely more
real. My roommate immediately decided that she was going to head home; but I didn’t have that
option. Although the University chose to close, I still had a job that was planning to remain open.
I worked at a gym facility called MVP where I was apart of the daycare program. I went into
work that Friday, March 13th for an eight hour shift. On my drive in, I was unsure what to think.
I was worried about catching the virus, I didn’t know what to expect because Fridays are our
busiest day of the week, and I didn’t know if it’d be different because all schools in the state had
shutdown. All I knew is that one of two things were likely to happen; we’d either be slammed
and busy all day, or it’d be completely empty. A usual Friday consisted of a couple hundred kids
in and out throughout the day, but on this particularly day, we had a total of maybe fifteen. It was
a ghost-town.
After work, I called my mom on my way home just to update her on what’s going on. At
this point, all three of my roommates had left our apartment to go home. I knew I didn’t want to
have to stay there alone, but I still had to work. My mom encouraged me to stay the next few
days and just see how things would play out. So, as planned, I went to work on Saturday and
Sunday. It remained really slow, which again, was weird because weekends are normally busy. It
�wasn’t until the end of my shift on Sunday night, that I received an email notifying all of the
MVP staff that the gym was going to close for the next two weeks. A sense of relief filled my
body because I could finally go home. During this very strange time of uncertainty, all I wanted
was to be home and with my family.
The following morning, Monday, March 16th, I packed up my car with as much stuff that
could fit and drove home to Illinois. Most of my teachers were still trying to get everything
online so I didn’t have much to do that week. Just a few assignments here and there. It was only
a day or two after I got home, when I received an email stating that the University will be closed
for the remaining of the school-year. I could not believe this was happening, it honestly felt
surreal. I actually ended up driving back to school on Saturday, March 21st, with my mom so we
could move everything out of my apartment. I felt really sad leaving and knowing that I wouldn’t
be back until August. I did the math and from the time I got home, it would be 5.5 months until I
would be going back to school again. I honestly was very unsure how I felt about that.
Fast forward, it is now Thursday, April 23rd and I just completed my last final. I spent the
last month of my semester learning through an online format and I have mixed reviews about it.
Some of my teachers made the course easier by removing an assignment here and there or
allowing you to use your notes on an exam. I definitely appreciated these teachers because, as
they emphasized over and over, all they wanted was to create a relaxed environment during this
time of great stress and uncertainty. Other teachers kept their syllabus as is, which was fine
because it was all very manageable. I definitely think I would have learned and retained more
information if it had been through in-class lectures. Although, to say the least, I still completed
my courses, learned a lot, and maintained a 4.0 GPA.
�As far as quarantine has gone though, I only have one word: boring. I truly don’t know
what I am going to do now that school is over. I wouldn’t say I enjoy school, but it kept me on a
schedule and gave me something to do every day. A part from school, in order to stay busy, I try
to exercise every day. I normally go for a run every morning because it not only motivates me to
be productive throughout the rest of the day, but it also is a great stress-reliever for me.
Additionally, I try to do something creative once a day. Whether it be baking, coloring, or doing
a puzzle, I like to incorporate a little bit of fun into each day. This is honestly such a scary time
to be alive, I know it’s a year in my life that I will never forget. Although it’s a time of extreme
uncertainty because we have no idea when this will end, I am just living day by day, trying to
keep a positive outlook on the whole situation.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19 Journals
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled.
The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Subject
The topic of the resource
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
COVID-19_2020-04-23_ANON_009
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Anonymous
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-04-23
Title
A name given to the resource
Change Amidst a Pandemic
Description
An account of the resource
Journal of an anonymous GVSU student's experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Subject
The topic of the resource
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5597ba4e84788293e89f4e3760230d75.pdf
9ece819851c4800b17ceac1feb0eb502
PDF Text
Text
April 23, 2020
Corona Virus and I
When everything with COVID-19 started getting more serious, I decided it would be best
for me to move back home in Illinois from my apartment in Allendale. My friends helped me
pack up my car, and I did the same with those who left before me. My roommates and I spent
one last late night together, still expecting to come back and see each other a few weeks later.
Since that was in our expectations, we all have stuff left at our apartment, and so do my friends
whom I did not live with.
The day we heard we would not be coming back to school to finish the semester hit us
all kind of hard. I have a very tight-knit friend group that I meant here at Grand Valley in my
dorm building freshman year. We all have become so close especially now that been living
separately, we see each other every night we spend in Allendale. We were all devastated we
would not get to spend the rest of the year together and finish off how we should. We still keep
in touch almost every day and update each other on everything going on in our lives. When we
are allowed, we all plan on seeing each other once everything is over, whether it be in Allendale
or one of our hometown’s.
My online classes are going all right. I’ve taken an online class before, which I did not
consider to be difficult. Having all online classes is a huge adjustment to go through. It takes a
lot of self-discipline to get myself to stop being lazy (which tends to take most of the day) and
start doing my work. All the messages that my teachers send through BlackBoard are very
sincere and caring, and many of them have extended deadline when students voiced that they
had too much to handle at some points. I think this has been hard on many students and even if
we don’t notice, a lot of us are handling it the same way. Dragging ourselves up to do work,
procrastinating, and probably not being able to put forth our best effort anymore is seen across
the board with students. I’ve seen this in myself and talked about it with my friends also, and
they agree.
My daily life at home has been going all right. My parents have both been working from
home. I tend to be someone who likes to be alone sometimes, and I feel like this can be hard
for my parents to understand. This is why I enjoy having my own apartment at school with
three other girls who are similar to me in that aspect. With my parents it can seem like they get
offended by me being in my room for a majority of some days, whereas with my roommates we
would checkup to make sure everything is okay and let each other be. Then by the end of the
night we’d end up outside our rooms laughing together pretty much till the sun rose. It’s hard
to go from living with friends who do not boss you around to living with your parents who seem
to monitor your every move. I know it is probably an adjustment for them too with me being
back, so I try to be as understanding as I can since this is something no one could have seen
coming.
Grocery shopping in the beginning was rough and looking at the empty shelves felt like
something I’d seen in a movie. I feel like that came from the initial panic of everything, and
since then it has improved. I can get what I need quickly and leave most of the time. One thing
that I know is still difficult to get is toilet paper, which hasn’t been too much of a problem with
me because for some reason my parents have always made sure to buy more than we need.
�Another thing that is still difficult to get is hand sanitizer, but other cleaning products have been
stocked every time I go to the store. For the most part I feel like I have access to anything I need
to get, and if it’s not there I know it will be somewhere else.
My friends and I have talked and overall, we just hope that we can continue next school
year together, and not have to talk through screens anymore. More than anything I think all
students agree. Yes, we want our summer to not be taken from us, but if it means we get to
have a normal school year next year that would be worth it. We will continue to all hope for the
best every day and do what we can to do our part.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19 Journals
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled.
The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Subject
The topic of the resource
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
COVID-19_2020-04-23_ANON_010
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Anonymous
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-04-23
Title
A name given to the resource
Corona Virus and I
Description
An account of the resource
Journal of an anonymous GVSU student's experiences and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on them and their friends.
Subject
The topic of the resource
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7d440a2bfac949af95c6eb713316ea26.pdf
62b38c92b260d830df7ac5f601e89c01
PDF Text
Text
When I first heard of COVID-19, I thought it was like the flu. Now I see that the virus is
more serious than it was conveyed to be; I did not picture the world being on lockdown
months later. When we first got the notice that we were moving to remote learning classes for
two weeks, I grabbed my necessities and left that weekend. A few days later, we got an email
that classes were moving to remote learning for the rest of the semester. I had to drive back to
Allendale, Michigan and move out the rest of my things. I’m from Chicago, Illinois so the
drive wasn’t that bad, but I had to find people to help me and find vehicles that could fit all
my things on short notice. With all classes being online, it was a struggle. I’ve had online
classes before and I know it takes a lot of discipline and time management. I learn better when
sitting in class because the professor can explain it in ways that the textbook may not.
COVID-19 also affects student organizations and jobs. Model Entertainment is a student
organization I am a part of on campus. We had a show scheduled for April 11th but it got
cancelled. I was not working at school but when I came home and tried to work I couldn't
because they were minimizing staff. We can all say that COVID-19 has put our social life,
finances, and daily living styles to a halt. I have known friends that had COVID-19 and are
now fine. I do not work in healthcare but I was thinking about volunteering to help out with
COVID-19 patients. Lastly, getting groceries and household items have been quite a struggle.
Some stores have lines down the block and once you finally get in there, they are out of paper
towels, certain food items, and other basic necessities. We have to take serious precautions
with what we touch in the stores and make sure we are properly wiping down items we bring
in the house. This pandemic has been something difficult to cope with but will soon be over.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19 Journals
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled.
The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Subject
The topic of the resource
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
COVID-19_2020-04-23_ANON_011
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Anonymous
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-04-23
Title
A name given to the resource
The Challenges of COVID-19
Description
An account of the resource
Journal by an anonymous GVSU student relating how the COVID-19 pandemic affected them.
Subject
The topic of the resource
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/24b298a2d26f765ea36ebd6ef5f9d166.pdf
25682e37107a2b7f446c1a9c8d9f7804
PDF Text
Text
When I first heard about COVID-19, I did not know what it was to its full extent. I heard about
what was going on oversees, but never anticipated this full lock down situation here in America.
When I heard about it, I was living in my sorority house at college. Grand Valley had moved
classes to online classes a week after our spring break, and that’s when everyone started
leaving. Within a week, I was the only one left living in my sorority house that consisted of
twenty-five girls.
I needed to stay at my house because I work in an assisted living home close to my school,
and my work really needed my help. We were short staffed to begin with, but as soon as the
coronavirus started to spike, people started to call off of work. I was getting calls multiple times
a week to see if I could come into work. I ended up picking up a lot of shifts because I was able
to work more with classes being online. Work was pretty usual for the first week, but then things
changed when we went on lockdown. The building I work in is a memory care unit with mostly
hospice patients. The new rule was that there can no longer be visitors, unless completely
necessary in regard to a hospice patient. The workers also had to be screened every time we
came into work which included taking our temperatures and assessing the status of our health.
The residents had to stop coming down to the dining room for meals and we had to ask them to
stay in their rooms. This was really sad for me to watch because a lot of my residents didn’t
know what was going on, and this virus completely disrupted their routines.
I live in Illinois and go to school in Michigan so when I heard that they were potentially placing
travel bans on Illinois, I started to become concerned. I was already planning on going home for
the summer, so my boss knew that I wouldn’t be working until next August. I had a coworker
pick up the remainder of my shifts for the semester and my parents moved me out of my sorority
house as soon as possible. I was sad to leave because I didn’t anticipate my sophomore year of
college ending this way.
Online school was hard for me to adjust to. I enjoy taking one or two classes online during my
semester, but fifteen credits online are a different story. It was very hard for me to focus on my
�schoolwork when I didn’t have to physically attend lectures and I didn’t have a library to study at.
Six people are living in my house currently: my mom, dad, younger sister, older sister and her
husband, so you can imagine how hectic it is in my house. Most of the time I would
procrastinate my schoolwork and have a ton of things to do last minute.
I just took my last final and I am glad that the semester is over, but I still need to find ways to
occupy my time. There is little to do since everything is closed, and social distancing rules are in
place. I haven’t been in public in one and a half months now, and it is definitely affecting my
mental health by not being able to see any of my friends and socialize. I don’t want to complain
because so many people have it significantly worse than I do right now, but it is hard being
isolated. The only time I get outside in these days are taking walks or runs, but it had been too
cold in Illinois recently to do that often.
In regard to the coronavirus, someone’s mom that I was very close to contracted it. It was
very scary to hear about because the rate of fatality with this disease. Thankfully she is fine
now, but someone having it who you are close to really puts things into perspective. I didn’t fully
understand the gravity of it all until I heard about that. It made me realize what I should be
focusing on in life, because it can be taken away from you very fast. I am grateful for this time I
get to spend with my family. Even though I’m not used to living at home and I do get annoyed by
it, I have grown closer to my family because of it.
I honestly do not know how long the stay-at-home order will go until. The governor of Illinois
just stated that our stay at home could potentially be extended until June, which is about
another thirty days from now. I am frustrated with the amount of people not following the stay at
home and making matters worse for everyone. There are protestors protesting these stay-athome orders, saying it is limiting their freedom. In my eyes I would rather have to say inside for
three months, than have this pandemic last any longer. Hopefully we can resume to normal life
soon, but for now we have to get used to being inside.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
COVID-19 Journals
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Description
An account of the resource
This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled.
The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Subject
The topic of the resource
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
COVID-19_2020-04-23_ANON_012
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Anonymous
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-04-23
Title
A name given to the resource
My COVID-19 Experience
Description
An account of the resource
Journal of an anonymous GVSU student's experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, discussing the student's home life, work life, and moving out of her sorority house.
Subject
The topic of the resource
COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020
Epidemics
Grand Valley State University
College students
Personal narratives
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng