Alums feel the impact as they return home

article and graphic by Julia Henning, originally published 5/13/20

College students had to return home or stay in off-campus housing as universities shut down in March.

When the COVID-19 pandemic caused many institutions to close down across the United States, university students were no longer allowed to stay in their dorms or on their study abroad programs. Many had to move home or stay in their off-campus housing. Here are four unique stories from Annie Wright alums that shared this experience and how they are planning for their futures amidst a pandemic.

Lexy Sullivan – Barnard College

Lexy Sullivan (‘17) started her virtual learning experience fairly early in March after there was a suspected case of COVID-19 within the Columbia community. The school transitioned to online learning for two days to make a plan the week before spring break, but ultimately made the decision to continue with online class through the rest of the year.

Sullivan was planning to stay in her New York apartment, but while New York was quickly shutting down, she made the decision to come home on March 18. Because she stayed through spring break, she was able to take most of her belongings back home with her, though she ended up donating a lot as well.

Courtney Cureton - University of San Diego

She described the atmosphere on campus once everyone was told to go home. “It felt like they were fleeing. There were suitcases and random dorm items just scattered throughout the sidewalks and such with people just dumping their stuff, because in New York you can kind of just leave stuff on the Courtney Cureton’s (‘17) school, USD, was one of the last colleges in the area to move to virtual classes. The students were all unsure of when it would happen, but it meant they all saw the school closure coming. She left San Diego in March to return to her mom’s apartment, but after a short time there, she realized it wasn’t the best learning environment for her to be able to engage well enough in her classes and maintain her grades. She moved back in with her friends in her apartment in San Diego shortly after.

sidewalk and someone will take it,” she said. Because she is a senior, instead of a credit, she got a refund for the housing and meal plan that she didn’t use. In the fall, Sullivan will head to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore to start her master’s in Public Health. “I really hope it is in person, but there is no guarantee,” she said.

Cureton was also one of very few students to receive the stimulus checks from the government during this time. As a student athlete on the USD crew team, the quarantine has also shifted her training as she moves into her senior year. “Training right now consists of Zoom meetings every Sunday going over mobility and US rowing coaches’ tips,” said Cureton. “And then we have a weekly schedule sent out that’s optional because of NCAA regulation on coaches working during COVID-19.”

Safa Saeed (‘17) was studying abroad in Berlin, Germany this semester before she got the call that her university had canceled study abroad programs only a few hours before President Trump also banned travel from Europe. In the middle of the night in Berlin, she found out that she would need to pack in only a few short hours and move out to get out.

Flight prices shot up in those few hours, and there were few options left. “I think the flight back was the biggest expense,” Saeed said. “I remember in the middle of the night when everyone’s parents were calling them, flights were disappearing. You would have a flight you were ready to book and it just got booked by someone else. It was really chaotic.”

She had to leave a few things behind because there was little space left in her bags. Upon arriving home, she stayed distanced from her family in case she was contagious. She also found out that her long-planned internship for the summer had moved to being virtual. Depending on how the internship goes this summer, Saeed said she hopes she won’t have to worry

Ameya Susarla –Washington State University

Ameya Susarla (‘16) found out as she headed into spring break that she would not be coming back to school, so she had to go back to Pullman after spring break to pick up the rest of her belongings. Her classes moved onto Zoom, but she isn’t required to turn on her camera. She recognized how hard it is to keep herself accountable to pay attention and listen in when the teacher doesn’t know. She also finds studying at home challenging, because she appreciated the spaces on campus such as the library where she could have her own quiet space.

She is still paying rent for her house in Pullman even though she is living at home now; she also currently works at a Safeway near her home. “It’s intense,” said Susarla. “I wear gloves all the time. We sanitize every hour, and masks are required if you want to work.”

Video conferencing platforms reviewed by Sebastian Bush, originally published 5/1/20

In these days of campus closures, there are many options. Some schools chose to completely close, and some chose to go online. With many video conference platforms available, which is the best? Inkwell reviews Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Hangouts.

Pricing

Probably one of the most important pieces of information for most schools is pricing. Because schools can have upwards of thousands of students, pricing can be very important. Zoom is interesting in this matter. Your basic plan comes with unlimited meetings. However, these meetings have a 40 minute limit, something that can be very restrictive. In addition, this plan is only for one host. On the other hand, schools with upwards of 100 teachers would require the most expensive plan, which could amount to $2,000 per month. Microsoft Teams is also expensive, but Microsoft is now allowing schools to have Office 365 for free. Microsoft Teams is included in that bundle, so Teams is free. This can be a huge selling point for schools that may not have the resources to pay $2,000 per month for a service. Finally, Google Hangouts. Although Google Hangouts is free, Google charges for storage, so 30GB of storage costs $5. Although this may not seem important, for schools looking into moving all online classrooms onto Google, storage is key. And storage prices only rise from there. In this category, my winner is Microsoft Teams.

Security

Recently Zoom has been under backlash for security reasons. Some of those have to do with “Zoom Hackers.” Zoom hackers will enter the Zoom network and steal hundreds of passcodes each time. Estimates have shown that hackers have stolen over 500,000 student accounts. Hackers have also been known to enter “private” Zoom meetings and sit in on whatever is happening. According to one New York Post article, a New Jersey school district has stopped using Zoom for distance learning after a hacker entered a meeting and streamed adult content into the classroom. Microsoft Teams on the other hand is quite the opposite. The only bug they seem to have met is a bug which relates to GIFs. These GIFs will allow hackers entrance to someone’s account, and they can later enter the account via temporary access codes. However, according to other sources the bug, if not fixed already, is being worked on. Otherwise, Microsoft Teams is part of the Microsoft Suite, a very common tool used in everyday work, one which has not faced very many security concerns recently. Google Hangouts has faced some long term security backlash. According to security sources, Google Hangouts uses in-transit encryption. This means that when you send something, or while your call happens, it is being encrypted while it transmits. While this is a good type of encryption, it isn’t the best, as it offers a short window for hackers to enter. The most secure common form of encryption is end to end, which involves encryption while the message is being sent, while it is sending, and while it is being received.

Overall View

Finally, the last category, the overall view of the platform. Zoom offers a strong platform, with many superior features. Zoom gives the added bonus of being able to see multiple people. During a Zoom call, the attendants can view up to 49 people on the same screen. Other than that, Zoom offers many base features including a chat, the ability to share your screen, and viewing participants. Microsoft Teams falls a bit short in this category. Although it shares some of the same base features, it lacks on the faces category. During a Microsoft Teams call, you can only view up to four people at one time. Although Microsoft has made it clear it plans to upgrade that to nine people, the date for that release is still unclear, and these claims have been going on for years. Otherwise, one part in which Teams prevail, is look and feel. Hangouts and Zoom offer somewhat professional looks, and Teams offers the best one by far, with a slick and excellent presentation. Finally, Hangouts offers, once again, a somewhat sub-par experience. Although you can access a chat, and share your screen, unlike Zoom and Teams, there are no background options, and advanced features are non-existent. During a call, you can see up to ten people, but as I said, there is not much else you can do.

note: Since this article was published, Teams did increase the view to nine people, along with other upgrades.

Final thoughts

Overall, my winner is Microsoft Teams. It offers affordable, professional, and reliable software. Although it may be lacking in some categories, it more than makes up for it in others. Although Hangouts is an option, the next best thing is Zoom.

Getting on each other's nerves? article and graphic by Kaitlin Tan

Before the time of quarantine, families spent their time scattered in different places throughout the day. Children were at school for eight hours a day, five days a week, with other outside activities occupying their time. Most parents were at work, leaving the home virtually empty during the day.

Now during the months of quarantine when families are forced to stay home, many find that their patience is growing low and find themselves getting on other family members’ nerves. These feelings stem from a lack of normal routine, spending too much time together, financial and health stress, and anxiety about the future, according to Upper School Counselor Jenna Aynes. She offered some tips for how to get along with family and what to do when conflict arises.

With the effects of quarantine adding to everyone's stress, family conflict is inevitable.

Aynes suggests these tips...

...to better get along with your family:

1. Make schedules, as this will allow for more routine and enables you to incorporate more alone time.

2. Focus on the positives instead of what other family members are doing wrong. 3. Make time for family activities such as working out together, game nights, or cooking together.

...and if conflict does arise: 1. Give your family members space to process.

2. Give yourself time to deescalate and process your emotions.

3. Use calm communication and “I” statements.

International students and the COVID pandemic

After school closed in March, Inkwell radio interviewed international students who had just returned to their home countries of China, Vietnam, Korea and Germany. They discuss their journeys, life in quarantine and their countries' responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Scan the QR code to listen to the podcast on Spotify.