Gannon University’s Erie and Ruskin campuses are largely quiet now, waiting out what’s left of the stay-at-home orders in Pennsylvania and Florida. Students, faculty and staff were abruptly sent home in mid-March as COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, began to sweep across the country. It had already spread across China and Italy, causing the university to call home nine students studying at American University of Rome just ahead of a State Department travel ban. Commencement ceremonies planned for both campuses were postponed, given that large gatherings are not currently permitted by the health departments in either state. And the dorms were largely emptied out, with the exception of about 150 students who either had no other place to go or who could not leave because their home countries were also under lockdown. Classes resumed about two weeks later – but online. Most campus employees started working from home almost immediately, replacing in-person gatherings with conference calls or Zoom meetings.
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GANNON MAGAZINE MAY 2020
While it is not the same, the work of the university continues. As Gannon plans to resume in-person classes th the fall, teams of staff and faculty are at work on creating a safe environment that will promote learning while minimizing the health threat. So far, the Gannon family has demonstrated its generosity and its ingenuity. When we learned some students didn’t have money to get home as school was closing, hundreds of staff and alumni stepped forward to create a fund that helped those students. Also, faculty – upon hearing of shortages of much-needed medical supplies – emptied out our labs in Erie and Ruskin and donated ventilators, masks, 3D-printed face shields and other items to nearby hospitals. Many students, too, are using their talents to creatively serve needs in the community. The urgency to close the university has been replaced with a resolve to reopen it carefully and safely – and soon. After all, the quiet halls just don’t feel right.
