Old Gold&Black “Covers the campus like the magnolias”
VOL 109 NO.14 3 109,,NO.
WA K E F O R E S T ’ S S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R S I N C E 1 9 1 6
SEPTEMBER 8, 2023 2022 MARCH 16,
The days the world shut down: 7KUHH \HDUV VLQFH &29,' VZHSW WKH ZRUOG VWXGHQWV UHÀHFW RQ WKH beginning of the pandemic and the chaotic semesters that followed AINE PIERRE Online Managing Editor At Wake Forest, everyone knew that March 6, 2020, was the last day of classes before spring break. However, few imagined that it would be the last day of in-person classes for the Spring 2020 semester. There were some warning signs. The previous day, the Old Gold & Black ran a front-page story reporting that students studying abroad at Casa Artom in Venice, Italy, were sent home. This raised some alarm from students, but most seemed confident that, at least by April, Wake Forest would return to in-person classes. A Tale of Two Student Leaders One such conversation played out in the Old Gold & Black office, according to the Editorin-Chief at the time, Olivia Field (‘21). “I remember talking to some of the other editors, specifically Andy Killebrew, who was one of the Life editors and Jack Portman, who was one of the Opinion editors, and they were like, ‘oh, yeah, that's the end of the world, it was nice knowing you guys,’” Field said. “[They also said:] ‘You know, we're not coming back after spring break.’ I remember joking around with them and not really taking what they said seriously.” On March 11, 2020, the Old Gold & Black reported that after an extra week of spring break, all Wake Forest classes would be held virtually for the remainder of the semester. The previous day, the News
& Observer reported that the Wake Forest administration asked professors to look into virtual teaching that could extend through the Fall 2020 semester. Mellie Mesfin (‘20), who was student body president for the 2019-2020 academic year, was in Mexico for spring break when the news about classes broke. She and her friends debated returning to campus for the remainder of spring break or staying in Mexico. “I remember talking to friends and realizing that everything was just going to have to be a day-to-day, intuitive decision because there was no right answer that anyone could provide,” Mesfin said. Both she and Field had to consider how their respective organizations could continue operating virtually. The Old Gold & Black already published all of the articles it printed online, but the camaraderie of the Old Gold & Black office was not so easily digitized. “It was an adjustment,” Field said. “As I'm sure everyone who has participated in a group activity knows, not being able to be in person and brainstorm together or be creative together — that’s a chal- lenge.” Field continued: “How [did] we recreate the newsroom in a virtual setting? It was a ton of Zoom meetings, and using Google Drive and online resources that we never really took advantage of.” Mesfin faced issues with the transition, too. For one, Student Government’s spring elections, during which the student body selects its executive of- ficers and sophomore, junior and senior senators, were scheduled for just after spring break. “So we started planning for virtual Student Government elections, which meant new rules and different challenges,” Mesfin said. “And we had to field questions at every
stop and to some extent, adapt things as we went because no one had been in this situation.” For Mesfin and her fellow seniors, though, it was hard to balance one’s responsibilities and the feeling of loss that came with having one’s senior year cut short. “[Some of ] my friends were super, super anxious or super upset and really grieving the loss of those precious last few months of being a senior in college,” Mesfin said. Part of those precious months, as Mesfin points out, involve transitioning leadership positions, finishing classes and finalizing postgraduate plans. “A lot of my peers and I missed the camaraderie and celebration that goes with [those moments],” Mesfin said As Mesfin and Field worked to serve the Wake Forest community, the community continued to expand. By March 21, 2022, the Class of 2024 received their acceptance letters. Most of them had their senior year of high school similarly cut short, and many were apprehensive about their first few semesters of college. While most Class of 2024 members came to campus in Fall 2020 for a mix of online, blended and in-person classes, some stayed home. Some then-sophomores also stayed home, like Marilla Morrison (‘23). “Though being stuck at home with my two parents and three siblings was not ideal for a first-year college student having just gotten a taste of freedom, it seemed safer than putting my life in the hands of hundreds,” Morrison told the Old Gold & Black in writing. “Already I was dealing with the feelings of helplessness, confusion, and betrayal as many of my friends had different standards than my family (in terms of even outdoor, socially-distant small gatherings). It felt like I could no longer rely on the people who I thought I could trust with my life before the pandemic.” Morrison believes she made the right choice, saying she has never tested positive for COVID.
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