Cumberlands Together

Coming together has never meant as much to us as it does at the end of 2020.

Nearly one year ago, the novel coronavirus hit the U.S. and subsequently rocked the nation. Businesses, schools, and churches were shuttered. Leadership teams around the country, including Cumberlands’ administration, wracked their brains on how to innovate and adapt – how they could keep their respective groups running smoothly while putting health and safety first.

The University's Response

In May, President Cockrum commended faculty and staff on their perseverance and positivity during what, for many, was a tumultuous spring.

“I want to thank you for everything you have done to step up to the immense challenges presented by COVID-19,” he said in an email. “I could not be prouder of how you adapted your teaching and office routines. Thank you for keeping up the good fight during these extraordinary times.”

“Extraordinary” is one word for it. Within one week, Cumberlands announced that all in-person classes would be hosted entirely online for the rest of the semester, the NAIA cancelled the rest of the spring sports season, student move-out processes were initiated, and all non-essential employees were told to work from home. It was a pivot that felt more like an earthquake, and nobody knew what they would face next.

Summer came, and with it, precautionary measures. Classrooms were fitted with plexiglass shields to hang between professors and students, food service staff revamped their processes to decrease their contact with students, Human Resources handed out face coverings, and hand sanitizing stations were installed around campus. The University also announced its move to a hybrid model for classes – students would show up in person for their classes once per week, and all other class sessions would be hosted live online.

The fall semester presented other challenges like quarantine procedures for people who’d been exposed to someone with COVID-19. Students put in quarantine made the best of it, catching up on sleep and schoolwork and enjoying whatever snacks their friends dropped off for them – especially the milkshakes, which one student claimed had supernaturally warded off the virus for him.

Technology's Role

Everyone has been staring at screens since March. Television screens have recounted the latest news. Cell phone screens have enabled phone and video calls with family and friends. Social media has been flooded with posts. Purchasing groceries, to-go meals, and home essentials online has become second nature. Though streets were empty this spring, online profiles were booming.

Technology has been the crucial necessity for the world to keep moving. It has allowed Cumberlands to continue teaching students, and it’s helped those students stay connected with each other.

Diana Davis, a junior at Cumberlands, remarked, “Since the pandemic, there’s not been a day I’ve not been on my laptop or phone to do something productive, even during the summer. I was able to apply for jobs and see my best friend’s newborn baby without putting anyone at risk.”

The switch to online learning has not been all rainbows and roses. Particularly in spring, when nobody foresaw the sudden switch, continuing classes was hard. Davis is a biology major taking STEM classes, and she admitted it was “extremely difficult” to learn the material without being in person for lab experiments.

The temporary new hybrid class model has allowed her and others to meet in labs and work with professors and fellow students in person. Those personal connections are “a main reason” she and other students she knows chose Cumberlands, she said.

Moving Foward

Dr. Christopher Leskiw, Vice President of Academic Affairs, said it was tough to formulate a class model that blended much-needed in-seat class time with online learning.

He explained, “There was much brainstorming and debate on how best to tackle this new dilemma. While online learning certainly has its merits, it also has its limits, like any learning platform. We needed to keep everyone safe while somehow balancing that with in-person learning. Yes, the hybrid model is quite different. But the campus has risen to the challenge remarkably well. We are exceptionally proud of how everyone has adjusted.”

Davis appreciates how the University has handled their response to the pandemic and is “immensely grateful” for the way the school has “allowed for things to be as normal as possible” in such a whirlwind year. The gratitude is mutual. Cumberlands staff and faculty know it’s been hard for students to adjust, but everyone has done their best to make things work for them. It’s been a tough year. Thankfully, through everything, the University has come together like never before.