In This Together

IN THIS T GETHER

The UMass Boston community unites to help everyone cope with the pandemic.

BY ELIS MULLINS AND VANESSA CHATTERLEY

The extraordinary toll taken by COVID-19—and the challenges posed by the measures needed to slow its spread—has called for extraordinary efforts to help people obtain basic needs and deal with feelings of sadness and isolation. The UMass Boston community stepped up to do its part to help. Students, staff, faculty, and alumni—the entire community—all went beyond the normal call of duty to make sure everyone gets through these trying times in the best possible shape. Here are a few of the inspiring things they did.

Suzanne Alkhatatbih ’22 (r) and her younger brother benefited from one of the 223 Chromebooks loaned to students who needed them for remote learning. Photo courtesy of Suzanne Alkhatatbih

Chromebook Drive Delivers Laptops to Students in Need

After transitioning to remote learning, the university launched a Sponsor a Chromebook drive that provided 223 Chromebooks to loan to students without laptops and help them succeed in a remote learning environment. The initiative was greatly assisted by an $8,500 grant from the City of Boston and Mayor Marty Walsh.

For student Suzanne Alkhatatbih ’22, the benefit of the loaner Chromebook was immediate and powerful. “The Chromebook really helped me doing my classes and logging into Zoom,” she said in a thank-you video she made. “I used to have a hard time logging in and doing all my classwork since my laptop is broken. But this really helped me a lot. . . . And also my little brother here, he uses Zoom for school and he uses the Chromebook, as well.”

“I take calculus, chemistry, and biology using this Chromebook. If I did

not have this, I would not be able to do any of my classwork.” —Raynise C. ’23

Jack Carvalho ’92 served as a keynote speaker at the university’s annual Celebration of Philanthropy event, which took place in the Campus Center Ballroom on October 30, 2018 and welcomed nearly 200 guests. Prior to the evening’s events, Carvalho spent the day meeting with first-generation students and students in finance, business, and international relations, offering them advice and mentorship.

Jack Carvalho ’92 Makes Gift to Support Students Impacted by COVID-19

In a show of continuing support and generosity to the UMass Boston community, Jack Carvalho ’92 made a gift of $100,000 to the Beacon Student Aid Fund last spring. The Beacon Student Aid Fund provides small grants to students who face financial challenges, such as paying rent or paying for food and living expenses. The pandemic has seen a surge in students who need assistance paying for basic needs, and Carvalho’s gift ensures that those needs are met. It is the latest in a series of generous donations he’s made and the largest gift ever specifically for emergency student aid.

Archivists Gather UMass Boston’s COVID-19 Stories

After UMass Boston began remote classes, University Archives and Special Collections staff provided the university community with a way to share their stories about life during the pandemic and preserve them for future generations in the archives’ digital collections. The stories housed in the COVID-19 digital archive paint a vivid portrait of the real, lived experiences behind the headlines and the policy issues.

• One student fought the virus for five days in the hospital, only to lose family to it after being discharged. • Another felt overwhelmed. “I am going through Groundhog Day, just living the same day over and over.” • One student found a unique way to cope. “Growing plants . . . has helped in easing the sadness that thousands of local deaths can and has provoked.” • Others used humor to help them cope. “If we do survive this, maybe keep the pandemic team next time,” a student quipped.

If you would like to contribute to the COVID-19 digital archive, or view contributions others have made, go to https://openarchives. umb.edu/digital/collection/covid19. UMBeTogether Connects Students During Times of Uncertainty

Despite being separated by remote learning, students stayed connected through a student-led online initiative, UMBeTogether. Developed by student Gillian Benoit ’21, it brings together members of the student community with shared areas of interest for special events and spontaneous interaction.

One of UMBeTogether’s events was “A Night with Alok Menon.” Menon is a New York–based spoken-word artist and community organizer who was honored as one of NBC’s Pride 50 and Out magazine’s OUT 100 in 2019. The online dialogue between Menon and students focused on healing, reflection, and coping strategies amid the challenges of quarantine.

“Participants felt encouraged and validated by the insights of Alok and the collective response of fellow classmates,” said Benoit. “I was deeply moved by the willingness of everyone to support one another.”