WAU Columbia Journal for November, 2020 - Student Publication

WASHINGTON ADVENTIST UNIVERSITY

Columbia Columbia Journal Journal

NOVEMBER 2020

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COVID CONTINUUM Attending University online was definitely not on our list of expected experiences for our college days, but here are some ideas to make the best of it.

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The iconic phrase from the beloved children's 1991 film "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" perfectly encapsulates this semester's sentiments. ~With Max Orlanne Pierre

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WASHING TON Travel and tourism in DC are especially popular, but as busy schedules and social distancing are a normality in our lives, the Journal presents a view of the Capital, right from our pages. ~With Jenevieve Lettsome

20/20 VISION Join our RVP Justino Jorge as he takes us on a journey, seeing the world through spiritual eyes.

~With Max Orlanne Pierre

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SO NEAR & YET SO FAR

~With Justino Jorge

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CALENDAR Keeping up with the times is hard enough as it feels like both 100 years or only 3 seconds have passed us by since everything began.

From the Editor "My mother had a saying: 'Kamala, you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you're not the last.'"

-Vice president-Elect Kamala Harris Kamala Harris is not only the first Black and the first Asian/Southern Asian Vice President, but also the first woman to be elected to the office in the United States of America. Let that sink in.

Even if you live under a rock, it would have been very hard to keep ignorant about this news that has been hanging in the air since the first week of November. As a young woman of a proud Black and Asian heritage, watching Madam VP-elect Harris deliver her speech on victory night was one of the most beautiful things I will ever witness. At that moment, I didn't care about anything outside of her words. I held my mother's hand, an immigrant like Harris' own mother, who came here to make a better life for herself and her children. At the end of it all, my mother turned to me with tears in her eyes and said, "Remember this- anything is possible. Don't ever stop reaching for the stars."

Despite what a year 2020 has been, the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday reminds me that I am grateful to have made it safely thus far. So as we get ready for either a family feast, or the peace of a quiet Thursday as it passes by, don't forget to be grateful for the possibilities that allow us to reach for the stars.

-Jenna

A new program brought on by the school hopes to aid students in their physical and mental needs.

Max Orlanne Pierre

WAU Telehealth is access to 24/7 medical, mental health and health coaching support for all undergraduate Washington Adventist University students at no cost. The physicians, counselors and health coaches can treat/discuss a wide range of common conditions, and after talking to you, will decide on the best course of treatment.

Eligible students can access the services via wautelehealth.com, powered by TimelyMD, on a computer or smartphone free of charge. Account sign up only takes five to ten minutes with your school email.

Once the account is established, four options will be presented to you: 1. Speak with a mental health professional about anything at any time.

2. Speak with a medical provider at any time anywhere you may be.

3. Schedule an appointment to visit with a licensed counselor.

4. Discuss nutrition, sleep, healthy living, etc. with a coach.

We asked Dr. Ralph Johnson, our Vice President of Student Life, about the advantages of switching over to WAU Telehealth. He says, “One of the greatest advantages to moving to WAU Telehealth is the expanded access for multiple students, especially during a COVID-19 environment. Moreover, this allows us to respond to particular individual preferences for the type of counselor that a student might need and/or request.

For example, some female students may be more comfortable talking to another female and students from a particular racial/ethnic background may be more comfortable talking to counselors who they feel share their own experiences. These have always been challenges in the counseling/mental health arena across higher education.”

Have questions? You can: - Visit WAUTelehealth.com - Call the customer support line at 833-4846359 - Send an email to help@timely.m

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WAU INTRODUCES TELEHEALTH

A group of students were tasked with becoming "Steve Kornakis" this Fall Foreword by Jenevieve Lettsome

This semester, Dr. Jonathan Scriven of the Political Science department is teaching one of the most interesting and timely classes on campus: Elections 2020. For the past three months, this class has dedicated themselves to learning the ins and outs of American politics as the world watched the 2020 race. In light of an all-but victorious vote for the new President-Elect Joseph Biden and his running mate Vice PresidentElect Kamala Harris, below is what some in this class felt during the week in question (before the race was called for Biden):

"I have never been so excited or involved in any elections before, but this one really got me triggered. Probably because taking this class made me understand everything better. My excitement was so high that my eyes and brain would prefer staring at the [election] map for no reason for hours and hours. The funny part was that the map would be the same with no change, and I would be staring at it and calculating and recalculating everything. I didn't really get to watch the TV because I was forcing myself to get work done and multitask, even though my focus would mainly on the election votes.

At this point, the whole country is confused about what is going to happen now because Trump is not like any other president to give up his seat easily; he will fight for it [again and] again. If it doesn't go like how he wants it, we will develop other possible ways to regain power; he is not the type of person to let it go easily. All we [could] do at this point would be to wait and see how the results turn out."

-Ava Movahed Abtahi "My thoughts were that Biden went to win and I knew that it would be a tense election. Much of the TV coverage was polarized for either Trump or Biden and still is. I'm new in American politics and for me it was a big surprise how it all works, especially when it came to seeing how the media covered my swing state and my assigned senate race. In conclusion, this election happened in one of the most critical times in the world, where we could see many social conflicts inside the heart of America. It will be interesting to see what will happen in the coming days. These aren't normal times, and these were not normal elections."

-Abner Marquez

What did you think about this tense week?

Thank you to all of you who exercised your civil right to vote, something many who have come before us have fought for. We stand on their shoulders in gratitude.

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THOUGHTS FROM THE CLASS OF ELECTIONS 2020

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SPOT NO.3 The Washington Monument A marker of the third branch of American government, the Supreme Court of the United States is the seat of all federal and national judicial rulings. The Supreme Court is where the greatest of laws can be challenged, stuck down, or fortified. Since legislation passed in 1869, there have been nine seats on the Dias, with the most recent open one vacated by Justice Ginsburg and has been a prevailing topic during this year's presidential election.

Like the Capitol building, it was built in the Neoclassical design. It boasts four stories, and is perhaps most famous for the amount of statues, paintings, and artwork that point to the Greco/Roman goddesses Athena (Minerva), the patron diety of wisdom and strategy, and Themis, the blindfolded patron of Justice.

THE STORY WAU: Thanksgiving 2020

Max Orlanne Pierre As a child, one of my favorite animated movies of all time was "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" (1991).

It was a hand-me-down from my cousins who felt they no longer needed it, and it became a small treasure to me as I would stick the cassette into the VHS player almost every week for a year, wait as it began to play, and then sing the songs that the little rabbit children sang as they ate their supper and went to bed. When the movie approached the crux of the main character's dilemma, Peter Rabbit sings a song with these words. He's stuck in Mr. McGregor's garden (a death trap for little bunnies for sure) and missing home. Much like Peter Rabbit, I miss home. Yes, many of us would be quick to agree that in light of the past couple years and all the challenges and pain we have experienced at WAU, we still miss our home.

The fourth Thursday of every November is a day that many people look forward to.

Thanksgiving is a time of gathering, family, and delicious food. Unfortunately, this Thanksgiving, people may not be able to celebrate Thanksgiving like they did last year because of the pandemic. Due to social distancing guidelines and immunocompromised individuals, celebrating Thanksgiving has become risky for many families.

COVID-19 has been stuck to the U.S. like glue for months on end. Quarantine has been everyone’s best friend since March and now that Thanksgiving is upon us, we all try to keep our holiday spirits up and happy.

For students, some of us will stay away from our families for fear of catching or spreading the virus; some of us will be limited to much smaller gatherings; some of us are immunocompromised and cannot risk Thanksgiving get togethers; and some may spend the holiday working or doing schoolwork.

Though COVID-19 has disrupted our lives for such a time, we must remember the spirit of Thanksgiving and what we're thankful for. Personally, I am thankful that many of us will get to see Thanksgiving and that we are blessed enough to spend time with our families and friends (even if over video chats).

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SO NEAR AND YET SO FAR

I am thankful for loved ones who have recovered, and I am thankful that I am here to celebrate the loved ones we have lost during these times. Finally, I am thankful for those who are reading this, and hopeful that they will have a restful and happy holiday season.

Though social distancing has been extremely hard and many people wish COVID-19 would just disappear, we must all do our part to keep each other safe.

Prayers to you all, happy holidays, and remember to eat your pie six feet apart.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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SO NEAR..... CONT.

What does having an attitude of gratitude mean? This year, about a century's worth of stuff has occurred in January alone. Each month has felt like a year to the point where when we speak of April, it feels like forever ago. With the entire US still fighting the first wave of the pandemic, thousands gone from our lives and thousands more fighting for it, it seems that there is no end in sight, so why be grateful?

Personally, it's the little things that I can be grateful for. I am thankful for the teachers who dedicate themselves to doing their best, teaching from a screen where they can clearly see we are all collectively zoomed out and are so close to throwing away our laptops. I am thankful for my friends, who mutually keep me on task, and check in to make sure I've done my homework, or just call to see how I am.

Though the end of the year looks bleak, know that God always makes little or big ways of escape for our tired and weary souls.

In His word, He says: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.�

Matthew 11:28-30 And to this I say: "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalms 107:1

What are you grateful for?

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20/20 VISION With Jenevieve Lettsome

11.25 Thanksgiving Break Begins 11.26 Thanksgiving 11.29 Thanksgiving Break Ends

Heading to Campus???

Be sure to fill out the COVID19 questionnaire before you do! Thank you for keeping our campus and community safe!

Stay Connected! Use some of these hashtags or tag the school in your covid school experience updates

u # t h is is w a #w auhon o rs @waustudentassociation

au w s i s @ @thi

Helpful Phone Numbers: WAU front Desk: 301-891-4000 WAU Security: 301-891-4019

Need to know what's happening? Text WAUAlerts to 888-777

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NOVEMBER

The Columbia Journal of Washington Adventist University is the official print media news source for the University’s on-campus student body.

https://www.timely.md/faq/wautelehealth/

Want to contact the Editor? Email her at cjournalwau@gmail.com or message her on the WAUMobile app at Jenevieve Lettsome.

~Contributors~ "Jenna" Jenevieve Lettsome......Editor Max Orlanne Pierre......Interning Columnist Anna Karla CarreĂąo..........Copy Editor Dr. Jarilyn Conner........Faculty Advisor Dr. Thomas Lutrell....Advisory Council

wauh onor scoll ege The Mission of the Student Association is to establish a culture of engagement and unity on the campus of Washington Adventist University.