Like anyone else, I’ve experienced my fair share of challenges during this pandemic.  The quality of my sleep has been pretty lackluster, my family drives me up a wall sometimes, and, most of all, I miss my friends.  I miss cracking jokes at my fraternity’s weekly Chapter meeting.  I miss commiserating over the nasty food in Grand with my fellow RA’s.  Heck, I even miss just walking around outside on campus!  As a result of all the troubles we’ve been experiencing at home, it’s easy to want to count down the days until the fall semester starts.  After all, that’s when we’ll be going back, right?

Maybe, maybe not.  The reality of our current situation is that no one really knows what’s going to happen tomorrow, let alone 3+ months from now.  Dr. Pestello recently sent out an email outlining the University’s plans for the fall semester, and, needless to say, things will undoubtedly be different even if we end up returning to campus.  Potential plans include an earlier start and end date for the fall semester, a “hybrid” scenario where part of the semester will be in-person and part of it will be virtual, or we could end up going virtual for the entire semester.

I guess the better question to ask isn’t if we’re going back to school, but rather should we go back to school.  After all, at the time of this writing public health experts are predicting a resurgence in cases around the time flu season hits, meaning that we’ll be forced to grapple with two deadly viruses simultaneously.  Could the risk of spreading COVID-19 outweigh the benefits we would receive from in-person instruction?

While most students at SLU would likely survive a bout with the virus, it’s important to remember a few things: (1) our campus is part of a larger community, the St. Louis community, (2) some students at SLU are immunocompromised and would be more at risk to succumb to the virus, and (3) SLU faculty and staff, many of whom are part of the at-risk population for suffering complications from being infected by COVID.

SLU likes to flaunt its service-oriented mission and its role within the greater St. Louis community.  But by returning to campus, we may very well be putting that community at risk.  Many SLU students live in off-campus apartment buildings, which they cohabitate with non-students.  Contact between day workers and students could result in infections being spread far and wide throughout the St. Louis area.  And, to top it all off, those that we could be jeopardizing live in impoverished or low-income areas that lack access to adequate medical and sanitary supplies.

Additionally, there are many SLU students who have compromised immune systems.  These students, if forced to make a decision between returning to campus and risking their lives or leaving SLU in exchange for safety/security at home, would be put in an unfair position that would force them to make a decision that they might later regret.  We must also consider those who have medical conditions but who also are unaware of their condition.  Examples include those with HIV, cancer, or asthma.

Lastly, it’s important to consider the effects that returning to campus would have on the faculty and staff.  A large portion of the people who work at SLU are 50 years or older.  This means that having class in-person could ultimately jeopardize their health.  This is compared to conducting a virtual class with minimal risk of exposure for the professor.  In terms of staff, workers on campus would also be disproportionately affected by a mass return to campus in the fall.  For example, janitors in the residence halls who normally handle trash pickup and general cleaning would have to take extra precautions not to unnecessarily expose themselves to students.  Cafeteria workers, who interact with students constantly, would also be at risk of contracting the infection.

For all of these reasons, I’m hesitant about asking for in-person classes in the fall.  Admittedly, this situation isn’t black-and-white.  The University will struggle financially regardless of what happens, and the negative economic impact of keeping campus closed on those who work there will be significant.  Either way, it’s too soon to make any decisions about how we’re going to proceed in the fall.  Ideally, I’d graduate as a senior at SLU alongside my friends and family a year from now.  That may not happen.  At this point, it may be better to put others before ourselves, relinquishing the high hopes we have for the fall and ultimately finding solace in the fact that this, too, will pass.

As we’ve spent the last few weeks in our homes with our families, news from the outside world continues to flood our phones, TVs and the internet. Protests against stay-at-home orders, implications from the President that injecting disinfectant into the lungs would be effective in killing COVID-19 and excitement about incoming stimulus checks make up a mere fraction of the tidal wave of information that bombards us each day.

In the midst of this torrent, it can be hard to glean what really matters from the regular news cycle. You may have heard whispers about a grant program by the federal government meant to keep small businesses afloat during this economic shutdown. The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is meant to provide these businesses with the means to continue paying their employees, utilities and other fees. These loans may also be forgiven if the recipients can prove that they used the money in this manner. This means that businesses won’t be obligated to pay the money back if they can prove that they used it to pay and retain employees, pay rent, etc.

Sounds like a pretty good deal, right?  The idea is that free money for small businesses will help kickstart the economy once quarantine orders are lifted nationwide and things start going back to normal. In many ways, the program will help take some of the burden of this pandemic off of the small businesses struggling to make it. The PPP passed with a $349 billion pool to draw on, but quickly ran out before it was replenished with an additional $310 billion with Congressional approval. While it’s great that the program is being utilized, the question remains: where is all this money going?

That’s where things get a little hairy: it’s recently come to light that several publicly-traded companies applied for and received the loans. These companies have the funds and liquidity to easily weather the pandemic, yet received funds that were specifically meant for small, private businesses. Shake Shack, a national restaurant chain that still provides to-go ordering for customers, received a $10 million dollar loan from the program.  AutoNation, a nation-wide company that has more than 360 retail outlets, received $77 million from the fund. After receiving well-earned public criticism, both companies said that they would return the money.

So who’s deciding where the money from the PPP goes? The answer to that question is also somewhat complicated. The Small Business Administration (SBA) is the instrument through which people may obtain the loans, but it seems that many applicants go through their own private banks to get the money funneled to them. This means that there isn’t a ton of direct oversight from the federal government on who exactly the banks approve for the loans, which allows for big businesses to sneak under the radar and nab these highly desirable loans.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act established the PPP as part of its official legislation. The initial $349 billion allocated to the program contributed to the $2 trillion price tag of the CARES Act and has only increased since the funds in the program ran out so quickly. The act gave quite a bit of leeway to the Secretary of the Treasury, Steve Mnuchin, in how to distribute the PPP money. As a result, many have taken to blaming Secretary Mnuchin for the botched manner in which the PPP was carried out.  

In my mind, however, both the government and the people of the United States aren’t pinning some well-deserved criticism on the middle men in these transactions: the banks. In the United States, banks hold quite a bit of power over the welfare of the economy. In 2008, the variable-rate mortgages that banks contracted to wannabe homeowners contributed to the Great Recession, yet very little legislation was passed on a federal level to prevent the same practices from being carried out again. Now, banks are major players in how these PPP loans are distributed. These major financial institutions continue to demonstrate to the American people that they can’t be trusted.

All in all, I think it’s important to give some leeway to the government as they figure out how to best deal with this unprecedented pandemic. That being said, the upper echelons of the administration shouldn’t be giving out free money to businesses that have no need for the cash. When a big business receives a PPP loan, a dozen small businesses across America might fail as a result. If this administration is truly pro-small business, they need to start acting like it.

I love politics. I always have. This year was supposed to be a historic and monumental year for politics in America. We have a major election in November, we had a diverse field of candidates competing for the Democratic nomination and the current president is one of the most divisive incumbents in modern history. As a self-proclaimed liberal college student, I became a ride-or-die Bernie supporter. In my idealism (and perhaps naivety), I hoped that President Trump’s efforts to stir fear up among the American people would have the opposite effect and propel someone like Bernie to the White House. Sadly, my hopes were never realized.

I remember when I found out that Bernie called it quits. I was most definitely lying in bed in the early afternoon, still groggy from sleeping in. I reached over to check my phone (because what else do you do when there’s a pandemic?) and saw the headline: “Bernie Sanders suspends his presidential campaign.” I didn’t really react; I just kept scrolling.

The truth is that Bernie’s campaign was probably dead from the start, just like it was in 2016. There are thousands of reasons that contributed to its ultimate failure, but for my purposes, I’ll just focus on one: Donald John Trump.

Now you may ask, “Wait, don’t people consider Trump a divisive and awful president?  Wouldn’t that help someone like Bernie get elected?” Not necessarily. Yes, Trump is an awful president. He has no moral compass, he lacks consistency on the issues that matter and he has little regard for the average everyday American. He has exacerbated the political polarization in this country to an unprecedented level. He’s inept, old and senile. But one must remember that he, too, was seen as a solution. Trump was the outsider candidate, the one untouched by the “swamp” that is Washington. On one fateful day in 2015, Trump rode the discontent of the people down Trump Tower’s freakishly tall escalator all the way into the West Wing. With him, Trump brought everything that I described above. The last 2+ years of his presidency have been nothing short of a disaster and embarrassment for this country. And that is precisely why Bernie Sanders didn’t stand a chance at winning the Democratic nomination.  

For his entire life, Bernie has sold himself as a champion of liberalism and human rights.  He hasn’t been afraid to stand up for what he believes in, even when it isn’t popular. In both 2016 and 2020, Bernie sought to represent himself in the same way Trump represented himself: as a catalyst for positive change in Washington. As a non-traditional candidate eager to root out corruption and inefficiency. As a champion for the American people.

In 2016, America elected Donald Trump as their representative for the next four years.  Many of us have regretted it ever since. Similarly, the former appeal of electing an outsider candidate has lost its charm. Bernie’s progressive policies, many of which were labeled as “extreme” or “impossible” by his opponents or the media, couldn’t find a home in 2020 America. We wanted a safe choice, a return to normalcy so to speak.  Despite his flaws, his inconsistencies, his age and his failing health, America has decided to go with Joe Biden.  He clung to the coattails of Obama until they finally carried him to the nomination. For better or for worse, Bernie will probably never get the opportunity to be president and enact the policies that he held dear to his heart.  Despite that, I’m grateful for his ability to rouse young people into caring more about politics. I’m grateful for his fighting for the future of this country by speaking up on issues like gun control and climate change. And because of all that, I’m hopeful for the future.

Amid all the bad news, gimmicky phrases (I’m looking at you, Dr. Pestello. What the heck is OneSLU?) and despair that surrounds us today, it can be easy to feel lost. Maybe you tripped on a rock while walking a path you thought was going to take you into adulthood.  Maybe people you’ve been close with for your entire life now seem miles away. Maybe it feels like you’re stumbling around your house with the lights off, desperately reaching for a light switch. Maybe you feel all of the above. Maybe you feel none of it.

Whatever the case, you are not alone.  You never have been, and you never will be. In your darkest hour, when you feel like the light of your very soul is being sucked out by the darkness that surrounds you, look for the flickers in the dark.  Look for the lights. That light may belong to a family member, a pet or a best friend. You may find it in a good book, a funny show or a kind heart. Great moments are born out of great suffering.

The Israelites were slaves to the Egyptian pharaoh for generations, until a chosen one helped guide them out with a little faith in God. American revolutionaries dedicated their lives to the hope that they could establish a better life for themselves and for their children. Millions died fighting the hate of Hitler and his regime. In the midst of great pain and anguish, humanity has proved its strength time and time again. Each time we fall, we’ve compelled each other and ourselves to get up and take a little more punishment. This time is no different.

Now, we isolate ourselves to protect our loved ones and our friends. We even do so to protect the people we don’t know. The photographs of deserted campuses, city streets and towns that headline the news nowadays prove the endless love that we have for one another.  Look not on such images with fear and despair, but rather with a sense of accomplishment and hope.  

We’re coming together to fight a common enemy, just as we have in the past. This time, however, the fight is not confined to political borders. We are not divided as nations pitted against one another. We are united in common cause against an enemy so small it can only be seen under a microscope, yet so powerful that it’s already affected the entire planet.

And while it may get worse before it gets better, remember that the light of others can never be extinguished. For while the body of a person may perish from the Earth, their light will eternally burn on in the memories of those that loved them. Our experiences with others shape who we are as people, and in turn, the lights of those who came before us each make up a small part of the flame that burns now in every person’s soul.

We will emerge out of all this misery, stir-craziness and loneliness with a greater appreciation for those we could not spend isolation with. We’ll better understand the power of physical touch, be it a handshake, a hug or a kiss. Until then, make the most of the opportunity you have now. Watch a movie with your dad. Play a board game with your roommate. Call your grandparents. Thank a professor. Order in, and tip generously. Whatever you do to pass the time, do it with hope for the future.