Living with COVID-19

Over the past few months, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone’s life in numerous ways. For the Eta Tau chapter, the brotherhood has been working to deliver the Beta Theta Pi experience, while ensuring the safety of all members. For individual members, each brother has had to cope with class and work using the new formats, while maintaining a healthy physical and mental health. Below are letters from two members of the chapter, expressing their thoughts living with the pandemic.

Letter #1

Brothers - as you know, our administration has decided to make drastic changes to our final quarter this year. I would imagine most of us have complicated feelings about this decision perhaps some understandable frustration and anger about losing the rest of our semester together, as well as fear about what lies ahead of us as the virus continues to spread in our communities. Our administration will never make perfect judgments, but we must understand that they're trying to do their best to mitigate the spread of the virus and to protect the institutions that they serve - the school, staff, faculty, and the student body.

We do not get to choose the troubles we face, we only get to decide how we deal with them. It is truly unfortunate it is our generation of students that must bear the burden of these difficult times. In these times I often think of Sam's speech in the Lord of the Rings where he says that many of the best stories are:

Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy. How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened. But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer.

Generations before have faced greater peril, and so will generations after. I ask each of you to meet the challenges of our times with composure and understanding. We must understand that our administration is trying to do their best to protect our institution. In turn, I must ask you all to uphold our institution and our brotherhood. To be steadfast and serious in times of need, and to be joyous when it permits. We will not survive this pandemic solely in fear and spite. We will weather this challenge with the same spirit and perseverance as ever. Be your best selves.

Yours in __ kai __.

Letter #2

The COVID-19 Pandemic has thrown all aspects of our lives for a loop - our jobs, education, living quarters, and relationships. For me, constant sources of sanity during this tumultuous time of change is personal and professional development.

My professional development came about through the sheer need to adapt how I work. As an engineer responsible for physical product- and project-work, I had to transition from an onsite office/lab to a home office, with several trips back to do said work in the lab. The best way I can describe the adaptation is I transposed or inverted my tactical strategies to accomplish projects. This was necessary from a workload standpoint, as well as for limiting the number of visits I would have to make onsite to limit exposure. My visits were thereby most useful and impactful for several projects at once and in varying stages. While this transposition worked in theory and still allowed me to get work done, in practice my going onsite was influenced by my personal progress and motivation on projects as well as input from my manager and team. This led to having to construct a more routine schedule for myself to keep up the pace of my new work format, as well as setting some ground rules with my team for the foreseeable future. The schedule allowed for a sense of normalcy lost from not having normal workplace interactions and routine. The ground rules personally allowed for me to go back and forth between home and work spaces - both of which were flex/shared spaces because workspace constraints - with relative ease considering I’d have to bring my computer and physical product and files back and forth each time. While this was just one ground rule, it mentally allowed me to divide up and conquer my week to make working from home more bearable (by, in effect, having an at-home first part of the week, and at-work second half) and allowed me to take control over my actions which the coronavirus still had a heavy hand at steering.

Personal development has become a mainstay for my well-being in the ever-evolving pandemic -plagued world. By focusing on me, my goals, and my future (yes, all those still can exist, just adapted or delayed which isn't that bad) I have been able to remain positive, accomplished, and hopeful for coming out of the pandemic better than when I came into it. Obviously everyone’s situations are different, but I have found great joy in going through old memorabilia, selling/donating excess items, learning how to be a more responsible resident of the Earth, exploring new activities (especially off-screen) and charting my own future.

Delving into these or any other form of self-betterment has been talked about a lot during the pandemic, and I am just here to say that it is truly beneficial to maintain reality while in the Pandemic Paradox™. This is all not to say that providing oneself with outdoor activity, in-person conversations, and the occasional get-together are not important - still do those! Going forward through (and eventually out of) this pandemic, I look forward to the challenges ahead; instead of outright cancelling the idea of normal things, I will adapt to still do those things because the coronavirus cannot win - we are better and smarter than it.

While focusing on my personal and professional development, I feel as though I have been almost unaffected by the pandemic. To be sure, I still take it all very seriously and have even had loved ones come down with the visus and my own scare, but I am convinced that the battle for escaping the Pandemic Paradox™ will be won not only from scientific and social advancement, but from mental fortitude and the will of everyone to persevere.

Yours in __kai__.

Public health emergencies are stressful times for people and communities. Fear and anxiety can lead to social stigma and other negative behaviors. As we strive to be supportive and inclusive, we encourage you to check in with each other and reach out for help when needed. For fellow WPI students, support is available through the Student Development & Counseling Center at (508) 831-5540. For others, assistance may be available through your workplace. Information to counter stigma related to COVID-19 is available through the CDC.

Brother Arnold Muralt on Composite Photoshoot Day

COVID Signages around the Beta house