Ursinus Magazine Fall ’20

ursinus M A G A Z I N E

FALL 2020

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VOLUME #130 | FALL 2020

Ursinus Magazine is published seasonally two times a year.

Copyright © 2020 by Ursinus College Editorial correspondence & submissions: Ursinus Magazine 601 E. Main Street Collegeville, Pa. 19426 610-409-3000 ucmag@ursinus.edu

Dear Readers,

CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER Tom Yencho tyencho@ursinus.edu MAGAZINE EDITOR Ed Moorhouse emoorhouse@ursinus.edu CREATIVE DIRECTOR Dominic Monte dmonte@ursinus.edu GRAPHIC DESIGNER Erica Gramm egramm@ursinus.edu CONTRIBUTING TO THIS ISSUE Photography: Mark Likosky, Dominic Monte Editorial: Jacqueline D'Ercole, Jennifer Meininger Wolfe MAGAZINE ADVISORY BOARD Abbie Cichowski Kim ’10, Jacqueline D'Ercole, Rosemary Pall P’12, Pamela Panarella, Jennifer Meininger Wolfe URSINUS COLLEGE PRESIDENT Brock Blomberg SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADVANCEMENT Jill Leauber Marsteller ’78, P’18 ONLINE MAGAZINE (URSINUS.EDU/MAGAZINE) Erin Hovey ’96 The mission of Ursinus College is to enable students to become independent, responsible and thoughtful individuals through a program of liberal education.

That education prepares them to live creatively and usefully and to provide leadership for their society in an interdependent world.

Update your contact information at ursinus.edu/updatecontact.

Nearly every person across our globe has felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and that includes members of our Ursinus Bear community.

Because we recognize the power of a residential liberal arts educational experience, particularly as our nation also faces historic economic, political and social change, the college made a commitment to bring our students back for in-person learning this fall. While how we live and learn on campus has been altered, we have been able to offer a safe yet enriching intellectual experience for our students. That could not have been done without the unwavering commitment of our students, faculty and staff, and for that, I am grateful.

This issue of Ursinus Magazine looks at how our Bears have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and also features numerous alumni working on the front line of this unprecedented health crisis. There are so many stories to share. May we all continue to remain positive for the future.

Together, we are navigating this challenging moment, and I know there are brighter days ahead.

Sincerely,

BROCK BLOMBERG President

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May we all continue to remain positive for the future.

Together, we are navigating this challenging moment, and I know there are brighter days ahead.

”

Contents

ON THE COVER Like many colleges and universities across the country, Ursinus had to adapt to the challenges of COVID-19. Thanks to some creative strategies and an aggressive testing policy, our community resumed our residential undergraduate experience and in-person instruction this fall.

GETTING TO KNOW

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Meet Lauren Finnegan, a licensed clinical psychologist who leads our counseling and wellness initiatives and is a member of our COVID-19 task force.

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COVID BOOT CAMP

Last summer, Prof. Rebecca Roberts served as a mentor at the Institute of Quantitative Biology at Rutgers University during a weeklong virtual “boot camp” in which she and two Ursinus students worked to analyze the structures of a central COVID-19 protein.

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OFFICE SPACE

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Brooklyn muralist Katie Merz has transformed our smokestack into a work of art—a mural that tells the Ursinus story through unique iconography.

BEARS ON THE FRONT LINE

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Since the onset of COVID-19, a number of Ursinus College alumni have worked in various capacities to help our society manage the global pandemic.

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DEFENDING THE DEN

THE BURNING QUESTION

In March, Ursinus was forced to pack up and transition to online learning.

Ursinus Magazine looks at our response to the pandemic; challenges faced; and a fall semester featuring new guidelines for living on campus and hybrid courses.

What can the “Black Death” and other pandemics teach us about COVID-19?

A history scholar and her students take a look.

The Gateway

SCHOLAR SELECTED FOR NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED SEED PROJECT Simara Price, an assistant professor of biology and assistant dean for academic affairs, was accepted into the SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) Project, a highly competitive program that empowers educators to become leaders in the areas of equity and diversity.

“What interested me about becoming a SEED leader and bringing SEED to our campus was the prospect of being able to support my colleagues who are interested in deepening their understanding of how to provide a more just experience for all of our students and community members,” Price said.

“Specifically, I was drawn to the emphasis on educational equity and how important awareness of privilege and oppression is in the classroom.”

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RESEARCHING PARTISAN NEWS COVERAGE OF COVID-19 URSINUS RALLIES AROUND CLASS OF 2020 The office of career and post-graduate development is teaming up with the alumni relations staff to provide mentorship to students who face an uncertain job market in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. A new initiative, “Ursinus Unites,” allows Ursinus alumni and parents to help members of the Class of 2020 find fulltime jobs, postgraduate internships, short-term projects and gap-year opportunities. “One of the things I admire most about Ursinus College alumni and parents is the willingness among this group to reflect upon those mentors who helped them along their professional journeys and pay it forward for the next generation of Ursinus graduates,” said Abbie Cichowski Kim ’10, director of alumni relations and annual giving.

Associate Professor of Media and Communication Studies Tony Nadler and Visiting Assistant Professor in Journalism Doron Taussig have been named Knight News Innovation Fellows at Columbia University’s Tow Center for Digital Journalism for their project, “Unmasking Polarization: What Conservatives Really Feel About COVID-19 Coverage, and How to Rebuild Mutual Trust.”

They will be researching conservative news consumers’ engagement with coronavirus-related news. “Existing research indicates there are really stark divisions in how Americans are making sense of what’s happening based on party,” Nadler said.

URSINUS FACULTY AND ALUMNA COLLABORATE ON BREAST CANCER STUDY Pre- and post-menopausal women with no prior diagnosis of invasive breast cancer are likely to remain free of the disease over their next 25 years of life, according to a comprehensive meta-analysis directed by Winnifred Cutler ’73, founder of the Athena Institute for Women’s Wellness, and three Ursinus College scholars: Cathy Chambliss, a professor of psychology; Heather Munro O’Neill, a professor of business and economics; and Hugo Moises Montesinos-Yufa, an assistant professor of mathematics and computer science. The research was published by PLOS ONE, a peer-reviewed open access scientific journal published by the Public Library of Science.

(from left to right) Simara Price, Tony Nadler and Cathy Chambliss. Photos by Mark Likosky.

Fall 2020

These Bears Stand Out Each year, Ursinus celebrates the accomplishments of outstanding alumni and graduating students with the Alumni Awards, bestowed upon individuals who have demonstrated exemplary leadership. This year, six alumni have been welcomed into this esteemed circle of Bears who go above and beyond.

JOY O’GRADY ’94 ALUMNI AWARD FOR PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT A licensed clinical psychologist with a specialization in neuropsychology, O’Grady has worked with all ages, assessing and treating patients with a wide variety of neuropsychological problems. She has furthered the knowledge of her field through extensive research and now works primarily with adults and seniors at her current practice in Richmond, Va.

MICHAEL MANGAN ’70 HENRY P. AND M. PAGE LAUGHLIN EDUCATOR AWARD Mangan is the adapted physical education coordinator for the entire Okaloosa County (Florida) School District and won the Special Olympics Volunteer of the Year award in Okaloosa County twice before being inducted into its hall of fame in 2004. He has earned two adapted physical education teacher of the year awards.

CHRISTIAN RICE ’98 ALUMNI AWARD FOR SERVICE TO HUMANITY Rice is an assistant professor of philosophy and the humanities, assistant dean for civic engagement and director of the Harold C. Smith Program in Christian Studies at Ursinus.

For over a decade, Rice has devoted countless hours to student recruitment, orientation and service trips, helping the Bonner program, UCARE, and its students flourish.

JENNIFER THOMPKINS ’09 THE RISING STAR ALUMNI AWARD Thompkins is a mentor and devoted advocate for young adults, working at both the Philadelphia Freedom Valley YMCA and the World Alliance of YMCAs in Geneva, Switzerland.

She is now director of programs for a company that actively develops the workforce of the Philadelphia area through training and educational programming.

ERIN SAYBOLT ’20 SENIOR ALUMNI AWARD Saybolt was a standout member of the field hockey team; a biology student instructor; a pharmaceutical market research intern; and a biology research assistant. She plans to work on science policy with an ethics focus and hopes to pursue a master’s degree in policy and a juris doctorate.

MIN SON ’20 SENIOR ALUMNI AWARD A fellow of the Parlee Center for Science and the Common Good and the Melrose Center for Global Civic Engagement, Son attended multiple medical leadership conferences across the country and created an education outreach program teaching students in underprivileged communities about public health.

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GETTING TO KNOW…

Lauren Finnegan A licensed clinical psychologist, Lauren Finnegan is the director of counseling and wellness at Ursinus College and is passionate about supporting our students while helping them reach their academic, career and personal goals. A former high school English and social studies teacher, she still has a passion for both subjects. She recently spoke to Ursinus Magazine about her role on campus, navigating a pandemic, and, of course, books.

You interact with many Ursinus students on a daily basis. What do you like best about that?

I'm always impressed by how passionate and involved our students are. Sometimes this can create some additional self-inflicted stress and pressure, which is often how I end up interacting with them. However, these are qualities that I sincerely admire and think it will lead them to greater success in their futures. I hope to help them feel inspired by these drives and interests, and to lessen that experience of being overwhelmed.

Is there a particularly memorable moment that you’ve had with a student or groups of students in your time at Ursinus?

One of my favorite experiences thus far has been providing trainings around mental health for RAs. These are student leaders who are often first on the scene trying to support their peers, and to provide them some information and make them more comfortable handling challenging situations was such a privilege. And they ask such great questions! I was blown away by the depth and thoughtfulness of their queries and their suggestions for future mental health services on campus.

What is the most satisfying part of your job?

I love the feeling of having a truly great individual therapy session with a student. Perhaps we've worked through a significant issue, processed an upsetting event from

Ursinus Magazine

the past or developed some new coping strategies to manage current concerns; whatever the content of the session may be, it is a powerfully satisfying feeling to know that you've helped someone with something that may have been weighing them down.

As a former English teacher, your love of literature is pretty evident, but you also say that you’re “obsessed” with audiobooks. What are you listening to right now?

Audiobooks are definitely one of my methods of self-care! I'm currently listening to The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel. Her first novel, Station Eleven, is one of my mostlistened-to-audiobooks. It starts with a pandemic, which felt like it was hitting a bit too close to home when I relistened to it this past winter, but it's such a creative and unique story that I could not resist.

Do you have a favorite genre?

My guilty pleasure is female-centric thrillers. I've done some work in forensic psychology, so I've always been fascinated by the way the criminal mind works.

Who is your favorite all-time literary character and why?

I've always enjoyed characters that were ahead of their time, particularly women. Catherine Earnshaw in Wuthering Heights comes to mind.

She was a flawed character, yes, but she was also a woman who was willing to break free of some of the expectations put upon her and pursue what she loved.

COVID-19 has presented quite a few new challenges to our society and, of course, to our small campus community. What’s the most important thing for our readers to remember as we move forward through the next several months and continue to navigate the pandemic?

Self-compassion. The standards that we previously held ourselves to are no longer relevant. It takes more effort and mental energy to simply get through our normal daily activities.

Trying to hold yourself to the same expectations of productivity and efficiency that you used to is unfair and unkind to your overall well-being. Be reasonable and considerate of yourself and all that you've been through over the past few months and adjust your mindset accordingly.

What are some other interests that our readers may want to know about you?

I love 6 a.m. workouts, spending time with my niece and nephew and finding my next favorite TV show. Above all, I'm just so glad to be here at Ursinus.

I've spent many years on many college campuses and can say, with all honesty, that this is a truly special place.

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I'm always impressed by how passionate and involved our students are…these are qualities that I sincerely admire and think it will lead them to greater success in their futures.

”

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Fall 2020

OFFICE SPACE

A Spectacle of Storytelling “

The more I’m actually here, the more I get it. I love this place.

Everyone is gentle and genuine. It amazes me.

”

photo DOMINIC MONTE

Katie Merz had a pretty unique view of the Ursinus College campus. From her perch—set about 120 feet in the air— she looked out across campus to see Bomberger Hall’s famed tower, students strolling in and out of Wismer Center, and the unique architecture of the Kaleidoscope Performing Arts Center.

“This process was really organic because I didn’t know a lot about Ursinus,” Merz said. “I have pages and pages of interviews [with students] that I have broken down into symbols. But the more I’m actually here, the more I get it. I love this place. Everyone is gentle and genuine. It amazes me.”

It wasn’t the first time the Brooklyn muralist climbed to new heights to paint the side of a structure, but it certainly was the highest she’d ever gone.

Merz, the daughter of architects, has been painting in this style for four years and said it “exploded by accident” during a residency in Nebraska when she translated a favorite poem into hieroglyphs.

Merz’s art is distinctive in that she uses iconography and rebus—which combines the use of illustrated pictures with individual letters to depict words— to translate stories. In September, she served as an artist-in-residence at Ursinus and transformed the otherwise nondescript smokestack into a canvas of symbols, shapes and riddles to bring the Ursinus experience to life.

The project is a tribute to the class of 2020, which had to transition to online learning in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic and did not get to experience an in-person commencement in May. Members of the class submitted memories to Merz, who translated them into the visual elements that now adorn the smokestack. She also incorporated powerful symbols of social change brought upon by racial injustices, and even included a memorial to Aidan Inteso ’24, a first-year student and Abele Scholar who passed away in September.

“I always thought there was more to a word than just the letters,” she said.

At Urisnus, Merz is inspired by the inquiry-driven approach to the Quest core curriculum and the search for knowledge through questions. She also said the smokestack is unlike any other surface she’s painted.

“There’s no one point to look at,” she said. “Wherever you are is where you see it. It reminds me of Trajan’s Column in Rome because it tells a story. It’s a spectacle of storytelling.”

“I want people to stop and want to get closer; to put together a meaning for themselves that is different than what anyone else sees.”

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BY JENNIFER MEININGER WOLFE

Fall 2020

A

s COVID-19 swept across the country, prompting stay-athome orders and shortages on food, masks and disinfecting wipes, Ursinus Bears answered the call to care for those infected, provide protection and support for frontline workers, raise funds to secure PPE or—when they had the tools and know-how—just create it themselves.

Here, they share their stories from the first days of the pandemic to the work that has continued, such as testing and treating the ill, and racing to find a cure.

busiest emergency departments on the east coast.

“It was a scary time to practice medicine,” the assistant director of emergency medicine ultrasound at Christiana Care Health System in Newark, Del., said of the early days.

“We knew so little about what was happening while at the same time were being looked at as the experts amongst our patients, friends and family.”

Zeba Hussaini M.D. ’14 was nearly two years into her residency in internal medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia when COVID-19 gripped the region.

“The collateral damage from COVID-19 has destabilized the economy, education system and social support networks that are integral to child well-being,” said Strickler, who is also a professor of pediatrics at the hospital. “It is well established that risk for child abuse and neglect increases as stressors in families and communities increase.”

“The first couple of days in the ICU, I was totally distraught … exhausted, mentally and emotionally,” said Hussaini. Seeing how sick the patients got—and how fast it happened— was shocking.

One of the toughest parts for her was the implementation of end-of-life policies: how to support a patient at the end of life, but minimize exposure to family members. “I feel so strongly that no one should die alone.”

She asked herself a familiar question: What will I do? To bring comfort to the patients, their families and even herself, Hussaini made it her “mission” to call the families daily with updates and offer them opportunities to connect with their loved ones via phone calls or FaceTime sessions.

"It's all hard," she said. "There was no right or wrong in this. There was just: How can we provide the best care?"

As an emergency medicine doctor, Ashley Panicker M.D. ’09 treats COVID-19 patients in one of the

On the opposite side of the country, Leslie Strickler D.O. ’99—though not a particularly superstitious person— vividly remembers the day she realized COVID-19 was going to have a significant impact in the U.S.: Friday, March 13. That’s the day she got word that her children’s school in New Mexico was extending a one-week spring break by two weeks.

“Two weeks has now been six months,” said Strickler, the only board-certified child abuse pediatrician at the University of New Mexico Children’s Hospital—and in the state. “I've spent much of my time since then concerned for the physical safety, emotional well-being and education of children in New Mexico.”

THE DOCTORS: RESPONDING TO A PANDEMIC

“We had the highest percentage of patients on ventilators in the ICU at any given time in the history of Jefferson and took care of the most COVID-19 patients in Philadelphia,” said Hussaini.

health insurance, and a community all factor into the health of our patients,” he said.

When asked how Ursinus prepared the onetime biology major for the work he’s doing today, he turns to CIE. “Having a liberal arts experience really brought social issues like racism, sexism and classism to the forefront for me as someone who did not have much education on those topics before college,” said Panicker.

“As many pediatric practices shuttered…my programs continued to see patients, and became one of our busiest pediatric services, which is a sobering reality for my team and the patients we serve,” sayid Strickler.

Now serving as mentor for his residency program’s diversity, equity and inclusion committee, Panicker said another big challenge related to the pandemic coincides with his work within health equity. “Seeing people of color disproportionately affected by COVID-19 really brings health disparity to the forefront and shows how unequal the health-care system can be for our patients. The pandemic coinciding with the Black Lives Matter movement has really allowed us to take a much closer look at the health of our patients and look at racism as a systemic issue.”

“Having job security, food security, housing, a good education system,

(clockwise from top) Ashley Panicker M.D. ’09 and Leslie Strickler D.O. ’99.

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FIRST ON THE SCENE Scott C. Savett Ph.D. ’94 has been volunteering with the Whitemarsh Community Ambulance Association (WCAA) on and off since the days when he and three other Ursinus students founded SERV (Student Emergency Response Volunteers), a student-run emergency medical team on campus that went on to become UC EMS. He rode a steady shift as a volunteer EMT with WCAA and other organizations until 2017. “I realized that I was more valuable … in an administrative capacity rather than being on the ambulance,” said Savett, who’s now in his third year of serving as WCAA's chair of the board of directors.

“Our biggest challenge has been keeping our EMTs and paramedics safe. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and cleaning supplies have sometimes been difficult to obtain, and we're using them at an amazing rate.” It adds up to an extra $1,000 per week in costs, which is equivalent to the salary of a full-time paramedic.

The area suffered a disproportionate wave of cases and deaths early in the pandemic. Free mentalhealth counseling was offered to the crews, leadership endeavored to boost morale and one of the paramedics served as a peer counselor. Appreciation for a job well done helps too. Savett recalls one patient with just a minor issue who wrote a letter to recognize one paramedic’s compassion. “The simple act of holding the patient's hand and verbally comforting them during the trip to the hospital during COVID times clearly made an impression.”

TESTING: A LOOK IN THE LAB With a decades-long career resulting in expertise in anatomic and clinical pathology, as well as toxicology, Benjamin Gerson M.D. ’69 humbly describes himself as “a laboratory person.” He now serves as either medical director or laboratory director for a number of companies that provide laboratory and other support services.

Ursinus Magazine

As people stopped seeking routine care, anatomic pathology and clinical lab tests diminished, but the demand for on-site and centralized COVID-19 testing increased.

“There are three types of tests: PCR (polymerase chain reaction), a nasopharyngeal swab, which is the most reliable; it actually measures nucleic acid of the coronavirus,” said Gerson, who is the director of two laboratories performing PCR testing. “Next is antigen testing, which is also usually a nasal swab, but is the kind of test that is done at point of care, meaning you have a result within 30 minutes. The third kind of testing is antibody testing, where you are looking not for the virus, but for antibodies—evidence of prior infection.”

“ THIS HAS BEEN BY FAR THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN MY CAREER. ” Gerson cautions that people should not confuse the three because they are not interchangeable. Another common mistake involves antibody testing, which does not reveal if a person is currently infected or infectious. “It only tells you if you were exposed in the past,” said Gerson.

But doesn’t having antibodies mean you’re protected in the future? “That’s what people had hoped, but as a practical matter it does not mean that,” said Gerson. “The only way to know if you have antibodies that are really protective is to do a test called antibody neutralization, but that test is not commercially available. It’s only used by research laboratories supporting the work on vaccines.”

THE VOLUNTEERS: RACING TO HELP Medical Students for Masks (MSFM) was formed by a group of medical students who used fund-raising as a means to provide supplies for Philadelphia hospitals facing severe shortages of PPE. Avery Perez ’17 had just wrapped up the anatomy and physiology block in medical school when he learned about the initiative started by his fellow students at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM).

He took to social media to fund-raise and joined a subcommittee tasked with collecting video baby monitors, which are used to help manage patients in the hospital.

MSFM went on to raise more than $76,000 and purchase PPE for 50 local programs. It’s an impressive outcome for the student-led grassroots effort, but Perez didn’t stop there.

Among his fellow MSFM volunteers was Chris Howard ’12, a first-year student at PCOM. Howard introduced Perez to another organization that needed volunteers: the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium (BDCC).

BDCC aims to provide education and advocacy for African Americans to reduce the incidence of coronavirus-related disease and death, in part via a mobile testing operation. Both Howard and Perez volunteered every other day to register patients and assist physicians with specimen collection.

On the Ursinus campus, history major Tiffini Eckenrod ’20 enjoyed learning about new digital tools as a Digital Liberal Arts Fellow for the library.

She had been experimenting with the 3D printers at the U-Imagine Center.

News of PPE shortages began to spread and, with it, stories of people who were using 3D printers to create equipment for frontline workers.

Entrepreneur-in-Residence Maureen Cumpstone ’79 thought of UC’s 3D printers and knew there was a student who could help. In no time, the printers were moved to Eckenrod’s Collegeville home, where she set

Fall 2020 said Millward, “so that if there is a new coronavirus that is also causing a problem, the Army believes what they have come up with will be effective.”

up a maker space and got to work producing headbands, which are used to keep plastic face shields in place.

From there it was a group effort.

Every week, Eckenrod would set a batch of headbands, and occasionally ear guards, by her mailbox, where Cumpstone, Assistant Professor of Physics Casey Schwarz or Instructor of Mathematics Lisa Grossbauer would pick them up and deliver them to the Berks PPE Resource Network. She estimates she made more than 500 headbands over a two-month period.

FINDING A CURE The Pilot Bioproduction Facility (PBF) at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) has been manufacturing phase one and phase two vaccine materials for clinical trials for 23 years. It has produced more than 1,600 lots of vaccine material for government, nonprofit and private entities in that time, and has had vaccines placed in well over 100 clinical trials. After producing a highly effective Zika virus vaccine, the facility shut down in 2016 for a complete renovation.

What happened next is something Rick Millward ’80 describes as “the perfect storm.” (top) Rick Millward ’80.

The purpose of the renovation was to “modernize the building and expand its capabilities in order to be able to assist with this exact type of situation: a national health emergency that requires vaccine production capability,” said Millward, who holds the civilian position of associate director of the PBF. A new director had come aboard, the staff was learning a new documentation system and new equipment, and “we were in the final stages of validation—and not quite ready for production yet—when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.”

“This has been by far the biggest challenge in my career,” said Millward, who has worked at the PBF in Silver Spring, Md., for nearly 20 years.

There are approximately 70 different vaccine candidates in various phases of development, production and clinical trials, and many are further ahead than the PBF’s version, explains Millward, whose focus is not so much the science of vaccines, but the science of putting together products for the public in a way that is safe, effective and approved by the FDA. Still, for his outstanding efforts toward a solution, Millward was among those who received a specially made COVID-19 coin from the Army.

“On a national level, there is Operation Warp Speed for this vaccine,” said Millward. “I am hoping that we will have something available, at least in limited quantities, by March of next year. It could be even sooner, but nobody knows. It's going to be really hard to live with this for another year and a half.”

Editor's Note: Read a longer version of this story featuring more Bears on the Front Line at ursinus.edu/magazine.

Despite the hurdles, the group began work in March to develop and produce a ferritin spiked nanoparticle vaccine, which the Army believes through its research will be an effective COVID-19 vaccine.

Currently in production at the PBF is a vaccine to prevent COVID-19, though scientists ultimately hope to pivot to a pan-coronavirus vaccine. “This vaccine will be able to cover all coronaviruses,” 15

The Well

Tracing COVID-19’s Global Course

BY JENNIFER MEININGER WOLFE

Ursinus Magazine

Fall 2020

photo DOMINIC MONTE

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n June, a patient in London who was infected with COVID-19 was tested for the virus in a doctor’s office. One week later, a trio of researchers from Ursinus was analyzing the genetic sequences of that same test sample during a COVID-19 boot camp hosted virtually

by Rutgers University. The data collected would be used to help trace the virus’s evolution as it traveled around the world.

by 2019. Working not only with a tool that is so significant to researchers and scientists across the country, but also working with the people who make the database possible, felt “completely unreal,” said Dyszel.

When Britney Dyszel ’22 received the invitation to join a multi-institutional interdisciplinary research team to investigate the COVID-19 virus in June, she was so excited that she ran throughout her house to share the news with her entire family.

There was only one problem: she had a six-week surgical internship that overlapped with the research opportunity that Associate Professor of Biology Rebecca Roberts was offering. “I wanted to do both so badly! I couldn't choose,” said the biochemistry and molecular biology major. Shortly after, COVID-19 chose for her. The surgical internship was canceled due to safety concerns.

When news of the virus started coming out of Wuhan, China, Roberts was amazed how fast science was able to use the gene sequences and determine the structures of some of the viral proteins. “Even back in February, I was sharing information about the structures with my students.

These structures were all being deposited and distributed through the Protein Data Bank,” she said.

“I'm glad things worked out the way they did,” said Dyszel. “Being able to research a novel virus during a pandemic does not happen often.”

The weeklong research experience, a.k.a. boot camp, was designed and directed by members of the Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine at Rutgers University and the RCSB (Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics) Protein Data Bank.

This year the event was funded, in part, by four separate National Science Foundation grants awarded to BASIL (Biochemistry Authentic Scientific Inquiry Lab) Consortium members, one of whom is Roberts.

Thirty-three students from 11 colleges and universities work in BASIL labs on their campuses to prep for the work at Rutgers. As one of the BASIL mentors, Roberts helped facilitate the daily sessions and was able to invite two students to join the boot camp.

Kailey Martin ’21, also a biochemistry and molecular biology major, attended the event as well. She was eager to “develop a better understanding of Ursinus Magazine

“The pride I felt as I witnessed these two young scientists engage with world experts, ask questions and make their own discoveries—that’s why I teach!” said Roberts.

“

The pride I felt as I witnessed these two young scientists engage with world experts, ask questions, and make their own discoveries— that’s why I teach!

”

what exactly SARS-CoV-2 is and how it’s been able to have such a large global effect.”

She and Dyszel had just wrapped up a course called structural biology with Roberts in the spring. “In that course, we dove deep into why and how proteins do what they do,” said Martin. “We even utilized some of the same protein visualization software that we ended up coming across in boot camp to hypothesize the function of an unknown protein.”

Another commonality between the boot camp and the course was the Protein Data Bank (PDB). Dyszel, who says she is fascinated by proteins and how their function is so dependent on their structure, admits she was a bit starstruck. “I still can't believe I was doing research with Stephen K. Burley, the president of the PDB.” The PDB was established in 1971 and boasted more than 150,000 protein structures

At the boot camp, the focus was first on learning about SARS-CoV-2: its evolution, origin, structure and method of transmission. The focus then shifted to learning to use the bioinformatics tools, which are computer-based tools that display the three-dimensional shape of an enzyme in the virus. Using samples from COVID-19 tests taken from around the world, the researchers analyzed actual sequences of the virus.

“As the virus replicates, it can also mutate,” said Roberts. “Many of the mutations don’t really do much at all, but others might. It’s important to start to understand which mutations are popping up and which ones are sticking around because the enzyme we looked at is a potential target for an antiviral drug. We want to know all of the possible shapes it can have since mutations may alter the shape slightly.”

There were roughly 160 known mutations at the time of the boot camp, according to Dyszel. With molecular visualization tools such as PyRosetta, FoldIT and the PDB, the group successfully tracked all 160 mutations and pinpointed them in the protein structure of Nsp5.

For Martin, seeing researchers from across the country come together at the boot camp made her excited for

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“

With every piece of data found, and every step forward that we took, I felt more and more hopeful that one day a small molecule drug or vaccine will be made…This boot camp showed me that every day researchers are getting closer to beating COVID-19.

When did you realize that COVID-19 would have a significant impact in the U.S.?

DR. REBECCA ROBERTS

” her future as a biochemist. “It inspired me to continue on my path to become part of my own research team,” she said. “It opened my mind up to the thought that, maybe one day, I could be on the other end of the screen teaching a younger generation about the epic COVID-19 pandemic.”

Seeing science move so quickly—and be part of it, such as working with samples that had come out of London the week prior—was something Roberts found exhilarating. “We were looking at something that someone the week before had been tested for in the doctor’s office,” she said. “It was surreal in a way. I felt a bit more in control during a time when everyone is feeling powerless.”

Dyszel agrees. “When the pandemic began, I was initially very stressed and worried,” she says. Completing the boot camp made her feel more relieved—empowered even—as she learned more about the protease responsible for the pandemic. “With every piece of data found, and every step forward that we took, I felt more and more hopeful that one day a small molecule drug or vaccine will be made,” she said. “This boot camp showed me that every day researchers are getting closer to beating COVID-19.”

BRITNEY DYSZEL

KAILEY MARTIN

“I think at the start of March, as we were moving into spring break. Ursinus students and my own children were still in school. I had some travel planned to attend a conference in California in April, and I was deciding whether to attend, as it required airplane travel. I was also supposed to bring several students to a conference in Philadelphia at the end of March to present their research. I told them I would support whatever decision they made in terms of attending the event. I think that is when I realized that life in the U.S. and everywhere was really going to change. Both conferences ultimately moved to fully virtual formats, so the decision was made for all of us.”

“Back in March, I didn't think COVID would become so significant to the United States.

Ursinus had just ended for spring break, and I expected to go back. Halfway through spring break, we were told that classes would resume a week later than normal. At that point, I still was not that convinced, or maybe I was in denial. The moment I got the email saying we would not return at all that semester is when I realized the impact COVID-19 was going to have on the United States. I thought everything would resolve by May or June because most viruses are seasonal, but here we are in the fall and COVID-19 is still devastating the globe. As unfortunate and scary as that is, I know that countless research teams, universities and companies across the world are working toward a treatment every day. The COVID-19 boot camp proved this to me.”

“It’s a moment I’ll never forget. Our softball team was is Florida for spring training in March, and after playing two games in the morning, we boarded the bus and our coach told us that our season was suspended. None of us ever thought it would happen to us. It was one of those things that keeps happening to other people, but you think, ‘No, that’s never going to happen to me’— until it does. Playing on that team was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in my life, and we played our hearts out in each and every one of the games we had that week. It was such a sobering experience hearing that it was all taken away in an instant, but it serves as a reminder to live life to the fullest each and every day.”

19

Defending the Den On March 13, 2020, Ursinus College extended its spring break and, soon after that, transitioned to remote learning and working for the remainder of the spring semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented health crisis impacting millions around the globe. Despite the challenges, the Bear community adapted and—thanks to some creative thinking and an aggressive testing policy—resumed its residential undergraduate experience and in-person instruction in the fall.

By Ed Moorhouse

Fall 2020 His face partially covered by a mask, Dean of the College Mark Schneider sits in the field house in the Floy Lewis Bakes Center in early September while attending a virtual meeting of the college’s leadership on Microsoft Teams. To his right, first-year students form a line to get tested for COVID-19, a weekly ritual now as common to the Ursinus experience as, say, eating lunch in Wismer Center.

Then again, not even lunch in Wismer is what it used to be.

A noontime visit to the dining hub on a Friday—typically buzzing with activity— reveals vacant tables and chairs. Six hours later, only a few students are sitting down to eat dinner.

But the Collegeville campus is still bustling with activity. Students—all of them masked—walk to and from classes. Their temperatures are checked by members of a new health corps group stationed outside of Wismer. A tap dance class takes place on Eleanor Frost Snell Alumnae Field, with students standing on their own personal platform.

And instructors teach in tents situated outdoors between the Kaleidoscope Performing Arts Center and Floy Lewis Bakes Center.

This is the new normal.

“Our success depends on many things that are significant: compliance with wearing masks; the health of our surrounding community; the ability to construct learning environments here that have enabled everyone to be physically distant,” said Schneider, who is also vice president of academic affairs and leader of the college’s virus task force.

Most importantly, however, is a comprehensive testing policy that The Philadelphia Inquirer called, “one of the most aggressive … of area colleges as it tries to keep the virus off its campus.”

“I am most impressed by our students’ resiliency and ability to adapt,” said Missy Bryant, dean of students. “That can be said for our entire community, but I see our students’ behavior and compliance with the guidelines as the key factor in our success.”

In March, there was still much to learn about COVID-19. As students broke for spring break, the virus became more widespread in southeastern Pennsylvania,

and bringing students back to campus threatened the health and safety of the entire community.

“There was this cascade of decisions from major institutions stemming from, ‘Oh my goodness, we simply can’t handle this,’” Schneider said. “We knew so little about the consequences of the virus for 18- to22-year-olds, how it could spread, and our resources for dealing with it.”

Not going remote, he said, “could have been disastrous.”

“The sheer suddenness of the switch to remote learning in March was difficult for everyone, like driving into a sharp curve at night when no signs warned you it was coming,” said Kelly Sorensen, associate dean of academic affairs and professor of philosophy and religious studies.

Sorensen said one faculty member went through a dozen takes of a video recording where he was explaining concepts for students. And others agonized over helping students who lacked a sufficient Internet connection at home, or space where they could work without interruption.

The community adapted and, with an enormous assist from the college’s library and information technology (LIT) team—which provided key resources for faculty, staff and students to help in the transition to remote learning and working—the end of the spring semester was a relative success.

LIT led over 35 training sessions in the spring and fall of 2020, including a twoweek accelerated training program and a four-week workshop series that focused on designing an online or blended course. They also invested in new video conferencing, recording and hosting software; equipped outdoor tents with Wi-Fi access; and developed several online training courses and web pages with resources, tutorials and instructions on how to teach, work and learn remotely.

“I believe the most important thing that helped faculty, staff and students shift to remote teaching, working and learning was adaptability,” said Christine Iannicelli, an instructional technology librarian.

“Our campus community was willing to adapt to the myriad of changes that occurred and continue to occur during the pandemic, including adapting to changes in supported technology and 21

The Well new approaches to course design and delivery, and being patient if and when technology issues arose.”

“Faculty continue to experiment with and share ideas with each other on innovative approaches to teaching and are open to changing their approaches based on student feedback. If we as a campus continue to work together, be open-minded and adaptable, brainstorm new and innovative ways to improve our processes and course deliveries, and include the students as active co-creators of the learning process, I believe we will continue to be successful,” she said.

The lessons learned from the spring semester helped inform some of the key decisions about what a return to in-person instruction amid a pandemic would look like. No stone was left unturned; every detail was carefully considered.

Sorensen noted that emerging data about remote courses indicated connections between faculty and students are the leading factor in course completion and student course satisfaction. “Our small class sizes made it easier for those connections to form and strengthen.”

“The patience and flexibility of the college community with each other really stands out,” Sorensen said.

“Some classes are being held in the wrestling practice room. Some are on the basketball court. Others are in the Berman Museum, which is a beautiful space, but not built acoustically for classes. And I’ve been impressed with how readily students have kept to the masking, physical distancing and occupancy rules.”

It took complete buy-in from the students to make a return to in-person instruction and a residential experience work. Over the summer, the student affairs leadership team worked with Robert Dawley—a professor of biology and chair of the student conduct committee who co-leads the health corps program as well as representatives from Ursinus College Student Government (UCSG) to create guidelines that mitigate risk and allow students to have a positive on-campus experience.

As the guidelines were being developed, Ursinus hosted a number of interactive Zoom meetings with students to hear their questions and get their input.

“Having students involved in the process and committed to remaining in person have been essential factors in our success,” Bryant said. “Students have been diligent about compliance and it has paid off.”

Prior to the start of the semester, the college set up a special COVID-19 email address to receive questions from parents and students—hundreds of questions came in per week—and President Brock Blomberg hosted weekly virtual meetings with faculty and staff to keep the community informed of important decisions. The Bears Return webpage and COVID-19 dashboard—which tracks weekly testing results—also have been critical to keeping the community informed of the overall health of the campus. And the student, faculty and staff health corps serves as ambassadors to help “Defend the Den.” Ursinus began the academic year with 1,490 full-time degree-seeking registered students, with 1,280 living on campus. This fall, about 29% of courses are being taught virtually, and students had the option to take all of their courses remotely, either while living on campus or at home.

Residence halls are at about 80 percent capacity, with students living in single and double rooms.

After a phased move-in process, first-year students were welcomed back to campus earlier than normal— about two and a half weeks before their upper-class peers—and they participated in a “block schedule” version of the Common Intellectual Experience. There were 30 sections of 16 students each, with three of them held entirely virtually.

Stephanie Mackler, professor of education and assistant dean of the college, said that faculty fully embraced the CIE block schedule and “brought an extraordinary degree of energy and excitement to re-thinking the course in light of the current circumstances.”

Fall 2020

“ I’m in awe of the various ways that staff, faculty, and students continue to reinvent their roles to build this on-campus experience. ”

She said faculty carefully considered how they used classroom time, practiced teaching in masks, learned how to best include students learning remotely into classroom discussion, and more. Mackler credited CIE coordinators and faculty, the Center for Writing and Speaking, the Institute for Student Success, the registrar’s office, LIT and facilities for making it a success.

“I am confident that even if we do not repeat a block CIE in the future, we’ll still take some powerful lessons from this year about how to approach the material, organize our classes, and create the kind of meaningful discussions about essential questions that are at the heart of an Ursinus education,” she said.

Outside of the classroom, events like homecoming were canceled and members of the community were asked to remain off campus—something met with a tremendous amount of support from Collegeville leaders like Mayor Aidsand “Ace” Wright-Riggins.

Meanwhile, student-athletes and coaches had to adjust to a semester without Centennial Conference competition.

“Practices have a different flavor, but the team dynamics are there, and I think that’s really helpful to many of the students,” Director of Athletics Laura Moliken said. “They have some opportunity for a sense of normalcy and team interaction, albeit different than pre-COVID times.”

As upper-class students returned and the semester began, the most critical component to the return to in-person instruction was a comprehensive testing of all students on campus so that, Schneider said, “we were never going to be surprised by the health situation.”

Initially, student testing was supervised by an on-site administrator, but the college shifted to a partnership with CIC-Health and the Broad Institute, a recognized global leader among genomics research organizations that provides an easy, self-administered nasal swab with a high level of reliability. The change allowed for the college to supervise the student testing on its own. A contact tracing team— trained by Montgomery County health officials and led on campus by Dawley

and Nicole Ivaska, a lecturer in health and exercise physiology—as well as a case management team, bring a bootson-the-ground approach to the day-today management of COVID-19 testing.

“I’m in awe of the various ways that staff, faculty and students continue to reinvent their roles to build this on-campus experience,” said Lauren Finnegan, director of counseling and wellness. “So many people have stepped outside of their standard job expectations to provide invaluable services that have become necessary to our success.”

Additionally, Ursinus continues to remain in close contact with county health officials, who have been key partners with the college in its return to a residential learning experience.

There is no right answer for dealing with COVID-19, but Schneider remains cautiously optimistic in Ursinus’s ability to maintain a safe and healthy campus.

“We continue to look at changes that are happening in the testing environment and the situation as a whole,” he said. “We must be able to maintain focus and stamina. That's not easy. Certainly, people are just exhausted by it, but we can’t ever say, ‘Oh, everything's good. Now we don't have to do anything anymore.’ That's a recipe for disaster.”

“It’s going to be a long slog, but it’s been a community effort and we’ve had success. It’s been remarkable how our community has responded,” he said.

President Brock Blomberg agreed. He’s personally heard from fellow college presidents who say Ursinus has been up to the challenge.

“Honestly, this is fundamentally a story about people helping each other adapt. And thankfully, that’s something ingrained in the Ursinus culture,” Blomberg said.

23

Bears’ Den

Class Notes 1950s Earl Fargo ’50 reports that he is living in Florida and enjoys golf and his singing group.

Isobel (Helffrich) Beaston ’54 says that she is enjoying life in a retirement life-care community and notes that she is a published prizewinning poet.

Norman ’55 and Ethel (Lutz) Pollock ’55 write that since retiring from their jobs at Old Dominion University and Eastern Virginia Medical School, respectively, they moved to a United Methodist residential community in 2016. They have nine grandchildren and have been married for 64 years.

Martha B. (Bean) Kriebel ’56 published a book, Promise Kept with a Paintbush, preserving prints of 75 watercolors of the life of Jesus Christ by a Jewish holocaust survivor. She’s also involved in research and writing or places of worship regarding the pandemic, and published the new online weekly meditation, “Musings by Shepie.”

David B. Macgregor ’58 reports that he was a task commander in the U.S. Army 3rd Armored Division (Fort Knox) from 1958 until 1960 before working at the U.S. Department of the Treasury for 32 years and doing private investigations for 25 years.

1960s Winfield C. Boyer ’62 assumed the role of president of the Rotary Club of Hertford, N.C. He’s still enjoying a few tennis matches and the challenge of bridge.

Robert Hofertt ’62 has published a book, The 1960s Segregated South: Youth’s Zeal and Aged Reflections.

Ursinus Magazine

It retraces “a white man’s journey into the 1960s segregated South as a warrior for integration.” Hoffert is dean and professor emeritus at Colorado State University.

Janet L. (Blyth) Finan ’65 says she retired in 2000 as a research associate at the University of Pennsylvania where she did cytogenetic and molecular genetics research of primarily blood cancers. She reports that she and her husband have been full-time residents of Fort Myers, Fla., since 2010, residing at Lexington Country Club, where fellow Ursinus alumna Linda Dettery ’68 is president of the homeowners board.

Paul Winters ’66 reports that after graduating from Ursinus and Wharton School of Business, he worked for IBM, AT&T and Vanguard, retiring from Vanguard as a certified financial planner.

His daughter, Susan A. WintersGriste ’95, is an Ursinus graduate, and his grandson, Jacob Griste ’23, is a current student.

Rickie Sands ’68 retired after 18 years with FEMA. He says he is now enjoying being home with his family and friends after helping people around the nation for all those years.

Robert E. Steward Jr. ’68 retired in April after 43 years in general surgery practice in Philipsburg, Pa., Clearfield, Pa., and the Moshannon Valley.

1970s Deborah (Zant) Scarfo ’71 reports that she is happily retired with many grandchildren, ages 3- to 25-yearsold, and fondly remembers Ursinus.

Kevin Gault ’77 was ghostwriter for the memoir Keep the Goal in Sight, the inspiring story of Ursinus graduate George Pilz ’86. After losing his sight in an auto accident at

age 21, Pilz achieved great success in academics and business, and won the national championship of the United States Blind Golf Association. Kevin is a freelance writer based in Chester County, Pa. Nina B. Stryker ’78, a member of the Ursinus Board of Trustees, was recognized by Best Lawyers as the 2021 Lawyer of the Year for Litigation—Trusts and Estates in Philadelphia. Lawyer of the Year is awarded to an individual lawyer with the highest overall peerfeedback for a specific practice area and geographic region.

Only one lawyer is recognized as the Lawyer of the Year for each specialty and location.

Gilder Lewis McCarroll ’79 volunteered at the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District as a COVID-19 contact tracer. She phoned San Antonio and Bexar County residents who tested positive for the virus, checking their current health status and asking about locations visited and close personal contacts during the incubation period.

1980s Michael Chiarappa ’81, a professor of history at Quinnipiac University, has received the Vernacular Architecture Forum’s highest honor for scholarly articles published in the last two years. He received the forum’s Catherine W. Bishir Prize for his article, “Working the Delaware Estuary: African American Cultural Landscapes and the Contours of Environmental Experience,” which appeared in the journal, Buildings and Landscapes.

Alane (Bullock) Zurek ’81 reports that she has two grandchildren, Gregori and Marek, and recently retired from her English/special education teaching job at Pittston Area School District.

Fall 2020

James T. Guille ’87 has been elected president of the Pennsylvania Orthopaedic Society.

1990s Deborah (Dreibelbis) Braithwaite ’90 says she is retired and lives in Virginia with her husband, “surrounded by many beautiful cotton fields and multitudes of peanut farms.”

2000s Lindsay Kunkel ’08 reports that she is a licensed clinical social worker.

Julian Wright ’08 was named a 2020 CFO of the Year by the Philadelphia Business Journal.

He is chief operating officer of Your Outsourced CFO, a leader in providing actionable financial strategies to grow businesses.

2010s

Hanchen Zheng ’18 received a master’s degree in international economics and international relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

2020s Michael Anthony ’20 will be doing a personalized project through the religion, justice and peace scholarship program. He’ll be researching and learning about different faiths, their practices, and exploring spiritualism, as well as foreign cultures in America and in Japan.

Births Marci (Logan) Yorkman ’06 and Darryl Yorkman ’03 welcomed a daughter, Danica Hope, on May 11, 2019. They have another daughter, Brinley.

Katherine (Perkins) McMullen ’07 and Mike McMullen welcomed a son, William Franklin Jacks, in January 2020.

Natausha P. (Davis) Williams ’13 and Michael X. Williams ’13 welcomed a daughter, Kianna Mae, on January 7, 2020.

Weddings 1

2

3

Jervis Hudson ’12 says he has been living and teaching in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for five years and calls the experience “life changing.”

Katherine Pierpont ’13 will co-author the fourth edition of Sexuality in Medieval Europe: Doing Unto Others. Katie is currently finishing a Ph.D. in medieval history at the University of Minnesota. She will co-author the book with Ruth Mazo Karras, one of the world’s leading experts on medieval sexuality.

Shelby Bryant ’18 works for both the Yarmouth Historical Society and the Rufus Porter Museum of Art and Ingenuity in Maine, where she is opening a new, updated website and a grant-funded online collection database.

1 2 3 4 5

Lisa Pan ’13 and Eric Painter ’13 were married April 28, 2019.

Angela Lenzo ’12 and Matthew Donahue ’13 were married February 8, 2020.

Maeve Flynn ’14 and Jared Thomas Fallt were married on July 11, 2020.

Lindsay Sakmann '09 and Lorenzo Rafer were married September 21, 2019.

Emily Patrick '12 and Matt Williams were married August 29, 2020.

URSINUS WEDDING PHOTOS Ursinus Magazine publishes wedding photos in the magazine as well as online. Please send your favorite wedding memories. Digital photos can be emailed to ucmag@ursinus.edu. Ursinus College reserves the right to reject publication of photos that are not of publishable quality. We regret that we are not able to return print photographs.

Questions can be addressed to the office of alumni relations, 610-409-3585, or by emailing ucmag@ursinus.edu.

25

Bears’ Den

Deaths 1940s Catherine “Kit” (Hahn) Gregory ’41 died May 10, 2020.

Lois Manning Hillman ’45 died July 14, 2020.

Roberta “Bobbie” L. (Samler) de la Puente ’54 died August 24, 2020.

Elizabeth A. (Conestrina) Miller ’54 died May 13, 2020.

Jonny A. Sutton ’70 died June 13, 2020.

Richard G. Miller ’71 died July 25, 2020.

Sally O’Neill ’72 died February 24, 2020.

Elinor M. (Paetzold) Schmalstich ’45 died August 20, 2020.

Elizabeth “Betsy” (Ault) Cunningham ’55 died June 11, 2020.

Albert C. Casabona Jr. ’46 (V-12 program) died May 6, 2020.

Bette (Lewis) Tokar, Ed.D. ’57 died July 1, 2020.

Thomas W. Schlotterbeck ’77 died June 8, 2020.

Doris E. (Felty) Hallman ’46 died June 11, 2020.

E. Megan “Meg” (Myers) Burns ’58 died May 30, 2020.

Richard R. Harp ’78 (Evening) died April 13, 2020.

Jeanne (Loomis) Miller ’47 died July 27, 2020.

Johanna von Koppenfels Holzbaur ’58 died February 27, 2020.

Louis J. Owen ’47 (V-12 program) died November 22, 2019.

Judith A. (Berry) Maestrelli ’58 died August 2, 2020.

Betty “Betsy” J. (Greene) Collier ’48 died July 2, 2020.

Paul A. Constantine, M.D. ’59 died April 10, 2020.

Mildred “Milly” (Nobel) Jagel ’48 died May 29, 2020.

Charles W. Gelbach ’59 died July 3, 2020.

Elizabeth “Betty” Fink ’49 died July 21, 2020.

1960s

Mary Louise (Roy) Lau ’49 died August 12, 2020.

B. Keith Moyer ’60 died June 25, 2020.

Vera F. (Wanger) Turner ’49 died March 4, 2020.

Loretta M. (Witmer) Roberts ’60 died May 7, 2020.

1950s

Michael J. Chudoba ’63 died April 27, 2020.

Louise “Bunny” (Bornemann) Beardwood ’51, H’08 died September 6, 2020.

Robert L. Smith ’51 died July 26, 2020.

Norman N. Cohen ’52 died April 16, 2020.

Jane (Hartzel) Henderson ’52 died April 27, 2020.

Loren J. Zimmerman ’52 died April 14, 2020.

Mary Lou Henry ’53 died May 14, 2020.

Ursinus Magazine

Anita C. Deasey ’75 died July 10, 2020.

1980s Philip J. Reilly ’81 died August 1, 2020.

Angeline “Angie” (Sortino) Cagliola ’83 (Evening) died May 26, 2020.

Mark P. Sardaro ’85 died July 5, 2020.

1990s Scott A. Manz ’93 died May 13, 2020.

Clifford “Cliff” O. Motley ’97 died June 11, 2020.

Barbara (Cranmer) Gladstone ’63 died April 29, 2020.

2000s

Patricia H. (Holmes) Spicer ’66 died July 6, 2020.

Michaela A. (Gorman) Adamo '07 died August 27, 2020.

John G. Bauerle ’67 died March 30, 2020.

John “Jack” C. Heckles ’68 died May 14, 2020.

Milton “Milt” K. Jenkinson ’69 died April 15, 2020.

1970s Barbara J. (Wagner) Miller ’70 died July 27, 2020.

2010s Bryan S. Borek ’10 died August 8, 2020.

Friends of the College Nelson M. Williams died May 1, 2020.

Fall 2020

In Memoriam Martena Roshon Martena Roshon, a former gift records coordinator in the advancement office, passed away in April after a valiant battle with cancer. Martena was a beloved colleague and worked with the largest of grins and the greatest “can do” spirit. She reflected the best of our Ursinus values and made the advancement team better and our lives richer by her presence. As the advancement office lead for gift processing from September 2012 through August 2019, Martena was at the center of the operational wheel that kept the advancement team moving forward. Beyond that, she formed lasting friendships with her colleagues. In her free time, Martena enjoyed gardening, attending concerts and visiting Florida and Ocean City, N.J. She is survived by her daughters, Lindsay and Jaime, and son-inlaw, Nathan, as well as her brothers Richard, Kevin and Delmar.

Aidan Inteso ’24 Aidan Inteso ’24, from Toms River, N.J., passed away unexpectedly on Sept. 13, 2020, from complications related to undiagnosed cardiomegaly. He was a first-year student and Abele Scholar. Aidan was a two-sport student-athlete at Toms River High School East, playing ice hockey and lacrosse, and was an avid outdoorsman. He enjoyed surf fishing at the beach and spending time with family and friends. He was excited to begin his Ursinus College career and recently expressed an interest in working in our national parks. Because of his passion for data science and analytics, Aidan was exploring business and environmental studies at Ursinus. He was also proud to have recently been hired as a paid intern at a civil engineering and land surveying company. He is survived by his parents, Michael Inteso and Cheri Revoir; his stepmother, April Shinn-Inteso; and his younger brother, Nathan. The college will remember Aidan in two landmarks across campus. A tree will be planted in his honor, and his love of learning and sports will forever be imprinted through iconography into the story of Ursinus decorating the smokestack. Visit ursinus.edu/news/in-memory-of-aidan-inteso.

27

THE BURNING QUESTION

What can historical pandemics teach us about COVID-19?

During the spring 2020 semester, junior and senior history majors grappled with the Black Death, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the four questions of the Ursinus Quest core curriculum. This is an excerpt from their research.

By Professor of History Susanna Throop and Morgana Olbrich ’20 Contributing writers: Tiffini Eckenrod ’20, Matthew Furgele ’21, Logan Mazullo ’20 and Andrew McSwiggan ’20

M

ost historians will urge you to avoid drawing oversimplified parallels between past and present. If we embrace oversimplified or generalized ideas of the past, we risk both misunderstanding the past and making flawed, misinformed decisions in the present. At the same time, one of the reasons why we are interested in the past is because of what it can potentially teach us. And as we all grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is natural to ask—what can we learn from historical pandemics?

While COVID-19 is very different from the infamous 14th-century plague, it’s possible that studying the Black Death can teach us something about how to handle our current situation.

If we try to compare the Black Death and the current pandemic, we easily see some similarities. Above all, both

Ursinus Magazine

outbreaks of disease have met the parameters to be considered a pandemic: a novel organism that is highly contagious and infectious, geographically widespread and fastmoving, with minimal population immunity [1].

In both cases, contributing factors include active global connections between human societies, climatic and environmental changes and human pursuit of resources from the natural world [2]. During both pandemics, people learned about the disease during and after its spread, and as a result of feelings of desperation, many sought easy answers and solutions. In particular, many sought a group of people who could be scapegoated, drawing upon existing prejudices to do so.

Similarly, in both pandemics, the impact of the disease depended on existing social, cultural, economic, and environmental factors [3].

In other words, dealing with a pandemic requires interdisciplinary perspectives. And both then and now, some individuals and communities went to extraordinary lengths to help each other.

So, what can we take from the study of the Black Death? There are six important ideas to keep in mind: 1.

Don’t panic. While we may think that we are doing what is best, panicked responses can actually put more people in danger than we realize.

2. Be patient. Even in the 21st century, fully understanding COVID-19 will take time. We all want to know what is going on and what we should do, but spreading misinformation has the potential to harm others as well as ourselves.

Fall 2020

3. Don’t seek scapegoats. The pandemic should not and cannot be used as grounds for individuals to begin racist attacks or blame the sick for their illness.

4. Address inequities. In the COVID-19 pandemic, alreadymarginalized people are suffering disproportionately or being left out of record-keeping altogether.

The effects of social inequities and injustices are magnified in times of crisis.

5. Remember to have hope and help each other. An act as simple as hoping and believing that an end is in sight may provide us all with a reason to keep fighting, even in a time filled with mass loss, suffering and uncertainty.

6. Value interdisciplinarity, including the study of history.

Historians are constantly revising and updating their knowledge of the past because they care urgently about the present and the future, and historians of disease and medicine have valuable insights to share.

Footnotes 1.

“

One of the reasons why we are interested in the past is because of what it can potentially teach us.

”

D.M. Morens, G.K. Folkers and A.S. Fauci, “What is a pandemic?”

Journal of Infectious Diseases 200/7 (2009): 1018-21.

2. For the Black Death, see Bruce Campbell, “Physical shocks, biological hazards, and human impacts: The crisis of the fourteenth century revisited,” in Le interazioni fra economia e ambiente biologico nell’Europe preindustriale. Secc. XIII-XVIII (Economic and biological interactions in pre-industrial Europe from the 13th to the 18th centuries), ed. S. Cavaciocchi (Prato: Istituto Internazionale di Storia Economica “F. Datini,” 2010), 13-32.

3. Monica H. Green, “What happens when we expand the chronology and geography of plague’s history? (Or why Yersinia pestis is a good ‘model organism’ in these pandemic times),” Oxford Centre for Byzantine Research, University of Oxford, 16 March 2020.

Studying history requires the ongoing critical and comparative analysis of complex and potentially unreliable sources of information.

Studying historical pandemics requires historians to work alongside experts in many other fields. Just as historical pandemics can only be understood through interdisciplinary perspectives, it will take the expertise of all the disciplines together to collectively understand and mitigate COVID-19.

29

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 Recommended the college to a prospective student What type of stories most interest you? (Check all that apply)

 Current news and announcements about Ursinus

 Athletics

 Arts and culture

 Faculty and student research and profiles

 Alumni features and outcomes

 Donor news and philanthropic opportunities

 Class notes (marriages, births, deaths and news from classmates)

 Issues important to higher education

 Issues facing the nation and world How would you prefer to read “Class Notes?”

 Printed within the pages of Ursinus Magazine

 Entirely online at ursinus.edu/magazine

 Through another format, such as an e-newsletter

 Move to a social media platform, such as Facebook

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Readability

Layout and design (including the cover) Good

Ursinus Magazine

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How do you prefer to find out about news and events at Ursinus? (Check all that apply)

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Ursinus Magazine College website Community relations e-newsletter Zack’s Facts e-newsletter Academic department or athletic emails or newsletters Social media (official college accounts) Local media (newspaper, TV, radio) Word of mouth Other: ______________________________________

Have you donated to the college?

 Yes

 No What is your affiliation to the college? (You may choose more than one)

 Alumnus / alumna

 Student

 Current faculty

 Current staff

 Parent

 Donor

 Retiree or emeritus / emerita faculty

 Other: ______________________________________ Please provide any additional feedback below: _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________

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Content variety

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Save the date for our 3rd Annual

WE WILL SEE YOU IN PERSON OR VIRTUALLY!

Join us Thursday, 4/15/21, at the Phoenixville Foundry in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania This year, we’re excited to honor Trustee Emerita Nancy Opalack ’71 with the Bear2Bear Impact Award for Leadership and Service. Opalack served as CEO of the Harold C. Smith Foundation and founder and executive director of Educational Support Systems (ESS).

Throughout her career, she has had an extraordinary impact on communities across the country and beyond.

As of September 2020, the Bear2Bear Student Emergency Fund has awarded over $275,000, supporting 89 Ursinus students. With the COVID-19 pandemic, students are facing new financial hardships and the need for this type of assistance is greater than ever!

YOUR SUPPORT CHANGES LIVES Thank you so much to the Bear2Bear Student Emergency Fund and its donors for helping me attend Ursinus this fall semester. With the COVID-19 pandemic, my family struggled financially and college for me this semester was just not an option. My dad was diagnosed with COVID and was no longer able to support our family and handle the costs of my college tuition. In that moment, I realized that college was a luxury that I just could not afford this year and I reluctantly made peace with my situation. When I received an email about my grant from the Bear2Bear Fund, I could not believe my eyes. Not only did I receive help with textbooks but also a laptop to help me with my classes as a remote learner. Thank you. I am truly grateful!

Sincerely, Anaya Demota ’23

Visit ursinus.edu/bear2bearbenefit to learn more!

601 E. Main St. • Collegeville, PA 19426-1000 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED