PANDEMIC ACADEMICS
Virtual Commencement, Real Achievements
campus community. Brown says the masks are meant to replace general surgical masks, not the specialty filtered or wired ones, as they’re made from 100 percent cotton fabric and elastic left over from past theater productions. “To me, as a theater artist, sewing is a means to an end,” she says. “Live storytelling is that end. But it is a skill that I have that I could do something with. As much as anyone, I have friends and relatives for whom getting a cold would be hard, let alone OBERLIN ALUMNI MAGAZINE 2020 / SPRING/SUMMER
COVID-19. Mask-making seemed like the responsible choice.” Through efforts led by Lorain County Community College and its Fab Lab, staff at Oberlin have also partnered to 3D-print the headband component of face shields used by healthcare workers and others on the front lines of the pandemic. The headbands are then delivered to the Lorain County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security for distribution.
With Commencement/Reunion Weekend canceled this year, Oberlin invited its graduating seniors, their families, and alumni and friends to participate in virtual commencement week celebrations, an opportunity to commemorate the Class of 2020 in a public and uniquely Oberlin way. Highlights included the Crimson and Gold Convocation, during which President Ambar presented her annual state-of-the-college address; the Baccalaureate Ceremony, which featured student panelists of various faiths discussing the topic “On Parting Again: Saying Goodbye During the Coronavirus Pandemic”; commencement itself, with speakers President Ambar, Board of Trustees Chair T. Chris Canavan ’84, and Naeisha McClain ’20 (above); and various senior week activities. Plans are under way for the Class of 2020 to return next year for Commencement/ Reunion Weekend. To view the recorded portions of the celebration and updates on rescheduling 2020 class reunions, visit oberlin.edu/commencement. 7