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May 2020 we
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evolution Features
quaranteens/tv wasteland/recipe/ art patronship/OCSA's report card
News & Politics
class of 20201/what in the world?
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Pp. 2, 3, 6
Arts
highlighting upcoming musicians Pp. 4
Humor/Satire
essay devastates two seniors/pierce tries the future/ failed insurrection Pp. 5
COVID, COLLEGE & THE CLASS OF '21 Lauren Le
T
he Class of 2021 is lucky. They still have a chance of experiencing (at least partially) the all-American senior experience, given that everyone does their part to slow the spread. But beyond just being able to maybe have a grad night, they are also the first graduating class with the pleasure of being holistically reviewed. For real, this time. Any high school student is no stranger to the crippling pressure put on getting a good standardized test score in order to get into a good college. But amid the endless COVID changes, everything students have prepared for, especially members of the class of 2021, has been turned on its head. Suddenly, many schools, including the UC system, have announced their decision to make test score submissions optional, in “hope there will be less worry for our future students.” (John A. Perez, Chair of the UC Regents Board). Despite the intentions of these measures, what does it mean for students’ progress and plans in the future? Many academic insti-
tutions have made it clear that the choice not to submit scores will not negatively impact an applicant’s appeal, as it allows for more emphasis to be placed on extracurriculars, school involvement, and essays. Although seemingly ideal for the newest wave of overwhelmed applicants, this decision in conjunction with all the other cancella-
is no stranger to cancellations of things that would have been potentially helpful to supplement applications that are beginning to place more weight on extracurriculars than ever. Catalina Marin (IA ‘20), was selected as this year’s OCSA representative for the Girl’s State Program in Sacramento, which will now be held virtually. “Although I'll still
portunities are now being cancelled, much to the dismay of every junior scrambling to achieve their last hurrah before compiling their lives into their applications. Mia Kaplan (MT ‘21) was planning on directing a show, which has been a lifelong goal. “I was also planning on getting some more volunteer work. I do feel slightly at a disadvantage
agrees, saying, “now it can only help me. If my score is in a high enough range that I feel good about presenting it, I will. But now I don’t feel this huge pressure to do as exceptional of a job on the test.” However, Marin, who has already taken the SAT, has a different dilemma. “I know that most people are likely still going to submit their scores so I don’t want to be at a disadvantage by not submitting mine. I don’t want to not submit a score because I feel like that looks even worse.” D e spite the imminent age of holistic review, the act of embracing the new and clearing out the old is proving a bit more complicated than at first glance. As the class of 2021 explores this uncharted territory, it’s hard to predict whether these new policies are actually going to incite a noticeable change, since students have only prepared for what they’ve seen in past trends, and it’s difficult to change gears this late in the game. But it seems that, like with pretty much everything these days, we’ll just have to wait and see.
"As the class of 2021 explores this uncharted territory, it’s hard to predict whether these new policies are actually going to incite a noticeable changes... But it seems that, like with pretty much everything these days, we’ll just have to wait and see." tions and changes is proving to be more stressful than helpful. Counselors, parents and teachers constantly remind students that the summer before senior year is the most important of their life. It is their prime time to work, attend summer programs, and get that last bit of community service in before submitting their resumes to colleges. Except for when all of these things are impossible due to a pandemic that doesn’t seem to be improving . This year’s junior class
get to say that I was selected on my applications, it’s not the same,” Marin explains. “Beyond college apps, it would have been great to learn more about the government and decide if that’s something I really do want to pursue. It would have been so cool to be able to learn more about it at Girls State, and this would have helped me with my college apps because I’d have a better idea of what I actually want in and from my college experience.” Other, more local op-
because I can’t go into my counselor’s office to ask questions or work on my material with conservatory teachers,” Kaplan says. Riley Summers (ACT ‘21) was planning on taking a theater intensive at DePaul, which is most likely going to be cancelled, as well. Strangely enough, many members of the class of 2021 are still planning on taking standardized tests, if they end up being administered. “I think it’s just a supplement at this point,” Summers explains. Kaplan also
WHAT IN THE WORLD?: CORONAVIRUS PART 3 Jennifer Woo
A Reflection
Note: The following reflects the policies and economic climate as of April 22, 2020
Small Business Panic
S
ome businesses will never return once the lockdown policies are lifted. Your favorite Mom & Pop cafes, hair salons, theatre companies, and so much more are being devastated by the economic implications of the coronavirus. When we go back to ‘business as usual’, business will not be usual. The pandemic will continue to haunt us through empty storefronts, blank theater marquees, and “For Sale” signs. Which is why it is more important than ever to support local small businesses. Many businesses and restaurants are offering home delivery or pick up services for customers (Pop’s Cafe is still open for takeout!). These services are integral to keeping small businesses alive, as they are currently their only source of income. Congress is also stepping up to support small businesses. One element of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed on March 27, is the PPP, the Paycheck Protection Program (not to be confused with “Princess Protection Program” the 2009 Disney Channel Original Movie).
The PPP funds loans for small businesses in an effort to prevent them from laying off workers and shutting their doors. It provides loan forgiveness, as long as the money is used for “documented payroll costs, covered mortgage interest payments, covered rent payments, and covered utilities.” U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin and U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Jovita Carranza stated, “The SBA has processed more than 14 years’ worth of loans in less than 14 days.” However, the PPP ran out of money in just 2 weeks, and many small businesses did not get any relief. There is a lot of controversy surrounding how the PPP was executed. Some feel that it is the insurance companies’ job to help businesses, not the government.
Additionally, funds were given on a first-come, first-served basis, and many large chain restaurants and other corporations have been claiming billions in PPP loans, preventing many actual small businesses from receiving aid. On March 23, Congress passed a bill to replenish the loan fund with $310 billion and set requirements for the Trump administration to implement a testing plan. This gives hope to small businesses that they will be able to receive aid on this round. The national testing plan will hopefully allow some lockdowns to be lifted and small businesses to reopen.
Garden Grove barber shop currently closed for business with a sign saying “Stay in Touch”
What was intended to become an international news column very quickly turned into a coronavirus column with a rapid turn of events. When I started this column in February, I almost didn’t write a coronavirus article; I thought by the time it was published coronavirus would be old news. Boy, was I wrong. They say hindsight is 20/20 (and it’s the year 2020. Coincidence? I think not). If I could go back in time to February and write that article differently, I would have voiced more urgency, or at the very least have told myself to appreciate every minute on campus, because within a month everything would change. I revisited the transcript of my interview with Dr. Ken Hayashida about coronavirus from the February issue, and it felt like a time machine to a whole other time. “What we really need in the United States is really high accuracy diagnostic testing that physicians and health professionals can rely on to make conservatory or exclusionary diagnoses that someone has or doesn’t have the virus” Dr. Hayashida was absolutely correct. We needed better testing to get ahead of the virus in order to prevent any disruptions to our daily lives. That interview was truly a portent to what was about to ensue.The irony behind all of this is that 2 months later we still don’t have enough testing kits and medical resources to fully tackle this pan-
demic. In an interview with NPR, Dr. Bruce Meyer, president of Jefferson Health said, “we're short of testing in the way we would like to carry out testing in order to understand everyone who might be infected or has any kind of symptomatology, much less be able to catch asymptomatic carriers [...] Essentially, every day we're competing with other places that need testing.” The way that we, including myself, treated this virus in its initial stages says a lot about us as a society. What happened in China and Italy were like movie trailers for what would happen in the US. We saw their schools shut down, their restaurants close, events get cancelled, yet it was all on the other side of the world, so we didn’t seem to care. If anything, this experience should teach us all to open our eyes and listen (or as Señora Salkowitz would say, “¡Mira y escucha!”) to what’s happening in the world. It is so easy to stay in our little bubbles and only focus on what affects us, but there is so much to learn from others. That is the whole intention behind this column. We can all work on being more open and aware of things happening not only in other countries, but also in other states, other cities, other neighborhoods. Knowledge is power, my friends.
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