SOCIAL WORK VALUES IN ACTION
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Social work students and faculty respond to a pandemic, protests and economic uncertainty by Laurie Anderson
n March of 2020, the University of Georgia temporarily suspended instruction for two weeks. The action, taken to reduce the spread of the novel COVID-19 virus, changed lives and the learning environment. As stores ran short of hand sanitizer and disinfectant, faculty scrambled to adapt teaching from in-person to online and hybrid models. Administrators lowered classroom seating density, in keeping with recommended social distancing guidelines. Handshakes became hand waves and “elbow bumps.” Protective coverings over noses and mouths hid facial expressions. By the time the university returned to instruction, classes had moved either entirely online or metamorphosed into hybrid in-person/ remote permutations involving small groups of students. Students became more dependent than ever on connecting to others through the internet, and more isolated. The “new normal” put a huge strain on resources, both physical and mental. Stress increased in late May when the nation viewed a horrific video of a police officer choking George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, to death. Students and faculty took action to fight systemic racism. Some put their lives at risk in mass outdoor protests. A contentious national election and job losses due to the pandemic added to personal and professional pressures. Through it all, members of the School responded in ways that showed social work values in action.
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