The marble sign on the Merrick Gateway and parts of the Mattin Center were spray-painted with messages such as “Justice 4 Floyd” and “No JHUPD” following nationwide protests against police brutality on May 31.The University has since covered the sign with tarp, surrounded it with fences and is in the process of removing the messages.
Ahmaud Arbery. Sean Reed. Breonna Taylor. George Floyd. Tony McDade. Yassin Mohammed. These are the names that have recently been added to the Black community’s ever-growing directory of murdered souls. These are the names that have been etched into our minds. The names that we will shout every time we have to fight for justice. Their lives, their stories and their deaths have become integral parts of each and every one of our experiences. From strangers to something much stronger than family.
Being here in Minneapolis, as the hurt and vulnerable cry out for all we have lost, I feel empty. I am tired, and I feel broken. I feel robbed of my feelings, with nothing left as I, along with many others, attempt to mourn George Floyd in these Divided States of America.
The University’s 2020 Research Workgroup held its second town hall on May 20. The event’s purpose was to encourage feedback on the Workgroup’s guidelines for resuming research this year. The Workgroup is currently examining the impact of lab management and safety strategies during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and has helped develop a three-phase reopening plan.
I wish there wasn’t a culture of complaining at Hopkins. I certainly understand why it’s the case; we’re all a bunch of overachievers, and complaining is a way to validate the work that we do in a way that doesn’t seem braggy.
Make sure you choose something that drives you from within, and you will find your place here at Hopkins.
I like the ones that talked about me the most. I found them wildly engaging.
I feel like we missed out on so many “lasts,” and I worry that once the pandemic is over, everyone (including myself) will just move on and no longer feel the need to celebrate graduation. I really look forward to the day I can reunite with my Hopkins family for one last celebration.
Hopkins students are exceptional, and when they apply their skills to social justice efforts, they will undoubtedly change the world.
College has been such an eye-opening experience in terms of my identity. It has made me think critically about who I am, what my values are and what is important to me in life.
I never thought I’d make it to graduation, and I mean this in every single literal sense. When I first became depressed, I was convinced that the campus was poisoning me, infusing me with a sadness that was not my own. I desperately searched left and right for reasons outside myself.
Dear freshman self, I know I’m not actually writing to a seventeen year-old me in a parallel universe. I can’t turn back the clock to relive the highs of my Hopkins experience or correct the mistakes I’ve made. However, I hope that this letter might be useful to incoming and current freshmen.
The past three years have been some of the most personally challenging and enjoyable of my life. From the friendships formed in the traditional dorm halls of the AMRs or the long nights spent alone in a study room closed off to the world, Hopkins has given me some great times. It does feel a little strange that I’m graduating because I don’t feel any different as an unemployed adult versus as a full-time student.
As a tribute to our four years at Hopkins, we’ve mapped out the places we’ve visited in Baltimore, quickly realizing that while these places make it difficult to say goodbye, they also remind us of happy memories we will cherish forever. We wanted to share our favorite spots in hopes you’ll enjoy them as much as we did.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only about 33 percent of Americans 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree. When I first heard this statistic, I was rather shocked. Throughout my life, my family has ingrained in me the importance of education. I asked myself, “Why do others fail to share these values?” Like many other Hopkins students, my parents are immigrants who traveled to the U.S. for a chance at a more equitable life.
Executive Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Stephen Gange and Chief Risk and Compliance Officer Jon Links hosted a virtual town hall discussing the University’s plan for the fall semester on Friday May 15. At the event, Gange and Links laid out a three-phased reopening plan and answered questions from the public.
Students will be allowed to return to residence halls to begin the move-out process beginning today, May 18. Director Sarah Mansfield of Housing Operations had emailed residential students on May 12 explaining that students may schedule time slots via the housing portal.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced that he is lifting the state’s stay-at-home order, replacing it with a public health advisory called “safer at home.”
Vice Provost for Student Affairs Alanna Shanahan and Associate Vice Provost for Education Janet Schreck announced the formation of a student advisory committee in an email to the student body on May 12. The committee will be tasked with providing feedback on University plans and brainstorming ideas as to what the process of reopening campus might look like amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. University President Ronald J. Daniels suspended in-person classes on March 10.
The Department of Education issued changes to Title IX regulations on May 6. The new regulations will impact how universities investigate and handle sexual harassment and assault cases. The Office for Civil Rights reviewed more than 120,000 public comments and surveys to finalize the revised law, called “The Final Rule.”
