Cupola Conversations: Reflecting on a Year of Loss - April 26 @ 4PM

This time of year, as noted on the Student Success Continuum, the focus is to Finish Strong. Simultaneously, we are also looking forward to the start of a new academic year and a pursuit of some semblance of “normalcy.” Understanding that the present is important, we would be remiss if, before the semester closes, we didn’t take some time to reflect on the past year and all that we lost.

We experienced fear and anxiety as we watched the pandemic lock down every country in the world. We transitioned from everything being in-person to creating and living in a virtual environment. We learned how to teach our kids from home while working a full-time job. Words like quarantine, isolation, and testing dominated our discussions.

Staff dealt with furloughs. Faculty built online courses on the fly. Students tried to make heads or tails of where to go and what to do.

We also grieved the loss of loved ones, missed birthdays, weddings, holidays, and anniversaries. We watched as the country, and even the world, call for more direct, definitive actions to address racism and social justice. Additionally, we yearn for the days when we had concerts, football games and major events. We celebrated our frontline and healthcare workers who sacrificed so much more than anyone imagined. And we powered through a transformational season of demonstrations, political division and calls for systemic justice.

In other words—it’s been quite a year.

We know there will be lingering effects from a year of loss. Concerns about our self-care, mental health, and burnout are very real. That’s why a time of reflection is so important. Without naming them, voicing them, sharing them with our community, we lose the opportunity to learn from them. To do better. To make changes in how we operate. To provide support for those who have been most affected.

Our next Cupola Conversations is an unconventional one, but these are unconventional times. ECU Chancellor Philip Rogers and Virginia Hardy, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, will open the program and share some of their personal reflective thoughts. We will then transition into a time of reflection and sharing for all participants who will be encouraged to use the Q&A feature to submit memories, thoughts, and perspectives to share with others in the audience.

Click this link on April 26 at 4pm to join “Cupola Conversations: Reflecting on a Year of Loss.”

This will be open to the entire campus, and we encourage all who are committed to creating positive change and leading conversations to be a part of this important event.