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I hope everyone is enjoying a great Week 3, and that you’ve been able to get back into the swing of things. In addition to the start of Week 3, this week marks Martin Luther King Day. This is more than just a day without classes, it is a chance for us all to celebrate the life of one of the great leaders of the civil rights movement. How fortuitous that MLK Day arrives at a time when his legacy is more important than it ever has been. Here is a very important quote from Dr. King that is especially relevant right now: "We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."
As you know, this week marks the transition between Presidential administrations. As you also know, this transition has been quite tumultuous this year. While I am writing this, things are relatively peaceful, but it’s not clear what will happen this week. Please remember that regardless of your position on the many issues we face, as Marshall Scholars and Citizens, it is our duty to respond in a way that is peaceful, productive, and supportive especially of underrepresented members of our community. I also want to point out that Marshall College is creating opportunities for circles to discuss the week’s events. Please see below for some of these opportunities.
I’m excited about our Alumni 101 event on Wednesday. This event should be very exciting, and we’ll also hold some time for a circle on the days’ events as well. At the Alumni 101 event, we’ll be hearing from recent Marshall alumni about how their experiences as Scholars and Citizens have informed their career trajectories. This is a great opportunity to learn about how you can bring your Marshall experience into your career, and we’ll also hear about some resources from the Career Center.
The other big thing going on continues to be the pandemic. Although numbers are still high, there are at least some positive signs on the horizon. Students are doing a great job of getting tested frequently, and following University guidelines. Keep it up! The better we can do to stop the spread, the sooner we can all get back to “normal”. Last week, the University of California system announced that we should be back “in person” by Fall. This decision is based mostly on the positive results we’ve had in disseminating the vaccine. UC San Diego has been at the forefront of this; they are helping to get huge numbers of health care workers from all of San Diego county vaccinated. If things continue to go as well as they have been, I’m hopeful student vaccinations will be underway by summer. If things go well and we are back in the Fall, it will be a great opportunity for our current students to take on leadership roles. I know that our first year students, and to some degree our second year students haven’t had the chance to take on campus leadership roles the way first and second years usually do; I encourage you to stay engaged and get that experience in the Fall!
Best,
Provost Carver |
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