This week, the Case Western Reserve University community reflects on its legacy at the same time it navigates COVID-19, which will have an historic impact on campus and beyond.
“The experiences endured by our campus during the COVID-19 pandemic have been nothing short of unprecedented. We have shifted, we have pivoted and we have quickly transitioned, all as the world around us reels from the effects of this virus,” Provost and Executive Vice President Ben Vinson III said.
The outbreak has forced the world to adapt, with non-essential businesses closed, employees working from home, students of all ages learning through a computer screen, essential employees taking serious precautions before going to work, and health care workers facing the virus each day.
To document this significant moment in history, Kelvin Smith Library asks students, faculty, staff and alumni to record their personal experiences during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic to be kept in the University Archives. The library wants to know your stories about remote instructing and learning, studying and working from home, working an essential job, the impact of closing residence halls and other campus services, and the ways you are staying connected to friends and family.
“It goes without saying that documenting these singularly extraordinary times will allow future generations to learn from our present experiences. As an historian myself, I’ve always been fascinated by the past, but as all defining moments in history have proved, it is what we learn from these events that will truly shape our future,” Provost Vinson said.
The University Archives regularly receives records from university offices, departments and organizations, which reflect their official activities and viewpoints. In addition to what it is regularly receiving, Archives would like to capture the personal viewpoints of the people who make up the campus community.
To learn more about how to record your thoughts and experiences visit COVID-19: Tell Your Story.