Sharing from a distance

We all have stories to share from the pandemic, about people we miss or things we wouldn’t otherwise be doing.

Jay Davis ’21 shared her thoughts about being home during the pandemic.

Jay Davis ’21, at home in Charleston, South Carolina, misses having her own space and hanging out on campus, but she’s glad to be spending time with her little brother. Benjamin Dobbs, an assistant professor of music theory, is happy he finally retired the flip phone he’s had since college (Dude, really?!) and got a smart phone so he can FaceTime and Zoom with students, friends, family and colleagues.

The staff in University Communications kept hearing stories about how our students, faculty, alumni and staff were adapting to change, contributing to solutions and struggling with additional responsibilities and social isolation.

“Loneliness is associated with negative physical and psychological health outcomes,” said Kerstin Blomquist, associate professor of psychology, when asked if sharing stories might be helpful. “To the extent that this website reduces social isolation and promotes reaching out to others and supporting them through this stressful time, it could be very helpful for our Furman community!”

So, we decided to gather these stories and share them. Because even though we’re social distancing (a new verb), we have shared experiences. We need to come together, albeit virtually, to share what’s on our minds, to check in with each other and to continue creating memories and stories that will endure beyond COVID-19.

We launched this webpage to house the stories, and we’re sharing them on social media to compound the love. Join us. Complete this form. Tell us about your current situation: How’s it been, what do you miss, is there a pleasant surprise amid the chaos? And, send us a selfie so we can see your face.

We’re all doing life, work and school differently, but we can still do Furman. We’ll just do Furman from home.