The Club Swim Team - Corona Style

 I have swam since I was eight years old. It is something that I got into young to strengthen my heart, and my family fell in love. I have always done it for fun, but my twin swims super competitively. She is swimming for Xavier, a D1 school in Cincinnati, and her and her roommate talked me into checking out the club swim team here at the University of Kentucky. Once I met some of the people on the team, I was hooked. Being on a swim team in the middle of a pandemic is very weird though. For starters, our conditioning and strength training has had to be conducted outside. We usually meet at Pieratt field by the Johnson center because it has plenty of space for us to really spread out. Everyone must be at least six feet apart, and masks are required, even when we are running. The weirdest part, however, is when we actually have swim practice. For starters, our time in the pool was greatly cut back. We used to have practice every night Sunday through Wednesday, but now we only get to practice on Mondays and Wednesdays. At a normal practice, we could condense into a small amount of lanes, but because of Covid, everyone must have their own lane. The only exception is if the other person on your lane starts on the opposite side of the pool than you. Since everyone is very spread out, hearing what the coaches are saying can be very difficult. Everyone must wear a mask on deck until the second they jump into the pool and must put it back on as soon as they get out. This can be annoying because then your mask gets soaked and will smell like chlorine. The pandemic also caused all of our meets to be cancelled. This really bummed me out because I was excited to travel to other colleges and compete. I joined the club swim team to meet new people, and I have, but it has been extremely difficult. Without being able to share lanes with people and go to meets, it can be hard to get to know the other members on the team. Hopefully we will be able to return to a semi-normal season soon.

Vaccine Politics

If a Russian Covid-19 vaccine proves to be vastly superior to any other in the world, the vaccine might become heavily intertwined in politics. Putin has expressed that they have a vaccine, but it is still undertested. His approach and view of the vaccine is very different than Trump's. Trump wants a vaccine because he is putting Americans and their health first. Putin wants a vaccine because he wants to use it to gain allies and have power. Here in the United States, a vaccine must go through many trials where thousands or tens of thousands of people are involved, but the vaccine trial held for the Russian vaccine only had 76 people. This could mean that the vaccine the Russian create and try to sell to other countries might be faulty and could give people false hope and sense of safety. Russia is hoping that the political pains outweigh the risk they are taking with the vaccine. I think if Russia had the first vaccine produced there would be a power shift, giving Russia more political power than they currently have. If Russia uses this vaccine to get totally rid of the pandemic in its country while others still have it, they will be able to use it as a bargaining chip against and for whatever they want.

Fighting Flu Shots

UK Instagram Story

In order to help promote everyone's health and wellbeing on campus, the University decided that flu shots are going to be required for all students and highly recommended for all faculty and staff. The University is even offering free flu shots to those who need it at certain times and locations around campus. When I saw the email announcing this, I did not think much of it. In class a couple weeks ago, we discussed the fear of a 'twindemic' where we will be fighting both COVID and the flu at the same time. It makes sense to ask everyone to get vaccinated to help try to lower the amount of people who get the flu. Needless to say, I was shocked when people were outraged by the announcement.

I have gotten the flu shot every year for as long as I can remember. My friends and family used to get it, so I assumed it was just a normal thing that everyone did. However, I have discovered that lots of people, such as my roommate, have never gotten the flu shot. My roommate is nervous and freaked out about getting the shot because she is afraid that she was get the flu from it. After talking to more people about it, I found out that never getting the flu shot is actually pretty common. That concept is odd to me. I thought that only anti-vaccinators did not get the flu shot. People, like my roommate, are mad at the university for making it a requirement. A boy in one of my classes was saying how he always gets sick when he gets the vaccine, so he does not want to get it. I never thought that people would be getting into fights about receiving something that is could help their health and the overall health of everyone at the university. Everyone needs to have documentation of the shot by November 1st. I guess we will see if people trying to fight the announcement will win, or if they will be forced to give up and just get the vaccine. 

Covid Vaccines and Global Cooperation

Covid is a disease fostered by globalization, and we know that we need to get a vaccine to spread worldwide. However, globalization also has a prominent effect on the Covid vaccine itself. For starters, different countries have different resources, so the Covid vaccine could be created in one county, tested in another, and mass produced in a third. Other countries could also be involved in creating other necessary materials for the vaccine such as vials, needles, syringes, and storage containers. The vaccine might also be created because of the cooperation of scientists, pharma companies, and industrial manufacturing facilities from different counties. Sharing information between these groups could help us spread the vaccine faster, but due to competition and greed, most companies may be hesitant to share their research. Once a vaccine is proven effective, it needs to be mass produced, so we can spread it around. In order to get the vaccine worldwide in a rapid fashion, companies from different parts of the world may have to work together to manufacture and mass produce it. Also, depending on what countries make the first round of vaccines, countries that lie between it and the vaccine's destination may have to work together to get it there, especially if the vaccine needs to be stored for a period of time like the vaccine that needed to be extremely cold. I do not think that this particular vaccine will be extremely useful because some countries simply do not have the means of keeping them cold. Overall, I think the most important part of globalization involved in the Covid vaccine is communication. This is how everyone will be kept updated on vaccines and how we are working towards ending this pandemic.

Mask Mistakes

One of the biggest problems that has been occurring on campus recently is that people are taking their masks off when they are inside buildings where they are supposed to be wearing them. This specifically is an issue inside the libraries around campus. It is not unusual for students to go to the library to study and do their work. The library has very limited seating currently due to Covid, so all of the chairs are 6 feet apart, and no one at long tables is sitting across from anyone. Students are going into the library, sitting down, and then taking their masks off. When I was there the other day, they had a police officer walking around telling people to put their masks on. I was shocked when people told them that they were allowed to have them off because they were eating and drinking. While some of them had food or a water bottle out, many of them fail to recognize that they can only move the mask when they are actively eating or drinking. It cannot just be used as an excuse to remove your mask. People were also putting it on until he walked away, and then just taking it right off again. It is kind of sad that people cannot seem to follow this simple rule.

This also occurred the other day when I was in the student center. They had a few workers routinely walking around to tables asking people to put their masks back on, or to pull them up over their mouths and noses. Many students are failing to recognize that they are still inside, and even though they are sitting down six-feet away from other people, they still need to wear their masks to protect themselves and everyone around them. It has gotten so bad that many departments, and even President Capilouto, are sending emails out to students to remind them that masks are required. They sent out appropriate and calm ways for students to encourage others to wear their masks as well. I hope that everyone starts to follow the rules so that we can stay on campus and keep everyone safe and healthy.

Online Education

I will start off by stating that I am not a fan of online learning. I do not think that it is beneficial, and I think the effects it is having on students is extremely detrimental. For starters, I do not think that it is giving students equal opportunities. College acts as an equalizer for students, and this equalization does not occur with virtual learning. A student who is from a low-income neighborhood may not have Wi-Fi at home, so they have to drop their classes because they cannot access their classwork. This is true of younger students as well. They may not have someone to help them with their work or have a parent to make sure that they are attending class and doing their work. It may be hard to see, but this is harming our future society. 

Preschool Promise Dayton Ohio

My aunt works for a not-for-profit company in Dayton, Ohio called Pre-School Promise. The company works to get inner-city students to a certain reading level before third grade because there is huge statistical evidence that correlates with their reading level and their future. Reaching the benchmarks significantly lowers the chance that they will drop out of school, and the number of kids who do not meet the reading level can help to predict how many people will be in jail cells in future years. This program is also used in Chicago, and it has helped to save the city millions of dollars. She was telling me how much online learning is setting back these little kids.

I believe that universities should have a hardship clause for students who are impacted by Covid. Whether it be from medical issues of themselves, someone they are taking care of, or be because of online learning, some students are failing classes they normally would have passed. The university should be more forgiving to these students with a clause that could allow students to drop classes or grades without harm to their transcript. This could be carried out fairly by having a board of people who look at each student applying for it and assessing each situation case-by-case. I believe this to be necessary because I have seen what online learning can do to someone's grades. I struggle with online learning because I am very much a hands-on learner, but I am still able to keep up with my classes. My older sister, however, is on an IEP and has had an awful time trying to learn virtually. She needs that face-to-face instruction. Luckily, the university she is attending had a hardship clause that allowed her to drop some of her classes last spring when everything turned completely virtual. 

There is also so much that can go wrong with online learning. The internet does not always cooperate, which can make it difficult for students and teachers to get things done. Wi-Fi can cut out, programs may not work on people's computers, and Zoom classes can face constant complications. Cheating is also so much harder to monitor when everything is virtual. Other countries are having in-person classes, and I think that they will have an advantage when it comes to the job market. I hope that next year, and possibly even next semester, we will be able tp go back to fully in-person classes because online learning is not doing anyone good.

COVID's Impact on My Parents

I know that Covid effected everyone, and the impact it had on different people and their lives really varied. I decided to interview my parents on their views about Covid, having kids in college during a pandemic, and the impacts Covid has had on theirs lives and jobs.

First, I interviewed my mom. My mom's overarching view of the pandemic is that everyone has gone crazy. She believes that people need to be cautious by wearing a mask, avoiding gatherings, and social distancing, but she struggles to understand how people just pause their lives for this pandemic. She would classify her friends in one of two categories: super strict or carefully living life. She says that none of her friends are being careless, but she believes some of them who have completely changed their lives around the pandemic are taking things too far. She says that one of our neighbors who she used to go on walks with won't even leave her house. Most of her friends though have the same views as her. They want to continue living their lives, so they have worked in daily precautions to keep themselves and everyone around them safe. They want their kids to be back in school and back into their activities. This leads me into my mom's view of having kids in college during a pandemic. She believes that kids are being shortchanged, and that education in-person is much more effective than when it is online. Having a child who had an IEP and struggles learning has helped her to see how these kids struggle with online learning the most, and she does not like how it is setting these kids behind. Covid has not had much of an impact on my mom's life because she already worked from home. None of the companies she does work for went out of business, so her workload went unimpacted. She says that the biggest impact on her life was socially. My mom is like me and is extremely social and loves to be involved in things. Covid has stopped her from being able to do things such as meet with her church group, volunteer at school and even go out to lunch or coffee with her friends.

peep the gaiter :)

Next, I interviewed my dad. His overarching view of Covid is that it is very overblown. He, like my mom, wishes that people looked at the science behind things instead of only listening to the media because many things people are putting out there have been proven wrong. When I asked him about having kids in college during a pandemic, he told me that he wasn't too worried. He thinks that people have made it out to be a huge challenge, and it is not as dangerous as people have made it seem. He feels as if his kids are safe and that universities are taking good precautions to keep everyone healthy. The pandemic affected his job pretty significantly at first. During the lockdown, he was one of the few people who still went to work at the office. He said to me "I was the person who made sure the office kept going." He had to step up into extra roles to keep everyone safe and complete tasks of those who were no longer there. He says that his company was no substantially effected. They are having a lot less travel and more employee issues (people asking for extra time off because of sickness, school, etc.), but that is about all. He says that he feels less connected with everyone in his life because there is always a layer between you and others. Socially, he says that the biggest change is just not getting together with other people like he used to. He wishes that the country did a better job weighing the economic cost-benefit analysis before the shutdown. Overall, my parents' lives have been changed because of the pandemic in different ways than mine.

Environmental Effects of Covid on Campus

There have been countless effects of COVID. Different aspects of the pandemic, such as the reduced use of cars, planes, and huge office buildings during the lockdown, were beneficial for the environment. However, I feel on campus as if we are moving backwards when working towards a "green," environmental-friendly campus. The first example of this is with masks. We all need to wear masks to keep each other safe, but walking around campus, you can see them scattered around on the ground, stuck in bushes, and in other random places. Many students and teachers use reusable masks, but there are still countless people who are not, and the masks they are failing to throw away are polluting the environment. The biggest environmental issue I have seen on campus is from the dining halls. Due to COVID, they are not using plates, so when you enter, you are given a Styrofoam container and a package of silverware with a napkin. This is causing so much waste.

The trash cans around campus are overflowing and have become infected with flies. The dining hall is selling plastic containers that are reusable, but most students see them as a burden because they have to carry them around and wash them. The dining halls are also not allowing for reusable water bottles to be filled, so this means that paper and Styrofoam cups are also being added to the huge amount of waste. I understand that the masks and not using plates are both necessary precautions that the University of Kentucky is taking to keep everyone safe, but it hurts me to see some of the environmental costs that it is having. I hope that soon we will be able to go back to some normality and work towards being a "green" campus.

UK Core Issue: How Do We Distribute Covid Vaccines?

If I were in charge and got to decide which residents in Fayette County, Kentucky received the Covid vaccine, there would be many factors I would look at. Some factors that need to be considered are age, comorbidities, occupation, location, and college students. If there were only enough vaccines for 1/3 of the county, I think that we should first give it to those working in healthcare. This would include everyone who works in the hospitals, even janitors and other non-medical staff. I think that they should be the first people to get it because they are most likely to come in contact with it each day. After everyone working in or around the healthcare field has received the vaccine, I think that those with comorbidities and the elderly should be given the opportunity to receive it. This would also include college students who have comorbidities. Giving the vaccine to these people first will help to make sure that those who are most susceptible get vaccinated early on. 

As more vaccines come into the county (when we have enough for more then 1/3 of the populations), I think that the next group to receive vaccination should be the students at the University of Kentucky. They account for the majority of the cases in Fayette, so I think that we should work towards vaccinated them early on. It would start with students who live on campus in the dorms, and then would work through certain groups, such as Greek life and athletes. Hitting these big groups will help to start herd immunity around campus. I hope that a Covid vaccine will be able to be administered here soon, and that we have a good plan on how to best spread it through our population.

COVID's Influence on Pop Culture

The pandemic has worked its way into every aspect of people's lives. One of the biggest ways people shared parts of their lives during the lockdown was through pop culture. This included funny tiktoks, YouTube videos, funny COVID songs from the music industry, and much more. Neil Diamond, an American singer-songwriter, made a video signing his famous hit "Sweet Caroline," but he changed some of the words to fit the pandemic. 

Neil Diamond's Update of "Sweet Caroline"

The video was a simple video filmed at Neil's home, featuring him sitting, playing the guitar, and singing the song, with a few clips of his dog. The lyrics "hands...touching hands" was changed to "hands...washing hands" to encourage people to wash their hands frequently. He also is reminding people to social distance by saying "Don't touch me, I won't touch you." This rendition of the classic song was a fun way to spread smiles during the toughest days of the pandemic. Neil Diamond started the video by saying "I know we’re going through a rough time right now, but I love you, and I think maybe if we sing together we might feel a little bit better." Thank you Neil for blessing us all with this updated version of your hit.

Example

Another example of the pandemic weaving into pop culture occurred in China. They began a tiktok trend of showing off street fashion, especially outfits incorporating masks. These tiktoks usually feature Chinese influencers walking in slow-motion, staring directly at the camera. They are sometimes wearing high-end brands, and their outfits are usually over the top. Occasionally, the videos feature couples or pairs wearing matching or complimentary outfits. The videos are just another friendly reminder to wear a mask when you are out, especially when you are in busy places such as the streets in China. 

Covid's Effect on My Lifestyle

The pandemic led to many changes in my daily life. One of the things that was effected the most was my eating habits. Before Covid-19, my family ate rather healthy, but because of it, my eating habits became even better. One of the biggest faults in my eating habits had been that my meals were never at consistent times because I was always so busy. Being involved in many school activities led me to eat dinner really late or really early. I had more meals on the go and would snack to help me make it meal to meal. With the shutdown, my meals became more consistent because I would eat lunch and dinner at relatively the same time everyday with my family. Eating with my family also helps my eating habits because then I do not just sit there on my phone while I eat, which can lead to overeating. The shutdown meant that everything was closed, so we could not go out to dinner like we occasionally would. This meant we were cooking all of our meals at home, which we usually do anyways, but because there were no other places to break up our cooking, some of the meals got repetitive. This encouraged us to try new, healthier meals such as making salads or cooking with fresh herbs we grew. The pandemic did lead to different shortages of things that my family buy normally such as chicken breasts and packets of yeast.

My exercise habits were also impacted by Covid. I have always an active person. I enjoy working out, and in high school, I swam and played lacrosse. When the shutdown came, it became a quick shock to me as I no longer had sports or gyms to workout at. The first week or so was rough because my body felt awful from going from always being active to not doing anything. I quickly developed a routine of walking my dog with my mom each day, and began to start doing some home workouts. I have never been a runner, but my twin even got me to go on a few runs with her. My sisters and I began biking around our town to explore, and my health was probably at a high right before I came to college. The switch to college food and gyms was a big one, but I am slowly adjusting myself to help keep my healthy lifestyle.

Food and Football Players

Tuesday, September 9th, my roommate and I expected a regular trip to the dining hall. We were in line behind a group of football players, not thinking much about it because all we saw were their backpacks, and both of us were starving. It was not until they were running around the stations that we noticed their lack of masks. Two of them were wearing ones around their chins but did not want to pull them up when an employee asked them. The other one did not have a mask at all. A manager of the dining hall came over to them and asked them to leave. After they made a big scene, the manager gave them a minute to get food and get out. However, the boys still took their sweet time. The one with out a mask grabbed a rag from the drink station and told the manager that it should count if he covered his mouth with it. Many minutes later, the manager and some other employees were able to escort the boys out of the dining hall. I was shocked to say the least at this encounter. First of all, I would have thought that the players would have been extra cautious because they would want to play their season. Second of all, I do not understand why they could not just follow the rules. If anything, wear the mask to be polite to others. Lastly, I was appalled by how they treated the workers. I do not know why they would think that they were above following the rules. Who would have thought that this is what I would be experiencing at college.

#MaskUpCats

Will We Stay?

Wellness Station

Covid has caused so many new rules and regulations to be put in place on campus. However, as a first-year, it is weird for me to think of campus in any other way. The big question floating around is "will we get to stay on campus for the full semester?". I wish I could answer this, but my guess is as good as yours. I believe that we have a good chance of being able to stay on campus for the full semester. I think this because the University of Kentucky has put in place may guidelines to keep everyone safe. They have social distancing everywhere, require masks all over campus, and have taken many other precautions such as moving some classes and activities online. They have signs everywhere reminding you to follow the rules and to take steps of your own such as frequently washing your hands, avoiding crowds, and staying out of enclosed spaces when possible. The university has also placed wellness stations around campus to help provide students with things they may need, such as masks, wipes, and hand sanitizers. UK has been doing constant testing to help watch numbers. Originally everyone was tested; then Greek life was re-tested. I am not sure who they plan on testing next, but the university does provide free testing for anyone who wants it, so if someone is feeling ill, they have an easy and accessible way to get tested. One of the main things that I believe will help keep us on campus is that the students seem to really want to stay. People are being extra cautious because they do not want to become quarantined or to have everyone sent home. Here is a video of Coach Calipari encouraging everyone to be safe:

(click on picture for link)

    Even with all of these positives, I still cannot say that I am sure that we will get to stay. It is hard to be completely optimistic when I am talking to my friends at other universities with rising numbers. One of my close friends attends Indiana University where all of there Greek life was shutdown because of the amount of Covid in their houses. I fear that one bad weekend could cause an issue like this for us. Another school my friends are at that is struggling is the University of Dayton. Their number of cases is so high that they have been on a level 4 lock-down, and the university is threatening to send them all home.