Monthly Archives: March 2020

Most kids in this country grew up in some sort of a neighborhood or even a cul de sac. Maybe you knew a few of your surrounding neighbors, or maybe not. Maybe Mom would wave at Jim across the street or sometimes chat with Karen on the curb/sidewalk/driveway/stairwell/apartment building hallway/what have you. Maybe your relationship with those who lived near you was friendly but never intimate or involved. Maybe you had one or two parents, or a big blended family, maybe one or more older siblings to teach you about life. Not me, though; I was raised by more than 15 adults.

It wasnt quite since birth, but since age three when my family moved to a commune called Tierra Nueva Cohousing on the central coast of California. This intentional of parents taught me everything.

Before I even learned how to share space with my younger sister, at the age of 3 I was already learning how to share almost everything with a community of over 20 families. Cohousing, which originated in Scandinavia, involves getting a like-minded group of people together and building a communal living arrangement. Typically, this means clustering houses so that cars are on the perimeter and open space is maximized. Though we lived in separate homes, we were all connected under a canopy of avocado trees through weaving terra cotta pathways.

In cohousing, sharing resources is key, and for this reason these communities have shared laundry facilities, workshops, game rooms, etc. We shared cars, cats, a garden, (free!) child care, a chicken coop, and a yoga studio. We also shared the common house, our general gathering place for shared meals, meetings, parties, and guest housing. (The common house was also where my friends and I would play dress-up, start a fire in the library unsupervised, sneak-watch inappropriate TV, and have our first spin-the-bottle experience.)

Tierra Nueva proper was established in 1997 after its founders Frank and Steph Recceri had already held years of meetings, retreats, and community-building activities in preparation. Cohousing is all about nonviolent communication, consensus-based decision making, and generally pitching in so the Recceris cultivated a community where families were happy to collaborate, share, and grow together. As kids, we always felt safe as well as encouraged to explore and figure things out on our own. I know it sounds like the wholesome beginning of the Rajneesh movement but dont worry: The Tierra Nueva community is to this day still thriving upon the same ideals it was built on over 20 years ago.

Growing up in this little community had its pros and cons. Living closely with people from all different backgrounds can be just as wonderful as it is challenging. I was not only raised by many adults; I was also raised and taught by my peers. But growing up on a commune was, for me, the best possible parenting I could have had. Heres what it taught me.

This became clearer to me when I was a teenager. Because we share almost everything in cohousing, there can be quite a lack of privacy. These adults watch you grow up, and then once youre a teenager you are under a microscope. They question your decisions and know all too much about that boy youre dating at school or that blowout fight you got in with your best friend. Sometimes its great; you feel loved and seen. Other times, it can be a drag, especially in that weird teen stage of life.

When my cohousing sisters and I hit around 15, we began to experiment with marijuana and alcohol. Unlike a normal household, where you usually keep this stuff from your parents, try it at a friends house or behind the school, we were trying it in cohousing. When one of my close friends started smoking weed out her window every night, the next-door neighbor threw a huge fit, called the cops, and threatened to send her to juvie. And this didnt happen only once: This happened nearly any time any of us would try to smoke inside, outside, on the roof, in the woods, you name it. Of course, we also tried to use the common house to throw a rager. And as any parent knows, teens can be careless, they dont necessarily clean up, they can be very loud, and they dont often give a rats ass about where they are partying as long as it isnt their place. Needless to say, the rager attempt did not go well for us.

The girls and I also used to brag about where we lived. We were the cool, easygoing hippies who always had a good unsupervised place to throw a party. But because we were using communal space, we were actually under a surprising amount of scrutiny. We would usually get a scathing email to the whole community the next day or a neighbor would just plain crash our party, frowning and muttering about the noise. But hey, sometimes we would actually get an elderly neighbor party crasher who just wanted to join in on the fun!

In cohousing, there was always something to explore, and we kids were lucky enough to do a lot of that exploration on our own. The entire community was a safe space in which we could play, grow, and use our imaginations. Every morning, I would wake up, run over to my best friends house, decide what game we were going to play that day, dress up, and hit the sidewalk. Our mothers wouldnt see us home until dinner.

We would spend all day playing out our elaborate imaginary games: Wed be orphans running away from the orphanage, wed set up camp and start some mud soup for dinner. If the boys ever found their way into our game, they would have to be the bad guys; we would run from them, through the common house, down the green road to the garden and onto the trampoline. Through unsupervised play, we gained independence, creativity, as well as rooted communication skills.

If conflict arose between us kids, we were taught the importance of nonviolent communication. For example, my best boy friend and I loved to fight with swords; we were usually Zoro and Elena or Lancelot and Guinevere. When it came time to pick out our clothes and character for the day, the adults around ensured that Riley and I used our words to get what we wanted instead of hitting each other immediately, which of course was what we wanted to do.

This simple reliance on verbal communication from such a young age proved to be more valuable than I could have imagined, and it would even set me up for success when I went off to college. There, I was sharing ideas and space all over again except this time, I got to show students from all different backgrounds the value of what was instilled in me so young. Throughout my life, this positive communication has improved my work, relationships, and creative endeavors.

If given the opportunity, would I raise my future children in cohousing? Absolutely. In the end, the pros outweigh the cons. I feel incredibly grateful that I experienced the childhood I did; being raised by a literal village provided me with a great sense of love, shelter, and what we all seek: community and connection. I learned how to empathize and walk in someone elses shoes.

There is wonderful value in humans working together to create something so special and sacred together, and each one of those 15+ adults as well as the kids in Tierra Nueva taught me and supported me in ways I will never forget.

Here are the best green gifts for your own little flower child.

The rest is here:

I Was Parented by 15 Adults on a Commune & This is What It Taught Me - SheKnows

My inbox is flooded with news about the coronavirus outbreak. Every hour, Im hearing about how many people are infected and dying, how woefully unprepared we are for this pandemic, and how the economy is tanking. Its enough to make my head explode with panic and dread.

Of course, I want to stay informed, and its important to know what I can do to help prevent the spread of the infection. How can I do that without feeling overwhelmed? Is there a better way to consume the news?

It turns out that there is, according to media experts and researchers. Taking in a constant stream of alarming news increases your stress and anxietyand has long-term consequences for your physical health, too. The key is to balance your media diet with news stories that are more inspiring or offer solutions, and then share them with friends and family. Taking those steps will help instill a sense of hope and personal agency, in yourself and others.

Of course, we need to know whats going on with the coronavirus pandemic in order to make good decisions, like washing our hands regularly and social distancing. Those actions help us fight the spread of the disease. But, as a new paper published in Health Psychology suggests, constantly reading negative, sensationalist news stories can have long-term consequences for our well-being.

Alison Holman and her colleagues at UC Irvine have studied past epidemics and disasters to see how news reporting affects people. They found that those who read or saw more sensationalist, repetitive news stories experienced acute stress and other symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress disorder, with poorer health up to three years later.

These effects can be even harsher for people in communities that have already suffered disaster. In one study, Holman and her colleagues found that New Yorkers (who lived through 9/11) following sensationalist news stories about the Boston Marathon bombings had as much stress as people who actually lived in Boston where the bombings took place.

Media coverage tends toward sensationalism, showing repeated images designed to grab your attention, and repeated exposure to that is not good for our mental health, says Holman. This can become a distress cycle, where people have a lot of fears about what the future looks like, and it just gets worse and worse as people continue to pay too much attention to the media.

Holman also points out how a diet of bad news hurts our ability to make good decisionsespecially under circumstances where the future seems uncertain or ambiguous. In the current epidemic, she sees this playing out by people hoarding products like toilet paper or, more seriously, protective masks needed by health care workers. Overblown fears lead people to run to the doctor when they have even mild symptoms of infection, thereby clogging up health care facilities needed for more serious cases.

Luckily, there are ways to get factual information without gorging ourselves on negative news. Holman recommends going to The Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization websites for information about the virus that is less alarmist and also non-partisan. Reading the facts about the disease and what we can do to prevent its spreadmaybe once a day, suggests Holmanis infinitely better for us than scrolling through our newsfeeds on social media every hour.

Dont let yourself sit there in front of your computer and constantly look up and refresh your screen to see whats going on, says Holman. Things are changing fast, but we already know what we need to do.

Still, its hard to pull our attention away from fear-inducing news; our minds fight us. As John Tierney, coauthor of The Power of Bad, explains, our brains have a negativity bias thats designed to root out danger so that we can stay safe. We cant help but be hijacked by bad news stories, and news sources want to capitalize on that by publishing the most sensational stories designed to invoke fear.

As an example, he points to the many articles and websites monitoring death rates from COVID-19 and speculating on how bad it could get without having all of the factslike how many real cases there are in a community, including people exposed to the virus without showing symptoms. Following this barrage of misinformation might incite fear rather than rational responses to the pandemic, Tierney says.

Media researcher Karen McIntyre of Virginia Commonwealth University also warns us that negative news can lead us to be less kind and helpful toward others, right at the time we need to come together the most. While research suggests that experiencing positive emotions can make us better friends and neighbors, consuming a lot of negative news leads people to be less tolerant of others, engage in more antisocial behavior, trust people less, and criticize the media more, she says. All of these general, negative effects of negative news are just exacerbated during a time like this, when were seeing even more negative news.

Sensationalist news is pretty hard to avoid, thoughespecially if you are tuned into social media. Social media has its upsides, of course, allowing us to check in with people we cant see in person due to social isolation. But it can also be a firehose of bad news, where stories about the pandemicwhether accurate or notare shared over and over again, perpetuating fear, anger, and hopelessness.

As media expert Jeff Hancock of Stanford University warns, Getting your news from news outlets in social media is problematic, because were still having a hard time distinguishing between reputable sources online and non-reputable ones.

To avoid being taken for an emotional ride by these highly emotional, clickbait, misinformation-type stories, he suggests avoiding them altogether and reading only news stories written by reputable journalists or looking to science experts to provide accurate information about the pandemiclike this site from John Hopkins University.

We also need to be careful about how a constant diet of negative news might affect our rational response to the pandemic. Cognitive biases impact how we process news, too, according to McIntyre. For example, our brains confirmation bias drives us to seek out only information thats aligned with what we already believe and to discredit the rest; the anchoring bias means we rely heavily on the first piece of information we hear and ignore what comes after. Biases like these can prevent us from learning from the ever-changing news around the pandemic, hurting our chances to fight it effectively.

The optimism biasthinking bad things are less likely to happen to us than to other peopleis a problem, too, says McIntyre. If you think youre unlikely to get COVID-19, you may be less inclined to take the necessary precautions to prevent it from spreading. So, we need to be careful about how these biases make us pay attention to certain types of news and ignore others.

Being aware of these biases can help you prevent yourself from falling prey to them, she says.

What can we do instead? We can be more selective about our media consumption and use it to promote more kindness, connection, and inspiration.

If you are going to use social media, Hancock suggests using it to see how the people you care about are doing, how you can keep calm, or how to help others in needespecially your nearby neighbors and communities.

Media can show us what people are doing so that we might feel like its not just usnot just mestuck at home, he says. If I can see what other people are doing, it can make us feel like were all in the same boat, and I think that can be really powerful.

While fear leaves people feeling helpless and exhausted, seeing that were in it together helps ease the emotional burden we feel and encourages more agencythe sense that we can do something constructive to fight the pandemic. You can encourage more coming together, McIntyre suggests, by reading whats called solutions-based journalismstories that go into depth around a problem, but also let you know whats being done to solve the problem effectively.

When you see whats workingthat the news isnt all bad, and there are a lot of things that the world is doing well right nowthat helps ease the helplessness and hopelessness you may be feeling, she says. And it can lead to more altruism, too, because reading a news story about how somebody is doing something to help inspires you to want to do something to help, too.

Where can people go to get this kind of news? McIntyre suggests the Solutions Journalism Network, where you can find a large database of solution-focused news storiesincluding stories related to the virus. She also mentions that several newspapers, including the New York Times and the Guardian, have sections that focus on uplifting news stories, which can help us break up our diet of bad news.

Though most newspapers operate on the assumption that if it bleeds, it leads, it may surprise you to know that positive, in-depth reporting engages readers more than sensationalist stories, says McIntyre. Research shows that people share uplifting stories more, and they keep their eyes on the page longer when they read solution-based storiesall the more reason for news outlets to provide more positive and in-depth coverage and for all of us to share it.

Its important that we do try to read the news thoroughly and listen to all the facts, says McIntyre. Making sure that youre checking your sources, that youre going to reliable sources to get information, and that you get a mix of sources, incorporating some constructive news into your mixall of these things help.

Staying informed without alarming yourself is not just important for you, but for everyone. If we can all do our part to put ourselves on what Tierney calls a low bad news diet, no doubt we will get through this pandemic together better and help preserve our own mental health in the process.

Link:

How to Be Intentional About Consuming Coronavirus News - Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley

The fourth annual Wayne State UniversitySpiritofCommunityAwardshonormembers of the university for their community engagement efforts.

The awards is sponsored by theDivision of Government and Community Affairs (DGCA)in partnership with theOfficeofthe President,theOfficeofthe Provost, theAlumni Association, theOfficeofDiversity and Inclusionand theDeanofStudentsOffice.

DGCA will present Spirit of Community Awards to individual staff and faculty members and will also recognize one community service project. Other awards include the SpiritofCommunityStudent Awards, presented by the Dean of Students Office; the ChampionsofDiversity and Inclusion Award, given out by theOfficeofDiversity and Inclusion; and the Inspire from Within Awards, presented by the Alumni Association.

Although the ceremony scheduled for April 2 has been canceled at this time, the contributing offices are proud to honor the deserving individuals receiving Spirit of Community awards this year.

In the last of the 2020 Spirit of Community award announcements, the Champions of Diversity and Inclusion Awards recognize faculty, staff and students with an established and successful record in creating and sustaining a diverse, inclusive and welcoming campus. The goal of recognizing these leaders is to increase understandingandappreciation ofdiversityand inclusionefforts throughout the WSU community.

Faculty award recipient: Jennell White, Ph.D.,Assistant Pharmacology Professor (Research),Wayne State University School of Medicine,Departments ofPharmacology/Pediatrics

Jennell White is being recognized for her leadership and tireless efforts in addressing the underrepresentation of minorities in research and for her work in reducing health care disparities.In an effort to support and encourage minorities in STEM careers, White developed the Biomedical Career Advancement Program (BCAP) in 2014, in partnership with Wayne State University School of Medicine, the Southeast Regional Center Area Health Education Center, Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority and Detroit Public Schools (DPS).BCAP offers inner-city youth summer employment and an educational opportunity devoted exclusively to biomedical research, mentoring and training. The program is based on Whites understanding that an effective resolution to diversify individuals in STEM careers was to increase opportunities and improve science education early and ignite a passion for science.Since 2014, she has mentored more than 200 DPS high school students and established strong partnerships to continue her efforts.

Staff award recipient: Harmanpreet Singh,Academic Advisor,Department of Psychology

Harman Singh is an academic advisor with the Department of Psychology at Wayne State University. Singh is being recognized for going above and beyond in his outreach to and opportunities provided for students on campus, particularly those in underrepresented groups. His advising philosophy is to empower students to make informed decisions about their academic and professional goals, and challenge students to take a proactive approach in their education. As a proud alumnus of Wayne State University, Singh firmly believes in the university's mission and seeks to address issues of equity and inclusion through his work. Outside of his role as an academic advisor, Harman is the co-founder of Seva4Everybody, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the metro Detroit community.

Student award recipient: Laial Beidoun,B.A. in Political Science, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,Class of 2019

Laial Beidoun is recent graduate of Wayne State University andis being recognized for advocating for peace, charity, and inclusion on Wayne States campus and throughout metro Detroit area.She grew up in Dearborn, Michigan, a metro Detroit suburb that is home to the largest Middle Eastern population in the United States. Giving back to her local community was a cultural and religious obligation, and in 2017 she decided to expand those efforts onto campus by founding local nonprofit organization, Mission: Possible (MPO). Initially a student organization, MPO has been extended onto five other university campuses and has reached State 501(c)3 status. MPOs mission concentrates on promoting harmony, equality and diversity within their team and the communities they serve, supporting unity among all races and ethnicities.

In her time at Wayne State, Beidoun pursued a bachelors in political science and participated in the departmental honors program. In addition to MPO, she has also founded the campus organization Together We Rise, which focuses on networking opportunities for female students and young professionals with campus and community events. As a continuation of her academic career, Beidoun will be pursuing her J.D. in fall 2020.

Team award recipient: Internationals@WayneThe student organization Internationals@Wayne is a platform for students who want to create lasting friendships with people from different cultures and backgrounds, build a global community, and explore the great city of Detroit together. Internationals@Wayne is being recognized for its work in supporting and enhancing an inclusive global campus environment for domestic and international students. Diversity and inclusion are the core values of the group, and its members work hard to promote these ideals through their functions, with the overall mission of working to increase cultural awareness on campus.

The organization was founded by German exchange students Constanze Febee Sabathil and Andreas Krug in 2016 with the guidance of Yuliya Harris, a former events and program coordinator for the Office for International Students and Scholars (OISS). Sabathil and Krug noticed that many international students only came together once a week for the OISS Coffee Hour. While they loved the weekly gathering, they thought they could enhance their experience in the United States by spending more time together, exploring more of Detroits beautiful spots and history, and learning more about one anothers cultures and traditions. Their initiative was supported by Harris and the OISS, who assisted in giving the students a greater ability to connect and form an international family on campus.

The Dean of Students Office honors three students who havedemonstrated exceptional commitment to service and community engagement at Wayne State University and in the Detroit community.The awards have been broken into categories, including theWarrior Spirit and PrideAward, theCampus Engagement and Community InvolvementAward, and the Student Wellness and Well-BeingAward.

The Warrior Spirit and Pride Awardrecognizes a student who demonstrates the honest meaning of being a Warrior through extra- and co-curricular engagement experiences.

Award recipient:Bailee Soper

Bailee Soper is a senior who will graduate with a bachelors in psychology this April. During her time at Wayne State, she has been involved with multiple different on-campus organizations. For the past year, she has served as the president ofWAYN Radio, the universitys student-run radio station, and during the last two summers, Soper worked as an orientation leader, where she focused her time on building lasting relationships with new students visiting campus for the first time. In this role, Soper also communicated to incoming and current Wayne State students all that the university has done for her personally throughout her undergraduate experience.

Soper takes immense pride in her commitment to Wayne State. Having been a member of the 2019 homecoming court, she is passionate about representing the university and is dedicated to being a Warrior for life. Soper will begin her Master of Social Work at Wayne State in the upcoming fall semester, and she is determined to stay involved through alumni relations and other campus-related roles.

Warrior Spirit and Pride Award Honorable Mentions:

TheCampus Engagement and Community Involvement Awardrecognizes a student who demonstrates initiative and shows a commitment to service at Wayne State and within the greater Detroit community.

Award recipient: Shanmin Sultana

Shanmin Sultana is a sophomore majoring in sociology with a double minor in public health and Spanish. Sultana works as a student assistant for the WSU Public Health Department and as a mediator for Science Gallery Detroit, an interdisciplinary exhibition where she facilitates STEAM conversations with visitors and Detroit youth. She also serves on the organizations Youth Advisory Board.

From 2018 to 2019, Sultana served as director of internal affairs for "Paani," a nonprofit fueled by student volunteers creating sustainable solutions to supply clean water and improve health disparities.Sultana helped secure funds for 20 water wells built in rural villages of southern Pakistan, as well as $2,000 worth of hygiene products for a female vocational school in Karachi. On campus, she co-founded "Replenish Detroit,"a student organization with over 100 WSU students, focused on bringing awareness to the Detroit Water Shut Offs through relief projects.

Sultana also co-founded a new student organization called Pauseitivity. Upon hearing news about two Michigan students who took their lives within one week this year, Sultanas goal was to improve the mental and emotional health of her fellow students. She works with volunteers to pause for a minute and share small acts of kindness while encouraging others to pass it along, too. She hopes to spread a positive atmosphere on campus, especially when academic stress can be overwhelming. In her free time, Sultana enjoys creating art, writing poetry and exploring the hidden gems of the city.

Campus Engagement and Community Involvement AwardHonorable Mentions

TheStudent Wellness and Well-Being Awardrecognizes a student who supports wellness and well-being opportunities for fellow Warriors through leadership and participation.

Award recipient: Nadir Fouani

Nadir Fouani is a senior who will graduate in April with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and a double minor in sociology and public health. Fouani is actively involved with the campus community and has held many leadership roles during his time at Wayne State. Fouani has an extensive background in mentoring other students, working with diverse groups and fostering community engagement. He works hard to serve those in need and seeks to make a strong impact at Wayne State University through his efforts toward improving the overall student experience. His background includes working as a resident advisor, serving as a campus ambassador for international students, assisting incoming students with their transition to college as an orientation leader, and being president of Warrior Suicide Prevention.

In the past, Fouani has led a building-wide food and toiletry drive for the W Food Pantry, collecting over 400 donations. Fouani has won RA of the Year, the Be There award at the Student Center and was awarded a State of Michigan Tribute for his mental health advocacy on House Bill #4325.

These experiences helped Fouani decide to pursue a future in student affairs. He will begin his Master of Arts in student affairs administration at Michigan State University this fall. His ultimate goal is to work with underprivileged and disadvantaged students, particularly those who suffer from behavioral health issues and are in need of academic, personal, emotional and financial support.

Student Wellness and Well-Being Award Honorable Mentions

The Inspire from Within Philanthropy Award recognizes WSU faculty and staff whose philanthropic investments help strengthen the Wayne Statecommunity. Through significant and intentional annual giving, WSU faculty and staff have the opportunity to serve the university, illustrate the powerofgenerosity and inspire others to give in similar ways.

The 2020 honor goes to Professor Deb Habel, who is a member of the Mike Ilitch School of Business faculty. She has taught accounting information systems and principles of managerial accounting since 2014. Whether its her time volunteering as a healthy test subject in multiple medical studies, contributing to the efforts of a number of university and school committees, serving as faculty advisor to student organizations and Accenture-DTE intern cohorts, or soliciting the WSU community to participate in Heart Walk and Race for the Cure, her priority is student success, inside and outside Wayne State University.

Among her many accomplishments, Habel was appointed by the American Institute of CPAs to serve as an academic champion for future CPA and CITP exam candidates last year. In this role, she has formalized one-on-one mentoring with students pursuing accounting and technology consulting professions. Furthermore, the Excel proficiency crash-courses Habel initiated for students have evolved into a comprehensive required course for all incoming Ilitch School undergraduates.

As a member of the Learning Management System selection committee and a Canvas Warrior, Habel supplies support to her faculty colleagues through the migration of learning management systems, aiding in the shift from Blackboard to Canvas. Her advocacy for the Accounting Aid Society offers WSU students service-learning opportunities with their volunteer income tax assistance and financial literacy programs.

Habel has given more than just her time and expertise to Wayne State, though. She has also gone above and beyond to support her love for the university through philanthropic efforts. Her familys monetary contributions to the university allow students to reduce their dependency on student loans and part-time employment, enabling them to receive secure financial footing.

Celebrating Warriors engagement in the community, the first round of announcements for winners of the 2020 Spirit of Community Awards honor a Wayne State University staff member, faculty member and project. Presented by the Division of Government and Community Affairs, the Spirit of Community awards recognize members of the university who best demonstrate a commitment to service and community engagement. Nominations for this years awards were accepted last fall and were each judged by a unique panelcomposedof one student, staff member, faculty member, alumni and community leader.

Staff Winner:

Associate Vice President of Enrollment ManagementDawn Medleyspends much of her time leadingeffortsto help students at Wayne State Universityand the surrounding community further their education by targeting the re-engagement of adult students and debt forgiveness.

As the creator of the Warrior Way Back program the nations first student-debt-forgiveness program Medleyoften collaborates with other academic institutions to help supportreturning students. Leading a social justice model to prevent barriers that block students from educational access,Medleyhelped create the Wayne Access tuition pledge, which provides free tuition toWSUsneediest students. She is also the visionary behindthe Heart of Detroit tuition pledge, which provides the option of subsidized tuition for Wayne State-bound students who live in Detroit or graduate from a Detroit high school.

Throughout her professionallife, Medley has supported women andunderrepresented students, and promoted access to higher education. In addition, she actively participates in theW Food Pantry, Warrior Wardrobe, and serves as a mentor. She is a member of the Detroit College Access Network (DCAN) and Michigan College Access Network (MCAN)leadership boards,volunteered for the Human Rights Campaign, andmade over 20,000 phone callsduring the 2018 elections.

Medley provides pro-bono college advising and sponsors scholarships in her hometown. She is one of 69 members of the Leadership Detroit Class XLI, which challengesemerging and existing community leaders to bring about positive change in the community through informed leadership.

The Honorable Mentions for the staff award are:

Faculty Winner:

DianeCress became heavily involved in community engagement when sheestablished the firstservice-learningrequirement in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science (NFS) by requiringstudentsin her course,NFS 6850: Controversial Issues in Nutrition, to complete a community volunteer experience. Cresshas developedcommunity partnerships across Detroit with such organizations as Gleaners Food Bank, Forgotten Harvest, Earthworks, Detroit Food Policy Council, Eastern Market, Make Food Not Wasteand The W Food Pantry. Through the service-learning requirement, herstudents have contributed over 600 hours of service to the Detroit community over the past three years.

Cresstookher work further andbuilt internship programsto create ongoing community experiences for exceptionally motivated students.Two of themost successful internships she developed arewith theW Pantry and the Fueling Station. In the pantry, two interns work with the staff each semester to create menus and nutrition education for students utilizing those resources. At theFueling Station,studentscollaboratewith the WSU athletics departmenttoprepare and distribute food and provide general nutrition information to NCAA collegiate student-athletes.

Cress work has helped students learnhow food systems contribute to health; specifically, to the health of the Detroit community.She has increasedstudent participationand activismin the communityand provided studentsan opportunity to observe the work the people of Detroit are doing to advocate for policies that foster access to healthfulfood and healthy living.Shehas securedfour extramurally funded grants, which have solidified a Wayne State Universitynutritionalresearch presence in the community, creating awareness for health disparities throughout Detroit.

The Honorable Mentions for the faculty award are:

Project Winner:

Established eight years ago, S.A.V.E.T.H.E.Ms"Stomping Out"projectis an annual High School health fair and step show competition that engages metro Detroit high school students.Organized by Wayne States College of Nursingfaculty, staff and students, this annual event gathers thecommunitytosupport students as they artistically express themselves, while educating their peers about health issues specific to their age group.

Using an evidence-based approach to health education, Stomping Out puts a new spin on traditional health education by creating a fun and engaging activity that brings over 40 vendors and health organizations together annually. This event reaches over 300 individualseach year and providesinformation, resources and health screenings to the attendees. Stomping Out targets the adolescent population, which reaches their families and community, providing a safe and non-threatening environment to learn and ask questions.

TheCollege of Nursingand the programs more than 40 community partnershave the shared goal of educatingand empoweringlocal youth. In2016,theCollege of Nursing partnered with theCollege of Education to conduct a needs assessment for the event and published an evidence-based article describing the positive impact that Stomping Out has had on the community.This projecthas also provided an annual practicum placement for undergraduate students in Wayne States public health programs, providing a truly interdisciplinary, hands-on learning experience for WSU students.

Honorable Mentions:

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2020 Spirit of Community Award winners announced - The South End

Artist and curator Amy Jorgensen (courtesy Amy Jorgensen)

This is the latest installment of the interview seriesMeet the Art Community of the US Southwest. Check out our past interviewshere.

Amy Jorgensen is cofounder of Granary Arts and is currently their Executive Director and Chief Curator. With the vision of supporting long-term engagement between artists and communities, she has curated over 50 exhibitions of artists working in contemporary art and produced companion exhibition catalogues. In addition to developing a spectrum of cultural and educational programming, she launched the Granary Arts Fellows program, Film Feast, and the initiative Critical Ground which explores the impact of art criticism hierarchies and the democratization of art critique. Dedicated to the arts as a maker, facilitator, and educator, Jorgensen was recently honored as one of Utahs Most Influential Artists. In 2019 she spearheaded the publishing of the portfolio and exhibition of DE|MARCATION, the first comprehensive look at the state of contemporary photography in Utah.

Jorgensen is also an interdisciplinary artist whose diverse practice involves creating conceptual, immersive works that blend photography, performance, and video. In the realization of her work, she mines historical and contemporary perspectives to explore alternate and intersecting narratives of the body, desire, violence, and power.She is an Associate Professor of Visual Art at Snow College where she is head of Photography and Media, a member of the Board of Directors for the Utah Arts Council, and a member of the Acquisition Committee for the State of Utah Allice Merrill Horne Art Collection.

Born in Milan, Italy, she received a BFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Tufts University, and an MFA from the University of California San Diego. Jorgensen lives and works remotely in the high plains desert of Utah, and wholeheartedly embraces the practice of building the community you want to be a part of.

***

How long have you been in Ephraim/Utah?

I moved to Ephraim, Utah 15 years ago after an equal amount of time living in major metropolitan areas. It was an intentional move designed to cultivate a life with greater access to the wide open spaces of the West, and be in closer proximity to family. I finished high school in Utah, and placed some deep roots on this turf, the landscape holds formidable ground in my imagination.

What is the first strong memory you have of art?

My parents home was filled with art every wall, table, surface, and stairwell covered. They had a deep appreciation for the relationships and attachments they made with artists and places, in many ways they were collectors of both memory and objects. My childhood friends jokingly referred to my house as the museum. So, I suppose Ive been living and working in museums and galleries for a lifetime. They had a large-scale painting that hung over the dining table, my recollection is that it came from Germany or Poland. It was a heavy and dark scene of a nighttime forest in the depths of winter, and deeply marked with visible brush strokes, more like peaks and troughs. In the midst of this low-key sea of murkiness, there was one blob of creamy white paint. It was my favorite part of the painting, a kind of visual lifeboat in this emotionally hopeless image. This one, creamy, solitary mark on the surface of that canvas is my earliest and strongest memory of art. In retrospect, its such a powerful and visceral indicator of the connections we build to art, and the experiences of the artists who create it.

What are you questioning through your practice right now?

At the time of this interview, the world has been utterly upended by the coronavirus pandemic, COVID-19, and most of the country is under some form of isolation or lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus. Its difficult to think of anything else; this is a defining moment. I am questioning how this will change us. What are the long-term impacts going to be for artists and creative communities? And how will the arts speak to this moment from the perspective of the future?

As Granary Arts transitions from a physical to a virtual space as part of this global response, we are collaborating with the PARC Collective as our next Granary Arts Fellow. They will be exploring the impact of incubation in communities through online content sharing.

What challenges do you face as an artist in Ephraim/Utah?

Ill respond from two perspectives, first, as a curator. In the state of Utah, there are only a handful of museum-based curators dedicated to contemporary art, and they are all located in urban areas. Im the curator at a non-profit contemporary art space located in rural central Utah in a county with a population of roughly 30,000. There are many challenges embedded in the above statistics isolation, politics, resources, networks, poverty all of which are amplified tenfold as a rurally-based curator. Yet, Granary Arts and our mission of supporting contemporary practice is thriving. Built into heart of our structure is the interchange between local and global what has meaning and value to one is also relevant to the other.

Responding as an artist, isolation is the most significant hurdle. In a rural area, there is no immediate access to the vast cultural network and resources found in urban centers, so you have to work much harder to build those systems yourself. I recall when I first moved to Ephraim, the people taking my ticket at the local movie theatre were also the police chief and a city council member. It was fantastic, yet it was the moment I realized everyone in small towns wears multiple hats. The vision for cofounding Granary Arts with fellow artist and long-time friend Kelly Brooks emerged from a similar realization. We recognized that we wanted to live in a place with access to great contemporary art, and that meant engaging in the community, and making it happen.

What is the most impactful or memorable art experience youve had in the last year?

A project many years in the works, I was able to see the completion of DE|MARCATION: A Survey of Contemporary Photography In Utah, a limited edition portfolio co-curated by myself and Edward Bateman, and published by Red Butte Press. Originally inspired by a visit to the archives of the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, I began to think about how the portfolio format, popular in the 1970s, could be used in contemporary practice. There were multiple goals: build the photographic community, provide a platform for Utah voices, support the working careers of artists, and place the work of Utah photographers, as a group, on the national radar. The project took three years, dozens of collaborators, and thousands of hours to create.

The collection surveys the contemporary photographic landscape of creative practice by artists in the state of Utah as they navigate new territory in the global dialogue of imagemaking. The works delineate new boundaries and challenge the photographic traditions of the West as a hallowed land the landscape as a rugged vista to be conquered and tamed under the banner of Manifest Destiny and the settling of Zion. Intended to serve as a record of a historical moment, the collection reflects the dynamics of shifting cultural narratives and our relationship to place in a richly interconnected world.

When you are working a project do you have a specific audience in mind?

In curating programming at Granary Arts, I map out an 18-24 month trajectory. Within that timeframe I create a narrative arc for exploring a cross-section of ideas, voices, and perspectives that will resonate with our audience. Its a wholistic approach recognizing the spectrum of the art ecosystem, and the interesting challenge of building real connections with those who may have limited experience with contemporary art.

What questions do you feel arent being asked of or by creative people in your community?

How do we communicate the value of creative labor to audiences, and ultimately increase monetary compensation for creative work? Artists, writers, curators, and other creative collaborators contribute significant time and energy to cultural programming. Yet, most art labor is unrecognized, undervalued, and underpaid. As a small non-profit we feel this burden and would like to contribute to a change in the system. Weve been collecting data to quantify the amount of work involved in our programming for many years, and recently have launched an internal initiative to map how we can share this data most effectively with the public, and then share the template with other arts organizations. Stay tuned

How do you engage with and consume culture?

My remote location certainly dictates much of this. I stay engaged via the more traditional forms of publications, journals, and conferences. However, online formats are critical at this juncture, particularly as we are all now working from home, and in the era of coronavirus. Online content is my initial means of accessing exhibitions, artists, critical content, etc. I really love being able to follow artists work in progress on Instagram and Facebook. And of course, doing studio visits, visiting museums, galleries the best part of my job is supporting and connecting creatives. There are so many ways in which we can engage with one another, and I approach it as participating in culture rather than consuming active rather than passive. Its a larger question of how do we support our community, and keep this art ecosystem alive, fed, and thriving.

What are you currently working on?

We recently launched Critical Ground, an initiative exploring how the dialogue of art critique might shift towards communities and artists working outside the frameworks of NYC and LA. It explores the impact of art criticism and the democratization of art critique through the sharing of ideas and experiences with the intention of mapping an alternate way forward that is more inclusive of the spectrum of work created across the country. In practice, its a series of conversations and brainstorms between visiting critics and artists, curators, writers, and other stakeholders from the region. The conversations are roving: they are studio visits, site visits, and formal and informal discussions. It is a space where strategic thinking meets creative action with the intention to shift the current framework of art critique hierarchy to highlight work outside metro-centered locales. An experimental venture, the intention is to create a platform and space for this conversation in Utah, and to serve as a model for other places in the country with like-minded vision.

Who in your community of artists, curators, archivists, organizers, directors, etc. is inspiring you right now?

Im a huge fan of the ACME initiative at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts in Salt Lake City. Its a hybrid working model using Art, Community, Museum, and Education to explore themes and issues under the umbrella of activism and engagement.

Where are the centers for creative community in your region?

I live in a region called Sanpete Valley, defined by classic basin and range geography. Artists have been moving to this area for decades, as its a haven and home to several artist-run collectives and nonprofits. Casino Star Foundation, Spring City Arts, Hub City Gallery, Summer Snow, and The Fairview Museum all host exhibitions, open studios, festivals, workshops, lectures, and performances.

Read the rest here:

Meet the Art Community of the US Southwest: Amy Jorgensen Wants to Democratize Art Criticism - Hyperallergic

Jack Palen and Elsie Mares

Kennedi Hewitt (K.H.): What made you decide to run for ASLMU?

Jack Palen (J.P.): I had, especially in my time with the InterFraternity Council, really just fallen in love with working with my peers around me and working to empower everyone around me. I had an interest in running. Elsie and I had known each other since freshman year because we were sort of in the same major track and fell into the same learning community and had a bunch of classes together. So when I was thinking about running, she was one of the first people I thought of. I reached out to her and we made it happen.

Elsie Mares (E.M.): For me, I was honestly a little bit hesitant about running I really love to do behind the scenes work like policy, event planning, things like that. So, once I talked to some past vice presidents, they reassured me that that is really more so what the goal of vice president is That made me really excited because I feel like its the best of both worlds and you get to really introduce policies and initiatives that impact the communities I care about and have been working with during my three years at LMU, while not having to necessarily be the face of ASLMU.

K.H.: Why do you think ASLMU is important on campus?

J.P.: I think ASLMU is important because with student government, you have the opportunity to institutionalize support Everything weve done outside ASLMU is very important, but when it comes to the conversation of what student government can look like at its best when you bring that support to the highest levels in involvement, thats when you can really take it to the next level and turn it up a notch whether that's in terms of funding, visibility or sharing that funding and visibility with the groups prior to ASLMU that Elsie and I have been working with and supporting.

E.M.: I think that this years administration was a really good example of the power that ASLMU can have for really important issues that affect a lot of the student body. Next year were getting housing that doesnt have transphobic rules, at least a section of housing and hopefully that extends to all of on-campus housing. I dont think that would have been possible without advocacy on behalf of the people who have been in positions of leadership. Which is really unfortunate because there had been people doing that work way prior to that and advocating for that way prior to that, but it really does sometimes take people within positions of leadership to take that fight to another level and use their access to administration to advocate for things of that nature.

K.H.: How will you bring about change in this role?

J.P.: One of the main goals that Elsie and I have is the ability to bring agency to a lot of student organizations on campus. Its not like I plan on stepping into the role of ASLMU president if we happen to win the election and just write in policy that I deem to be important to students who live very different lives and have completely different identities than I do. Its more my goal to get into that position and empower them as much as I can and give them the agency to write and take action that reflects what the organization needs and what the organization is interested in.

E.M.: We want to bring change in that ASLMU is used more as a tool for advocacy and improving the lives of students on the margins and basically improving the lives of students in general. So anyone who is in an RSO, we want them to know that ASLMU is there to support them. Anyone who is trying to find their place on campus, we want them to know that ASLMU is there as a resource. Anyone who is facing structural challenges that the institution is causing, ASLMU is your advocate.

K.H.: What do you think qualifies you to be President and Vice President?

J.P.: I think Elsie and I have such a large network that if we do have a goal were able to sort of bring everyone into the fold using that network. I also think Elsie and I have so much experience already working with students in the capacity of different leadership roles that were able to bring to ASLMU the same energy we've been bringing over the past three years. Just again circling back to the different level of abilities that come with student government and were able to take it that much further. Elsie and I won't be doing much differently, we will just be doing it with a student government and therefore doing it to a greater extent.

E.M.: I think what should motivate people to run is the general interest and impacting certain communities and certain areas. I think Jack and I both have a genuine passion for the people around us and the quality of life that students at LMU have and are experiencing. So I don't think that's necessarily a qualifier but I think that's the motivation. And I think when that motivation is really pure and there, that's what leads to really authentic leadership and a leadership that doesn't burn out when it gets difficult.

Alex Smith and Elsa Wilson

K.H.: What made you decide to run for ASLMU?

Alex Smith (A.S.): Being involved in ASLMU really contributed to this decision. I remember in the fall how I just started working with Ken and Emily and how excited I was for that position. I thought, I have an extra year left and I think itll be really cool if I did this with someone else like Ken and Emily did. So I thought of Elsa. Elsa and I had a very memorable conversation at the Lair over some chicken tenders one day and it kind of started from there and weve been planning since the fall.

Elsa Wilson (E.W.): As two out-of-state students, we were both pretty nervous to make that jump. LMU has really become a home for both of us so to be able to have the opportunity to do everything we can to make it that much better for incoming Lions and those with a few years left, we were just so excited about that opportunity. And to do it with one of my best friends makes it that much better.

K.H.: Why do you think ASLMU is important on campus?

A.S.: I'd say ASLMU is all about promoting the student experience. I think right now that's exactly what we need for when we get back to campus in the fall after all of this craziness is over. I think ASLMU and their decisions and programs such as Fallapalooza and After Sunset get the students involved and are very popular and fun. ASLMU is also responsible for initiatives like the menstrual hygiene initiative and Divest LMU and everything else weve been working on this past year.

E.W.: ASLMU is the direct way for students to talk to the administration and higher ups who are in control of decisions happening to the University. So if students have a personal problem, it's the ASLMUs president's job to bring that to the University president and the board of trustees.

K.H.: How will you bring about change in this role?

A.S.: Definitely through our initiatives and platforms, I think we have some really good ideas for that. One of the bigger ways in how we're going to bring about change is Elsa and I both have experience in ASLMU and we both understand how it works and how to talk to the LMU administration and make sure these ideas get by. I think our Lyft initiative will definitely help in regards to transportation and making our campus safe. I think we have a good idea with the pop-up thrift shop Everything we have is tangible and definitely doable and well thought out and I think that is the best way to get stuff done.

E.W.: The big thing that were stressing is that we want students to directly feel the effects of student government whether that be through the involvement fund where ASLMU will pay a portion of the dues for students to join an RSO, or the Lyft initiative that Alex was talking about to provide a cheaper resource for students to get around our little corner of L.A. So were really stressing equity. We both know how this works so everything that we're presenting is very feasible and likely to get done if were elected.

K.H.: What do you think qualifies you to be President and Vice President?

A.S.: First and foremost I like to say that everyone running against us is very qualified and we have a lot of leaders on campus who are qualified for the role of President as well. However, I think what sets us apart is our relationship with each other and we have a lot of good ideas and a lot of plans on how to incorporate leadership into that role. Half of the role is working on our initiatives and the other half is how to be a leader, how to treat others with respect and how to listen.

E.W.: It wasn't a strategic choice to run together, it's that we work really well together and we have a lot of similar ideas. We act in a lot of the same ways and one thing that we both stress is being intentional with everything we do. So we're not running just to say our senior year of college we were in charge of the student body, were intentional in everything we do and we're doing this because we really care about LMU.

Anya Montgomery and Taylor Pajunen

K.H.: What made you decide to run for ASLMU?

Anya Montgomery (A.M.): We are currently both on ASLMU and have, for the full year, been working up to this point together. We've been really engaged with the initiatives of this current administration. I love the work that they're doing and have been concerned about those values being upheld in the future. For me personally, I recognize the really big importance in having people of color and queer people representation in high leadership roles, like I'm non-binary, my pronouns are they/them. It's really important for the maintenance of health and safety and wellness and empowerment of our students.

Taylor Pajunen (T.P.): I joined ASLMU towards the end of my freshman year so it's kind of been my home and I've seen how student government can be a positive and a very negative thing I don't think that we should be the ones taking and doing, I think we should be the ones uplifting and supporting other groups that are already doing that work.

K.H.: Why do you think ASLMU is important on campus?

A.M.: ASLMU is the biggest and the most impactful bridge between the student body and administrative bodies. There's a lot going on at LMU. LMU is a business as well as an institution of learning so there needs to be some sort of liaison creating that transparency between students and administrators.

T.P.: A lot of initiatives that student organizations have started have been amazing but due to people graduating or movements dying off, ASLMU, due to how grounded it is in the University, is able to continue these movements.

K.H.: How will you bring about change in this role?

A.M.: Our platform is largely based on uplifting and empowering voices and creating and maintaining community. We want to be as open as possible and have our doors open to student perspectives and hear about their experiences. We do not have every experience in the world and therefore cannot speak to it and we do not want to speak to it over someone who can tell their own story.

T.P.: Weve also been thinking a lot about what the word inclusive means. I feel like this is a pretty big buzzword. Yes, our goal is to have a very welcoming LMU community, but we must recognize that we should not be making people conform to what LMUs standards are. We should be transforming and making ourselves more accessible to people.

K.H.: What do you think qualifies you to be President and Vice President?

A.M.: We are doing the work. I think in doing this campaign we've learned so much about ourselves as leaders and how much we care. We are in community. These things we are fighting for are things that we have recognized as needs for ourselves during our time at LMU. We are thinking critically about our own experiences and are engaging in conversations to expand our knowledge of student needs. And we have ASLMU experiences such as ASLMU secretary and the athletics senator.

T.P.: During my time in ASLMU, Ive seen how ASLMU works, but also how a broader student government works. A lot of action does not happen in student governments across the country due to the short time that we have. It takes a long time to get comfortable and to actually be productive in a position within student government I started my freshman year and I didn't feel fully into it until the middle of my sophomore year. But here I am now, my junior year, and I feel like I made these connections and I made relationships and I know how to write legislation. I recognize that doesn't make me holier than thou or better than, but it makes me someone who's done the prep work and is ready to continue this work.

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ASLMU candidates speak on their platforms | News - Los Angeles Loyolan

3.26. 2020Written By:John Tyson354Times read

As COVID-19 spreads across the globe, dilemmas of significant moral and theological gravity have surfaced.

I find one such dilemma, raised recently in our cultural conversation, especially troubling. Public officials have begun suggesting that Americans must choose between sacrificing economic progress or sacrificing human life. This was uttered first by Dan Patrick, the lieutenant governor of Texas, who made the claim that lots of grandparents would willingly sacrifice their lives to save the economy for their grandchildren. A similar suggestion, though less crass, was made March 24 by President Donald Trump in an interview, when he announced that he would love to have the country opened up and just raring to go by Easter. This is an ambitious timeline not currently supported by public health experts or epidemiologists.

The rationale behind this line of thinking is captured well in the presidents Tuesday tweet: THE CURE CANNOT BE WORSE (by far) THAN THE PROBLEM!

Empathy is owed to those who fill leadership positions in the public and private sector in the midst of this crisis. From the President to small-business owners, the economic fallout of this public health emergency contains catastrophic potential. As one whose family has been directly impacted by the sudden economic downturn, I understand the urge to open up the country to commerce. But when the known result of such a choice would put an unprecedented number of human lives at immediate risk of death, a decision to open up the country would be an unequivocal moral evil.

Under no circumstance is an act of moral evil a legitimate cure for any problem.

The spread of COVID-19 is a natural evil. Fueled by climate abuse, a hurricane or a tornado is also a natural evil. Like COVID-19, they inflict horrors and sometimes death, but there is no moral agent that can clearly be held responsible for them.

On the other hand, a moral evil is when a destructive outcome can be tied to the intentional action (or inaction) of a moral agent. Applied to the dilemma at hand, it would be an intentional act of moral evil to open up the country while knowing that elderly, immuno-suppressed and other vulnerable populationsalready at increased riskwould likely die by the hundreds of thousands, if not millions.

It is horrifying to hear government leaders flirting with this possibility. Yet, in these unprecedented days, we who seek to live in communion with the Prince of Peace should be prepared to resist such action.

From beginning to end, Scripture makes clear that extending hospitality and care to the least of these is an expression of faithfulness. The vulnerable in this moment of crisis are the elderly, the immuno-suppressed and those who live in under-resourced and oppressed communities. In my tiny corner of the world in Des Moines, Iowa, we are exploring what it means to extend care and community creatively amid the spread of COVID-19 while not opening our doors and exposing ourselves until all of us can worship free from known medical risk.

Moreover, Scripture also makes clear that Christians are called to care for those experiencing economic hardship. Thus, for Christians the choice between sacrificing the economy or sacrificing human life is always a false choice. Christ modeled a life of care for all people, no matter their social circumstances. This is summed up best by the Apostle Paul in Galatians 6:2, where the church is called to bear one anothers burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Our faith teaches us that the moral cure for hardship is found in expressions of empathy, solidarity and love. How our congregations and communities go about this work specifically, now and beyond this crisis, depends on their context. It likely means joining broad-based efforts to reknit the social fabric and strengthen bonds of social solidarity. It likely means pulling resources together in a common purse to assist those in need. It likely means proceeding with awkward virtual gatherings for longer than desired. And it certainly means rejecting the false choice between economic sacrifice or the sacrifice of human life.

After all, on Easter morning we celebrate our Lord, who overcame death so that no such sacrifice is necessary. We have hope not because the economy is strong but because Christ rose again. With resurrection hope, we navigate these difficult times, proclaiming that no member of Christs body is expendable. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it (1 Corinthians 12:26). We are one body and are in this together.

John Tyson is pastor of Des Moines (Iowa) Mennonite Church.

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Sacrificing the economy or sacrificing human life? It's a false choice. - The Mennonite

Many restaurants operate on a first-come, first-served basis. Shoppers in the United States expect this; however, this orderly approach to gaining access to service lost standing in Italy. As COVID-19 spreads throughout the Italian countryside, the demand for respirators and ICUs exceeds the supply. In this case, if demand exceeds supply, it increases the risk of death, especially for the elderly.

Evidence from the outbreak indicates older adults experienced higher death rates from the virus. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Italys population is the second oldest in the world behind Japan. Combined with a strong family culture where young persons engage with their grandparents and older relatives, it creates a condition ripe for the spread of the virus.

The Washington Post reports that in the midst of the shortfall of intensive care capacity, the Italian Critical Care Society endorsed using age guidelines regarding access to oxygen-generating machines. Specifically, the group supported doctors that assign priority ICU access to individuals with greater life expectancy. Enter triage and young adults first; exit first-come, first-served.

The experiences in Italy and in other countries represent important lessons learned for residents of this country and the St. Louis region.

For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 Response Team reported that in China the vast majority of severe cases and fatalities occurred among the older populations. In contrast, people 19 years old and younger have had milder symptoms, and this age group only makes up 0.1% of deaths. This suggests that age is directly related to the severity of COVID-19s impact on individuals in the United States and the rest of the world.

Many commenters jumped to the wrong conclusion, insisting that the virus did not harm young people while ignoring the potential for long-term damage to vital organs. Furthermore, too many failed to take seriously the role that children, teenagers, and young adults play in transmitting the virus to older adults. Pictures of beaches filled with young adults affirm the lack of understanding of their role as virus transmitters.

The CDC study provides insight into the United States context. Officials analyzed COVID-19 cases in China by age group and severity in the period between February 12 and March 16, 2020, with a total of 4,266 cases reported in the United States. Of the deaths reported, 80% of the people were at least 65 years of age. Only 5% of the reported cases occurred in people between 0 and 19 years old. Additionally, 65 plus-year-old patients made up 31% of cases in the United States at the time45% of the hospitalizations and 53% of the ICU admissions.

The CDC report acknowledges the lack of data in some areas, such as information related to underlying health conditions. This limitation is important as older patients with diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems, and other chronic illnesses have higher risk of more severe outcomes if infected with the virus.

The total number of St. Louis city residents at least 65 years of age equals roughly the enrollment of 15 Marquette High Schools, 20 Mehlville High Schools, 39 Clayton High Schools, or 2.6 St. Louis Universities. None of these communities would consider it acceptable to place their students at higher risk of virus contraction.

To limit the severity of virus outcomes within this age group, we must understand their behavior. The National Health and Aging Trends study offers insight into the favorite practices of older adults. [WT1]Many of these practices do not align with social distancing.

For example, some sports, socializing in person, many forms of travel, shopping in stores, dining out, volunteering, and attending religious events in person increase the risk of acquiring the virus. However, with modification or imagination, these activities can continue in different forms. Continue to golf, jog, and walk. Socialize using social media platforms. Shop online. Order carry-out. Serve as a virtual volunteer. Move religious gatherings online.

Virtual strategies offer opportunities to socialize for many in our community. Others lack internet access. According to the American Community Survey, over 33,000 households in St. Louis city dont have internet access. This represents 23% of the households in the city. Most of these households reported annual income less than $20,000. And nearly half of the households without internet access reside north of Delmar. This health crisis reveals cracks in our society.

Social distancing is highly recommended for people of all ages in order to protect those who are especially vulnerable. Older adults should have at least 30 days worth of essential and necessary medications, avoid crowds, stop nonessential travel, end cruise excursions, and stay home whenever possible to decrease exposure potential. Long-term care facilities such as retirement and assisted-living homes should especially be cognizant and intentional in preventing the virus from spreading further among high-risk individuals. It is important that everyone, regardless of age, participates in social distancing.

Italy and China provide invaluable lessons. Italys overwhelmed healthcare system applied a triage strategy that prioritized its young persons. We submit that now is the time to prioritize our older adults before it is too late. Lets help our healthcare professionals by flattening the curve. If we put others first now, it will position us to provide needed ICU treatment in a fashion that honors and supports people of all ages. And that is the American way.

William F. Tate IV is dean and vice provost for Graduate Education; Edward Mallinckrodt Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences; and faculty scholar, Institute for Public Health, at Washington University in St. Louis. Find him on Twitter @WFTate4.

Kally Xu is John B. Ervin Scholar and Gephardt Institute Civic Scholar at Washington University in St. Louis, where she is a candidate in the 3-2 Masters of Public Health in the George Warren Brown School of Social Work and the A.B. program in International and Area Studies and Asian American Studies.

For more information, see Severe Outcomes Among Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) United States, February 12March 16, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020; 69:343-346. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6912e2.

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Now is the time to prioritize older adults before it's too late - St. Louis American