Letter from the editor: TMSM's Spring 2020 issue, Disruption
Dear reader,
There is a before and after to what we are living through. This spring, the novel coronavirus has deepened old problems and created new ones.
A disruption, an upending of life like this leaves us all vulnerable — some objectively more so than others. Priorities have shifted and plans have changed, but the experiences before this haven’t disappeared or lost meaning.
A case in point is the story we planned to slot on the cover before Miami administration canceled in-person classes. Erin Glynn studied abroad in China in 2018 while wrestling with the grief of her brother’s suicide. A chapter of life doesn’t completely fade when a new one arises.
The same can be said for our profile on Maddie DePaoli, the person behind Oxford’s house shows, by our editor-in-chief-at-large Maya Fenter. When it’s safe to have concerts again, someone will take DePaoli’s de facto role next year. The flavor of music will likely change with a new tastemaker, but the legacy and connections that DePaoli passes down to her successor will continue.
Leah Gaus’ story about gays who go Greek challenges expectations of whatever “normative” is in the spaces we inhabit, with or without dealing with external implications of a global pandemic.
What the mind grappled with before doesn’t go away, either. Kirby Davis’ personal account of her time in a mental hospital exemplifies this.
Some small things don’t change. We find in Bo Brueck’s slice of life that his bike still gives back like it did pre-quarantine.
But there is no way our staff could ignore the moment we’re living in.
Julia Arwine unfolds how the Miami community — professors, administration and students studying abroad and living on campus — responded to the global pandemic. And Abigail Kemper recounts how her mother, a nurse, copes with what needs to be done at the hospital and at home during the Ohio coronavirus lockdown.
The offices of Miami’s Student Counseling Services (SCS) are quiet for the rest of the semester. Last fall, Amanda Parel learned how to manage her anxiety with help from SCS sessions. The lessons she gained outside of class haven’t faded. This spring, being able to manage the mental energy required to cope with what we’re going through is more important than ever.
The campus isn’t exactly empty, though. The people who kept it clean and running before are still working shifts now, however limited. Caroline Roethlisberger details Miami’s fall from grace as a place that workers used to flock to for a living.
Meanwhile, plans have been rocked by forces outside of the global pandemic. Will Gorman follows how three female students navigate sexism and other obstacles on their individual paths to law school.
Life moves forward, with problems from before and after.
With or without a disruption, we could not have completed a 100% digital issue without our flexible team of editors, designers and writers.
Maya, thank you for anchoring me when I have bonkers ideas. Sam and Abby, thank you for helping guide words on the page to where they need to go. All three of you do it beautifully.
Alissa, you have been indispensable in leading Mason and your team of designers as art director. You did it again. For one last time, you brought TMSM’s stories to life. Mason, I love your work and I am so excited to continue to collaborate with you as you step into Alissa’s role.
Thank you to Bea for managing the business side of things, as well as our advisor Dr. Tobin and countless professors and TMS newspaper editors who have suggested someone’s story or an idea that made this magazine better.
Lastly, thank you to Google Hangouts for making our meetings possible. To think in such a place, we lived through a pandemic.
Stay well,
Chloe Murdock