Checking in mid-term
20th March, 2020
Dear SHSS Faculty and Staff,
Many of us were planning to attend the annual meeting of the Association of Asian Studies in Boston this week. Cancelled.
Many of us made travel plans for a much-needed holiday over Easter break. Cancel if you haven’t already.
Many of us were counting the days to April 20 when the Education Bureau said public schools might final reopen. Not likely.
Just when things seemed to be stabilizing in Hong Kong, COVID-19’s escalation into a pandemic has re-ignited anxiety in our daily lives. It has been especially stressful for those with children who have been out of school, with elderly relatives (here or abroad), tight living quarters, and limited/no domestic help.
During the past eight weeks, we have probably all done things that we could not have envisioned just a few months ago – even beyond all the Zoom teaching and meetings. My list includes:
- Bartering for toilet paper (you know who you are; I’m indebted)
- Climbing locked gates to use the running track
- Checking the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 map more frequently than my Google Scholar citations
- Pushing elevator buttons with my elbow
These are trivial inconveniences and behavioral deviations compared to people who have been under quarantine, suffering from the coronavirus or other serious illnesses, facing financial hardship, working in healthcare on the frontlines, or mourning loved ones.
But whatever the nature of your greatest frustrations and sources of quotidian stress, the mounting COVID-19 news is bound to be distressing. You’re not alone. Indeed, we (in Hong Kong) are not alone in changing how we go about our days and evenings.
We are also in a position to share what we have learned over the past two months.
On Wednesday evening three of our colleagues (Cameron Campbell, Kira Matus, and Sean McMinn) spoke in a HKUST webinar on-line teaching to advise colleagues from around the world who are scrambling to get up to speed on delivering their courses virtually. With over 60 participants attending from 30 institutions, I am so proud that SHSS faculty took the lead in the module on the Faculty Experience.
Meanwhile, I know that most of you have been working hard from home to observe social distancing recommendations. Thank you for doing that. Although you may not see what is going on in the office, our staff have demonstrated incredible team spirit in covering for one another and taking on tasks that do not necessarily fall into their job descriptions. It is making all the difference as we continue to teach, interview faculty candidates, and hold various meetings — all through Zoom.
While most of the semester has been consumed by on-line teaching and rescheduling various activities, some faculty and graduate students may be concerned about keeping up with their research plans and progress. Rest assured that we understand this is an exceptional period. No one expects you to do fieldwork or collect data when unable to travel. Most grant agencies will understand and extend deadlines.
Finally, I wanted to flag what probably constitutes the greatest source of anxiety: information. Too much, not enough, or simply wrong. We are a highly-educated community, so I won’t advise on what to read/not read or how to judge its veracity. I hope, however, that when you hear alarming information please reconfirm with a legitimate source before sharing with the rest of your network. If it concerns university issues or members, you may ask me directly and I will fact check.
Keep Calm
Stay Healthy
Take care,
Kellee