Editorial—Day Nine in the Bunker

Honestly, for me, life has changed very little.  I’ve spent a little more time cleaning the house (not nearly enough) a lot more time watching the news (far too much) and other than that, just getting on.

Of course, I realize I have the luxury of a job that’s pretty safe from recessionary pressures. If anything, the worse things get in “the real world” the oddly safer my position is, as more people look toward taking retraining, meaning more people becoming AUSU members, meaning that funding for The Voice Magazine becomes a smaller part of AUSU’s budget, even as our importance in being a place where students can connect with one another and dig deeper (or not) into the issues that are concerming them now becomes greater.

And the issue of importance these days is pretty obvious.  With the theme of COVID-19 touching most of the articles this week in one fashion or another.  Whether it’s our feature article from Natalia Iwanek that looks at the future on online and distance education from the perspective of the lessons that COVID-19 has brought (it seems it’s a lot more possible than many post-secondary institutions were having us think) and how that connects to the needs of students with disabilities of various natures. While the Struggling Student Rants takes a business-like look at just what it means to be prepared for an emergency such as this, and also suggests a way to bring those business lessons back home to the family in a way that everybody can benefit from.

Plus “Porkpie Hat” and the “Fly on the Wall” bring us their own unique takes on what this time of self-isolation or social distancing, or whatever you happen to be doing right now, can be looked at and eventually dealt with as we continue forward even under threat of this virus.

And we still are bringing you scholarships, reviews, events (well, one event, social distancing does have some consequences, after all) advice, and all of our usual fun and thoughtful information by and for students like you.  Whoever thought that your student magazine would be a bastion of stability in an event like this.

In the upcoming weeks, I expect that will become even more important, as the true nature of the threat starts to sink in to most people. Perhaps I’m a bit of a pessimist, but I’m expecting that this event is going to lead to a significant re-shaping of the world we once knew.  That seems kind of crazy to say right now, but already I know of people who this virus is going to affect directly, who will lose parents or grand-parents to it, and what’s unusual is how close those losses are going to be for so many.  Even if you or I don’t lose anyone personally, there is a time coming for grief for a great many people in our world, and it will be hard to get away from.  That’s why it’s important that we not lose hope.  Those of us who are okay will be called upon to help those of us who aren’t.  The days of the “rugged individualist” may be coming to an end, at least for a while.  But that’s part of what The Voice Magazine is for. So that we can all remember that we’re not alone.  That, somewhere out there. is someone who thinks kind of like we do, no matter how odd that may be.  Enjoy the read!