Navigating the Workforce in COVID-19

by with No Comment FeaturedGen ZSocial Issues

I am privileged to say that this pandemic did not change my life much at all. The quarantine didn’t either. I was and still am employed. When the curfew was instituted in the Spring, I didn’t have to abide by it because I was deemed an “essential worker.” I lost maybe five hours a week while conversely, others lost several hours or was put on furlough. 

Because of my job, I was still able to go outside and go about my life. On my days off I immediately got cabin fever, and so I can’t possibly begin to understand how people who had completely locked themselves indoors might feel.

Unlike most of my peers, I was able to have my graduation. I was able to walk across the stage at Temple‘s Performing Arts Center, one I’ve performed on during my undergraduate study. I was able to walk across the stage in front of my peers, my family, and shake my dean’s hand. This is an opportunity that was snatched away from my peers who are more than deserving of this glorious time. It was snatched away from graduating students at every academic level.

The pandemic had finally gotten to me though a few months ago. Listening to the body count on the news. Delivering to people’s homes and they aren’t wearing masks. Being afraid to handle cash transactions. Thinking about my weakened immune system. Thinking about my family and the strain that it’s put on us. 

I was looking for a second job right before the quarantine was placed in effect. It was difficult then because I was being picky about what I wanted to do. However, it is difficult now because employers are being extremely picky about who they hire. Retail stores and grocery stores alike, gave me the “you don’t have the experience we’re looking for” spiel. Meanwhile, these are entry-level positions that claim applicants don’t need any prior experience.

I was able to get an interview a month ago and it was very disorienting to not begin with the all-telling handshake. The mask made me realize how much I relied on my face to convey my charisma and I think I overcompensated with confident words that probably sounded more cocky instead.

I am blessed to not need another job right now. The job market post-quarantine is treacherous. So many people are without jobs altogether or without jobs that completely cover their costs of living. All positions of all kinds are now highly competitive.

I believe that once social distancing is no longer in effect, more job opportunities will appear and thus give way for more people to join or rejoin the workforce.

Similar Read: School in September?

Can Music Programs Survive COVID-19?

by with No Comment CultureFeaturedGen Z

[New Contributor]

Even during quarantine, people are still trying to continue activities that have been affected by the virus. Basketball players are practicing at home, teachers are using distance learning applications, and waitresses are learning to wear masks and constantly wash tables. But one often untouched area that is having trouble adapting from quarantine is the school music organizations. Clubs like jazz band and choir have to practice in close proximity with each other in order to practice harmoniously. Now, with quarantine and the new back to school restrictions, the student musicians will have to switch to online rehearsals. 

According to the CDC, COVID-19 is transmitted from person to person through microscopic droplets in the air. Activities like singing or talking in loud voices spread these types of droplets, eliminating the possibility of the choir practicing in proximity with each other. 

With the advent of video conferencing technologies like Zoom, people don’t necessarily need to be in the same room to communicate effectively. Numerous groups have joined together on virtual platforms and sung together already. For CNN’s 2020 graduation special, high school students from the choir joined together to sing the Star Spangled Banner. There are numerous Youtube Channels, such as Quarantine Choir, that continue to sing despite the distance. 

In addition, music teachers have still found ways to continue music lessons. The Choir teacher at Round Rock High School compiled video footage of her students singing and displayed them to the school.

Closing choir has more implications than just for schools. Many religious ceremonies involve singing, such as Sunday Mass at Church. A study found that singing caused 53 of the 61 choir members testing positive and 102 of 130 members of an Amsterdam choir developed COVID-19 after a performance, and four people associated with the choir died. In Austria, 43 of 44 participants in a choir seminar tested positive. 

Regardless of the distance between the musicians, harmony comes with dedicated, supervised practice. In an uncontrolled setting with distractions, dedicated practice is impossible. However, musicians also gain something by practicing at home. In a comfortable, relaxed environment they may be able to play better. Whether good or bad, stay-at-home musicians will give their audience a unique performance as they perform in the comfort, or discomfort, of their own home. 

Similar Read: Guidance Counseling in the Midst of COVID-19

A Note to Those Nervous About the Holidays

by with No Comment FeaturedGen Z

If the thought of seeing your family around the holidays makes you nervous, you’re not alone. As the political Black Sheep in my family, I understand what it’s like to spend time around people you love, but entirely disagree with. Mixing differing political beliefs with family love can be a very difficult crossroads to be stuck at. They’re your family and you love them and don’t want to fight, but political beliefs can have strong feelings behind them. So what do you do? How do you push past your differences and share in the joy of the holiday season?

After the 2016 election, my mother tried to incite a “no politics” rule for holiday dinner conversation. However, rules like that are easy to say but harder to follow. If your family is anything like mine, political conversation is basically inevitable. So how do you deal with it? When I was younger I would try to fight back. I would get angry and upset, which naturally only made things worse. It’s hard to bite your tongue when you hear things you disagree with so strongly, but after a while I learned that fighting back would only add fuel to the fire. I quickly realized I was outnumbered and no matter what I said or how I worded it, there was no winning for me.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, my best suggestion is to find someone else to talk to. Whether you find someone who agrees with you or even just someone who doesn’t want to talk politics, whoever you find will help you feel a little less alone. For me, this person is my brother. Although he has learned to stay quiet like I have, even just having someone to shoot a glance at when you hear something you don’t agree with goes a long way.

Another tactic you can employ is changing the subject when the conversation gets too heated. During the holidays my mother tries her best to cut off any political conversation as soon as it starts, that way it never even has the chance to escalate. Political conversations can easily turn into fights. If you can redirect the conversation before it even begins, then there’s no fight to have to diffuse later.

 The holidays are supposed to be a time of joy and happiness surrounded by loved ones. Talking politics may make for an interesting debate, but the subject can be very touchy and can easily take a turn for the worst. The important thing to remember is that regardless of what you say, people are very unlikely to actually change their opinions. So why cause yourself the stress? Talking politics during the holidays is far more likely to lead to a fight rather than a productive conversation. Save everyone the hassle and leave the politics at the door so everyone can have an enjoyable holiday season. 

This article was originally published on 12 December 2018.

Racist Law Professor, Free Speech Issue?

by with One Comment Education

In the recent weeks, University of Pennsylvania Law school tenured professor, Amy Wax, has come under criticism for remarks she made last year in a video lecture titled, “The Downside of Social Uplift” and in an op-ed she wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

In the video, Wax goes on to say, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a black student graduate in the top quarter of the [Penn Law School] class and rarely, rarely in the top half… I can think of one or two students who’ve graduated in the top half of my required first-year course.” At the surface, it seems inappropriate; but with accuracy, such a claim could easily be proven by releasing the grades or ranking of students. One part of this very problematic situation is, that grades and rankings are confidential at UPenn Law and for a professor to make such a statement about an issue she has no authority to prove or disprove, is inappropriate at the very least.

In addition to these comments, Wax co-authored an op-ed for the Philadelphia Inquirer in which she stated, “All cultures are not equal,” and called for the reinstatement of bourgeois cultural ideals in today’s society. Her Philadelphia Inquirer piece in addition to her claims of the inadequacy and underachievement of black students in her course, suggest a potential racial bias against black students that she has then used to support her claims of broad racial insufficiency.

The answer is not “show the grades!” The university’s policy maintains the privacy of the students by keeping their grades and rankings confidential – and Wax should have done the same. Black students not doing well in her course is a claim that should be investigated by the university given the other racially disparaging statements made, and the university’s revocation of her mandatory first-year course is the very least they should do in response to her comments. Free speech is a right, but citizens are beholden to the policies of the private companies and institutions they represent.