Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
For many of us, these last few weeks have heightened our sense of urgency. As parents and students, we have eagerly awaited local school boards to finalize decisions about what form school will take. Will it be online or in class? Will it be a mixture of both? Will we as parents and students have the option to choose one or the other? And of course, the answers to the previous questions will dictate how we approach work, day care, family events, etc. So much is “up in the air” and hinges on the decisions of people we elected and who in turn hired as leaders of our schools.
The same is true about our local colleges and universities. Will presidents and their cabinets decide to attempt on campus instruction bringing thousands of kids from outside our immediate area back into our daily lives where they will settle in as our neighbors and in turn as employees and customers at our local businesses and health care facilities? Is it prudent to fill our college residence halls with thousands of students who may or may not routinely follow the requested healthcare standards (even on Friday and Saturday nights)? Factual tidbit: Watterson Towers at Illinois State University houses over 2,200 students. Or will these leaders choose to move instruction online, but then risk losing students and vital tuition dollars to the community colleges who offer the same online learning experience? What will happen to our community businesses that have been so supportive of students and our colleges and universities? There is much to consider, and Illinois State University, Illinois Wesleyan University and Heartland Community College are riding on the decisions of a select few people. People, who have been put in power through local elections, appointed by state officials or installed by a board of regents.
Keep in mind that there are over 7,000 people employed in education in Bloomington-Normal. Most of these employees are interacting with students daily through classroom interaction, office check-ins, lunchroom / dining hall services, and custodial duties. Then consider the health status of these same people but also their loved ones with whom they live and/or care for. And what about the biggest unknown, the physical and mental health of nearly 50,000 students expected to be in an academic setting this fall in Bloomington Normal.
It is very easy to get frustrated with our elected officials (and many times we have a right to be), but data regarding the virus is continuously changing and updated daily through the federal and state governments, who themselves are at the mercy of the virus and American’s daily behaviors. Information seems to begin at the federal level and trickle down to the state level, onto the city level and in turn to our local school leaders whom we expect to make the “right decision.”
I don’t have the answers. And even if I had the most up-to-date information at my fingertips, I would not want to make the decision these leaders are faced with. They will proceed to make decisions balancing academic criteria, health standards, financial strength of the institution, and community well-being. I don’t know that there is one correct decision or that today’s correct decision will be correct tomorrow or next month. But I now understand more clearly why we pray for our elected officials each Sunday.
Admittedly, this is not a group that tends to make my daily prayers. That is until now. They are in my prayers because for one of the first times, I see myself in them. This may be the first time an issue is about the daily human condition and the people making these are just like you and I. They are there when we drop our kids off at school, they attend our children’s music performances and sporting events, we see them shopping and eating at the same restaurants we do, they are our neighbors, our friends, members of our church, in our book clubs, belong to our gyms, shop where we do, etc. We know they are one of us making a decision like one of us would. They are making decisions that will impact them in the same way it will impact each one of us. Their decision may not be the one we like at the moment, but they are making it as one of us would – with our community in mind. Please consider keeping our local leaders in your prayer.
– Doug Dowell (For full disclosure, at Heartland Community College where I’m a full-time professor my courses will be taught online. However, at ISU, where I teach an additional two classes as an adjunct, I will be meeting students face-to-face.)
08/04/2020