We are nearly four months into the COVID-19 crisis in this country, and people are getting tired. How long will this go on? Yet, there are those among us who don’t ask the question as much as quietly continue to give their time to help Americans in need through the crisis, however long it takes.
When I “passed the mic” to Mona Asadi ’22 to write a blog to the Chapman community this week, and received this essay from her, I was overwhelmed – so beautifully written, personal, and challenging. Please read – truly worth a few moments of your time! ~ Gail Stearns, Dean, Wallace All Faiths Chapel As
Educational institutions throughout the country teach the Civil War. Dates, specific individuals, locations, and that little issue known as slavery are the pillars of Civil War teachings. We all have learned about the Civil War. We all claim to know its reasons. We may have even entertained ourselves watching movies about it. After we “learn”
Pain can easily tear a community apart–especially when some feel that pain more deeply than others. On the other hand, pain can bring a community closer together than ever before. What makes the difference? Knitting. Yes, I believe that knitting makes all the difference between a community on the verge of self-destruction and a community
Dear Chapman Family and Friends, I share with you today words of profound challenge and hope offered to us at a recent Vigil for Victims of Racism and Call to Action from Shaykh Jibreel Speight, Director of Muslim Life at Chapman University – Dean Gail Stearns Good morning to each and every last one of
A few weeks ago, at the beginning of our shelter-in-place orders, I shared with my beloved that I had never watched the movie Fiddler on the Roof. I never saw the musical play in person either. As a Filipino American born and raised in Los Angeles, I grew up going to family parties where oftentimes
I have come to believe that in the face of COVID-19, we are all experiencing grief. Almost every one of us is experiencing the stress of loss. But stress is not distributed equally in our society. My not being able to move about freely in my neighborhood or travel is not the same as another’s
I have been thinking a lot about the story of Exodus in this pandemic. It began as I walked home the day that students were told that classes were going online the next day. Students were frantically carrying items from their dorms, very little properly packed. There was none of the festivity of move in
Yes, yes, yes! We made it through this semester – and not just made it but flourished! In unprecedented circumstances, we have seen heroic efforts on the part of students, faculty, staff, all of us. I offer this video of blessings from the Fish Interfaith Center for our graduating students – and if you, like
Evargrius Ponticus, a third-century hermit who lived isolated in the Egyptian desert, knew all about boredom, discouragement, and wanting to give up. He personified this chorus of negativity with a telling nickname, “The Noonday Demon.” Unlike other tempters who lurk under cover of darkness, when Evargrius was weary and discouraged, this demon appeared in broad