Life is immensely uncertain right now. Last March, I wrote a piece about how time and space were taking on a new character as we transitioned to online learning. We did so with heroic efforts. And now we face another major transition, preparing for an unprecedented start to this academic year with teaching, learning, and
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.
HEALING OUR NATION’S SOUL “The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” Rumi If You’re Hurting, You’re Not Alone As Americans celebrate the Fourth of July and commemorate our nation’s independence, like many of us right now, my heart feels heavy. My soul hurts. While navigating through the array of conflicting emotions over the
It’s that time again to begin creating or revising syllabi for fall – this year for “hyflex” classrooms! I am deeply grateful to Mildred Lewis for helping open our awareness, as faculty prepare and students scan “The Syllabus.” Gail Stearns, Dean, Wallace All Faiths Chapel In my first semester of college I realized that syllabi
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