President's Blog: From the Heart
We Are One
By Eric F. Spina
Our daughter, Kaitlyn, arrived home from Chicago last week and immediately tapped into her inner artist and created our family’s very first sheet sign, which we are hanging proudly as a sign of solidarity with other #FlyersAtHome because #WeAreOne.
On Thursday, April 2, we’re asking the Flyer family in every corner of the world to share on social media images of creative, positive messages on sheets or computer screens or even scraps of paper in a visible sign of support and love for each other. After all, we can all benefit from a sense of belonging to a larger community.
During times of uncertainty, our Marianist values remain our touchstone. But how can we be in community while social distancing? Isn’t that an oxymoron?
Not for Flyers, who are rising to the occasion by serving others and bringing light and hope to the world. Here is a glimpse into what has filled my heart with gratitude over the last week:
Flyers are resilient. Faculty have erased the line between home and work by teaching online classes from their living rooms. Digital tools like Zoom have replaced chalkboards. For students, the walk to campus from Stuart Hill has turned into a reach for the laptop, sometimes with the family’s cat snuggled comfortably (and inconspicuously) in a learner’s lap.
Faith sustains us. Campus ministers and counselors are scheduling Zoom “face to face” counseling meetings, and every weekday at noon (EST) anyone from anywhere in the world can tap into a short prayer service. As a sign of spiritual unity and solidarity for the Marianist family, we’re encouraging alumni, faculty, staff, and students to pray the Three O’Clock Prayer daily for their time zone.
Music matters. Celloist Maggie Feder and other music students are carrying on an uplifting tradition started from the balconies of Italy. In “porch concerts,” they’re sharing live performances of music typically heard in theatres or concert halls.
Alumni are rock stars. Dr. Mark Rastetter ’02 tweeted a photo of “socially distant rounds” he’s making with two other alumni doctors. His caption: “Stars aligned to put 3 @univofdayton Flyers — @PatDyer-92 and @KatyAndersonDO and myself together to care for patients during this pandemic. We are proud to be working @osuwexmed during this time in history so you can #StayHome.”
Faculty and staff rock, too. I admire the selfless spirit of researchers who approached me about donating personal protective equipment from their labs to aid local healthcare workers. On the day the University of Dayton Arena would have hosted the First Four, we turned the parking lot into a Premier Health drive-up COVID-19 testing site. Behind the scenes before the sun even rises, Nate Seymour, manager of sports medicine, uses an electrostatic sprayer to sanitize areas in UD Arena where Premier Health workers gather to keep our first responders safe.
We are family. The number of students living on campus has dwindled to under 200, but those who remain here or in off-campus housing are our siblings. These students can’t go back to their countries because of travel restrictions or safety. Others have no homes. We are offering them transportation to grocery stores and the airport and free meals through Dining Services for those with genuine financial hardship.
Let’s continue to show our love for each other. I want to see hundreds of “sheets of solidarity” on my social media feed on April 2 as we transform our annual giving day (“One Day. One Dayton.”) into a 24-hour lovefest. For details, click here.
Even apart, we are one.