Page 10 - Kentucky State University - Onward & Upward

often asymptomatic, and if you contract it there is a likelihood you may die or come extremely close to it. As the agency head for a public university with thousands of students and employees, it is my daily prayer and ambition that no person become infected because of my administration’s actions or inactions. My aim is for all of us to live long, to be educated citizens, and to be provided an opportunity to prosper in life.
The Season of Light and Darkness
The days are getting longer and the sun does not typically set until after 8 p.m. nightly. This con rms for me that the season of spring is in full effect and that summer will quickly be upon us.
This is the time of year for budget hearings and long- term planning. This is the time for spring cookouts and trips to the mall. But the malls are closed. The stores are dark. There are no gatherings of family or friends. I cannot even wander up the street to College Park and visit with the legendary Dr. Gus Ridgel and hear him regale stories of KSU in days gone by. Sadly, I have spring fever and everyone must maintain social distance and quarantine.
Each day that I am on campus, relatively alone, with just a few vice presidents, hardworking staff, and dozens of contractors I am struck by how beautiful our campus looks. I see the green Kentucky grass, the scattered buildings, and so much history in which to nd pride. I look at the buildings of our forebears – Jackson and Hume Halls. I note the era of institutional growth and expansion when presidents successfully erected ASB and Exum. Even more I see the babbling Thorobred Fountain in Cheaney Plaza, the Sias Pedway, the Smith Clocktower and the new Quattro Cavalli welcoming me to campus. The campus is so bright and beautiful.
But there is something eerily dark and foreboding about the silence. Silence is everywhere. The parking lots are empty. The buildings are dark. There is yellow tape marking buildings sanitized by our outside vendor. There are no students. There are no faculty. There is no presence of life.
Each day, I feel trapped in a twilight zone – as if some extraterrestrial force has abducted the Thorobreds into outer space. I want my campus back. There is so much to see and do. There is so much to celebrate. There is so much noise to make. The campus has gone dark at a time when the days offer so much light.
COVID-19 is not a hoax.
Those of us who are merely inconvenienced by social distancing should ponder the thousands of healthcare workers whose lives are at risk daily trying to care for the ill and in rm. Those of us weary of working from home should ponder the millions of people who have been inde nitely furloughed and/or permanently displaced by shuttered places of work. Those of us bored by the litany of Net ix series on tigers and hair pomade should ponder the families of our nation without cable or internet. Better yet, those of us stuck indoors are so much better off than the hundreds of thousands of homeless men, women and children on our nation’s streets.
It may be years, decades or generations before the world learns the who, what, when, where, why, or how this pandemic happened. It is my charge to make sure that there are Thorobreds who live to tell the story of how we overcame, persevered, and thrived in the face of a global pandemic.
7 #KSUFORWARD