To quote and mirror a January 2014 post in The Stute, “On behalf of The Stute, welcome back to Stevens Institute of Technology!”
In all seriousness, welcome back, and Happy New Year. It’s been quite the winter break in terms of what’s been going on in the world, and from the looks of it, winter is here to stay. The first day of the spring semester on February 1 brought a new month, new classes, and freshly fallen snow with more than 17 inches recorded in New York City. Classes scheduled to be in-person were swiftly moved online for the first two days of the semester; snow days don’t exist during the coronavirus pandemic!
The new year not only brings a new semester but a new government — on January 20, President Joseph R. Biden was inaugurated, symbolizing the transfer of power from former President Donald J. Trump whose supporters continue to push conspiracy theories about voter fraud and a “stolen election.” January 20 additionally saw history being made as Vice President Kamala Harris was sworn in as the first woman and woman of color to serve as Vice President, shattering racial and gender barriers.
The coronavirus pandemic is still raging, and while The New York Times reports that numbers are dropping, it’s not something to be hopeful about. Scientists are “deeply worried about the months ahead” in the face of new variants of the virus, and while vaccines are being distributed, factors such as low supply, this week’s snowstorm, state-driven rollout plans, and other constituents have made administering the vaccines slow. In the latest health advisory email sent to the Stevens community from Marybeth Murphy, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, recorded a spike in off-campus COVID-19 cases, stating that “41 students and five staff members have tested positive.”
Senator Bernie Sanders and his mittens became a meme that was absolutely the highlight of my winter break, specifically the ones below:
“This could’ve been an email” pic.twitter.com/kn68z6eDhY
— Ashley K. (@AshleyKSmalls) January 20, 2021
I see everyone mocking Bernie’s “grandpa at the post office” vibe today but those mittens are clutch pic.twitter.com/cVwINTnqR6
— Grace Segers (@Grace_Segers) January 20, 2021
Bernie dressed like the inauguration is on his to do list today but ain’t his whole day. pic.twitter.com/wCRyoxU3V2
— Reeezy (@MsReeezy) January 20, 2021
Yes, I just made 50% of this piece consist of Bernie memes that are arguably very outdated by now. But honestly, I think we all need something to laugh at, and while the current pandemic and state of the world aren’t laughing matters, humor and breaks from hard-hitting news are necessary every once in a while. Most memes don’t make me genuinely laugh out loud often, but these Bernie ones definitely made me crack up while I was alone in my bedroom.
The start of the new semester means The Stute is ready to get back to work after our winter session hiatus and begin documenting history again. We’ll be continuing our online-only publishing as we did last semester but will be adding some digital layouts in the form of single, front pages, which can be read and viewed here. Our newsletter which you can subscribe to here has a new look, and in general, we are working to better deliver the news digitally to the Stevens community. Happy reading and good luck with this semester, Ducks. Let’s get to work!
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