ROWAN UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF WRITING ARTS
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Letter to Department and Students in Light of COVID-19 and Transition Online

4/3/2020

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Hello everyone,

This is Connor Buckmaster, student in the Writing Arts major and Head Intern for the Writing Arts Department. Speaking on behalf of myself and the Writing Arts Interns, I feel compelled to reach out to our students, to meet everyone where we find ourselves in light of the coronavirus and as we end the first week after transitioning online. I want to take a moment to share the thoughts and feelings I’ve been grappling with, as well as my vision for our community moving forward.

These last few weeks have been chaotic, filled with uncertainties. As we return to this semester, we enter into not only a different academic environment, but a different world. I think it’s important first to distinguish this: our community has never experienced a challenge like this before. In talking with friends and peers, many have voiced concerns about what the remainder of the semester will look like; there is a feeling of overwhelming uncertainty in the air. Yet I have also noticed, in the face of this anxiety and uncertainty, an overwhelming sense of support. It has grown naturally, from the ground up among students and friends, and top down from the department and professors. So it’s important, too, to distinguish this: our community is in this together. 

Our professors have been working tirelessly to move their classes online. For many students, having five online classes may be overwhelming, and balancing this presents its own challenges. Our professors recognize this. I’ve spoken with several about their plans moving forward and how they hope to support their students. They’ve provided encouraging, thoughtful messages to their students; like Amanda Haruch, who told her students “they are important to me as people, and that I'll do what I need to to ensure their success.” Professor Haruch has created mental health and meme chats where her students can talk, seek support, and brighten each other's days. Jason Luther shared this message in a video posted to his Youtube channel, “I really want to think about how writing can help us in this moment. [...] What I’m [concerned] about is how you are going to balance five classes in this new environment. So I’m just trying to think really thoughtfully about that, and [make] sure you’re in a good place.” These messages echo what countless other professors across our department and across the university are striving to do: provide support and flexibility moving forward. 

To me, these messages speak to the power of writing. Writing will unite us. Writing will be our direction forward, our tool to overcome the new challenges we face. Already, this movement has begun. Students and professors are using every form of writing to support each other. We will get through this together. We will use writing to overcome and thrive.

To our professors, I want to say thank you for your flexibility, thoughtfulness, and leadership as we walk into these uncharted lands. To the students, I urge you to prioritize your mental health and overall wellness, to advocate for yourself, and to keep an open communication between your peers and professors. If you need support, contact your Writing Arts professors, the Dean of Students, or the Wellness Center. There is online counseling available via Therapy Assistance Online (TAO); you can log in using your Rowan email. The CCCA has also created a COVID-19 informational page where you can find resources for advising, learning remotely, disability resources, and more. In addition, SHOP will continue providing resources to students with food insecurity.

This community of writers, of administrators, students, and teachers, has touched me deeply. I’m moved by the support I see, radiating from all corners. Though the context has changed, the content, the outstanding people inside our community, has not.
​
Above all, know that you are a valuable member of our Writing Arts community and that everyone is trying to make the best out of this difficult time. Stay safe, and hopefully I’ll be seeing you in the not-too-distant future. 
Best,
The Writing Arts Interns
Connor Buckmaster, Tara Grier,
​Marissa Stanko, & Matt Berrian
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  • Home
  • Programs
    • Creative Writing Minor
    • WA Major
    • Minors >
      • Publishing and Writing for the Public
      • New Media Minor
      • Technical & Professional Writing Minor
      • Writing Arts Minor
    • Certificates of Undergraduate Study >
      • CUGS in Creative Writing
      • CUGS in Publishing and Writing for the Public
      • CUGS in Technical and Professional Writing
      • CUGS in Writing Studies for Educators
      • CUGS in Professional Communication
      • CUGS in Writing for the Environment
    • 4+1 (B.A.+M.A.) Program
    • Degree in 3
    • Graduate Programs
  • Advising
  • WA Major
    • Writing Arts Journey
    • Required Courses >
      • General Education >
        • Science and Mathematics
        • Social and Behavioral Sciences
        • Literature, History, Humanities, and Language
      • Introduction to Writing Arts >
        • History & Materiality of Writing
        • Issues in Writing
        • Technologies & the Future of Writing
      • Methods Choice >
        • Communication Theory
        • How Writers Read
        • Tutoring Writing
      • Creative Choice >
        • Creative Writing I
        • Writing Children's Stories
      • The Writer's Mind
      • Writing, Research & Technology
      • Literacy Studies >
        • Situating Writing
        • Writing With Technologies
      • Senior Seminar: Methods of Analysis and Evaluation of Writing
      • Portfolio Seminar
      • Free Electives
    • Elements of Language >
      • American English Grammar
      • Editing for Publication
      • Introduction to Anthropological Linguistics
      • Linguistics
      • Rhetorics of Style
      • Semantics
    • Concentrations >
      • Creative Writing >
        • Creative Writing I
        • Creative Writing II
        • Film Scenario Writing
        • Fundamentals of Playwriting
        • Magazine Article Writing
        • Professions in Writing Arts
        • The Publishing Industry
        • Screenwriting I: Writing the Short
        • Screenwriting II: Writing the Feature
        • Tutoring Writing
        • Teaching the Writer's Workshop >
          • Publishing & Writing for the Public >
            • Applied Media Aesthetics: Sight, Sound and Story
            • Editing the Literary Journal
            • Environmental Writing & Rhetoric
            • Fiction to Film
            • Introduction to New Media
            • Media Law
            • Online Journalism I
            • Participatory Media
            • The Publishing Industry
            • Publication Layout & Design
            • Photojournalism
            • Professions in Writing Arts
            • Rhetorical Theory
            • Self Publishing
            • Writing for Popular Culture
            • Writing for the Workplace
            • Internship
            • Research Practicum
        • Writing Children's Stories
        • Writing Comedy
        • Writing Creative Nonfiction
        • Writing Fiction
        • Writing Genre Fiction
        • Writing Poetry
        • Writing the Young Adult Novel
        • Internship
        • Research Practicum
      • Technical & Professional Writing >
        • Developing Health and Scientific Literacy
        • Introduction to Technical Writing
        • Medical Writing and Rhetoric
        • Professions in Writing Arts
        • The Publishing Industry
        • Scientific Writing and Rhetoric
        • Tutoring Writing
        • Writing to Bear Witness
        • Writing for Nonprofits
        • Writing for the Workplace
        • Internship
        • Research Practicum
    • WA Learning Community >
      • Publishers
  • Internships
    • Internal Internships
    • External Internships
  • Careers
  • Faculty
    • Faculty Resources >
      • Best Practices in Online Learning
      • Syllabus Requirements
      • HyFlex/Remote Learning
      • Canvas Support >
        • Writing Comedy
      • Accessibility in Online Courses
      • Racial Equity Online
      • Supporting Developmental Writers Remotely
      • Building an Online Classroom Community
    • Acknowledgements
  • Blogs
    • Writer's Insider Blog >
      • Spring 2022 >
        • Writing Diverse Characters
      • Fall 2021
      • Spring 2021
      • Fall 2020
      • Spring 2020
      • Fall 2019
      • Spring 2019 >
        • An Interview with Devon James & Rachel Barton
        • Confession Travel Writer
        • Self-Publishing: A Change in Perspective
        • CCCA Career Fair: Having Your Future in Mind
        • Alumni Success: Entering the Working World
        • Behind the Scenes of Rowan's Hiring Process
        • Writing Comedy
      • Fall 2018 >
        • Singularity Press: Rowan's New Start Up
        • Writing Arts Club
        • How Can We Evaluate Creative Writing?
        • More Inclusive Events for Technical Writers
        • Guest Speaker Manuela Soares
        • Glassworks Reading
        • Spotlight: Taylor Henry, Recently Published Rowan Alum
      • Spring 2018 >
        • Publishing and Writing for the Public: A Reconstructed Concentration
        • What You Think You Know About Technical and Professional Writing is Wrong
        • The Toni Libro Medallion Award Winner: Myriah Stubee
        • An Interview with a Publisher
        • Excellence in Writing Arts Medallion Winner: Sara Skipp
        • The College of Communcation and Creative Arts 6th Annual Student Awards and Showcase Ceremony
        • Rowan Alum, Marissa Cohen, On Self Publishing and Advocacy
      • Fall 2017 >
        • Upcoming Classes in the Writing Arts Department
        • The Writer's Journey Blog by Earl Garcia
        • Rewriting The Department's Social Media Platforms
        • Rowan University Writing Arts Club Reinvents Mission
        • Glassworks Launches Issue Fifteen
        • For Futuristic Consideration: An Exploration of Careers in Writing
      • Spring 2017 >
        • Technical Communication: An Overview
        • A More Inclusive Future for Technical Writers
        • Easing the Tension: Breaking Down Technical and Professional Writing
        • Growing the Technical and Professional Writing Concentration
      • Fall 2016
      • Spring 2016
      • Winter 2015
      • Fall 2015 >
        • 2014 and Prior >
          • Archive
    • The Bulletin Board
    • RU Writing? Podcast
  • Creative Writing
    • CW Faculty Publications
    • CW Course Offerings
  • Writing Center
  • Alumni
    • Undergraduate
    • Graduate
  • Awards
    • 2022 Emerging Writers Scholarship
    • Denise Gess Literary Awards
    • Excellence in Writing Arts Medallion Award
    • AnToinette Libro Graduate Medallion Award
    • Past Awards >
      • 2008 Hollybush Writing Competition
      • Write Rowan, Right Now! Contest
  • Student Groups
    • Writing Arts Club
    • Avant Literary Magazine
    • The Whit Newspaper
    • Her Campus Rowan
    • Odyssey at Rowan
    • Singularity Press
  • Events
  • ECCCA
    • RU Deptartment of Writing Arts - Home
    • News & Announcements
    • Rowan University - Home
    • Ric Edelman College of Communication & Creative Arts at Rowan University - Home
    • Student Groups
  • About Us
    • Our Vision and Mission
    • Land Acknowledgement
    • Our Call to Action