During the Spring and Fall 2020 semesters, Hubbard School students had to improvise when it came to their hands-on courses, which were now being administered mostly from a distance. Many students chose to use this time to tell stories about COVID-19. We are #UMNProud of our students' resiliency and ability to complete these important stories. Read on for more.
COVID Stories Through Photos
Hossam Halaweish poses for a portrait on his bed full of prints of photos he took in different cities holding his acoustic guitar on Sunday, Dec. 12, 2020. Halaweish taught himself how to play guitar after feeling isolated in his first year in college. “I would just go home and just be like, ‘well, this sucks.’ Like, I'd be in this room where I'm at now. So then, I mean, that's how I learned how to play guitar. Just got so like, bored and like sad, I guess,” Halaweish said. “As you get older you start thinking like ‘Oh, what was my dad or mom doing at this age?’ And, you know, I'm 20. And my mom had my oldest brother at like 22 or something. And so my dad and my mom left Egypt, somewhere with all their family members, their culture… their whole life was in Egypt. They went to Wales, and then eventually the United States solely to provide me and my brothers with the best possible opportunity and give us the most potential as possible. It’s pretty insane to think what they're able to do under the circumstances that they're in, you know, they were able to succeed in a completely different country with no friends or family and not knowing the language. And here I am, struggling in my native country.”
Photo by Nur Adam for Jour 4302: Photojournalism, Fall 2020
Student Work in the Star Tribune
Students in Jour 5196: Field-Based Practicum were assigned to the Star Tribune. While students had to shift to working from home when the health crisis hit, they still produced a number of COVID-19 related stories for the daily newspaper. Here are several:
- Hair salon owners brace for worst for shops: 'If I have to shut it down, I'll rebuild again', by Caitlin Anderson
- Twin Cities tattoo artists get creative to cope with coronavirus shutdown, by Michelle Griffith
- The coronavirus has made dealing with eating disorders more challenging for some Minnesotans, by Cleo Krejci
- U of Minnesota radio station hits the airwaves - from home, by J.D. Duggen
- Minnesota pet care businesses feeling bite of coronavirus downturn, by Natalie Rademacher
- 'It was a bit of a shock,' Pandemic upends promising internships for college students, by Nicole Norfleet and Caitlin Anderson
- Coronavirus has done a number on Minnesota's active running community, Paul Hodowani
- College during COVID-19: It's improvising online for students and professors, by Liv Martin
- Minnesota State students concerned about looming shift to online classes, by Katrina Pross
- 5 tips to make your home work space as comfortable and functional as possible, by Audrey Kennedy
Multimedia Storytelling and Production
The students in the two sections of Jour 3102: Multimedia Storytelling and Production, taught by instructor Regina McCombs, learn audio, photography and video. They were due to get their video cameras, microphones and tripods on the day they returned from spring break. When that didn't happen because of the stay home order from the University of Minnesota and the state of Minnesota, they had to complete their course with just their phones from wherever they were (including one in quarantine). Many students depended on the computer labs for access to software, so they had to figure out how to get the software installed at home - sometimes on machines that struggled to handle it.
Social distancing and shuttered ethanol plants
How COVID-19 is impacting North Dakotan farmers, by Sydney Johnson
The rise of unemployment
The impact of COVID-19 on the self-employed, by Madeline Hillman
Mother of autistic child fights boredom
People with special needs navigate the new normal, by Lukas Levin
Volunteering at Miriam's Kitchen gives purpose in time of uncertainty
A peek inside the Washington, D.C., non-profit, by Sam Palca
COVID-19 pandemic leaves dentists struggling for patients
The day-to-day of a dentist during the health pandemic, by Jeffrey Liss
Reporting the News
Students in Jour 3451: TV, Radio & Digital News Reporting and Jour 4452: Newscast Producing had to make a big switch in storytelling when the University of Minnesota switched to distance learning. Even though they were scattered across the country without the usual classroom equipment, they were able to use what they had to tell important stories about the pandemic.
Remote Worship in Kansas
Sammi Boring reports on a Kansas church during COVID-19.
Family Mask Making
Grace O'Neil reports on a family (her own!) making masks during COVID.
The University of Minnesota's Pass/Fail Decision
Joe Kelly covers the online petition and recent decision by the University of Minnesota to allow students to switch to satisfactory/not satisfactory grading, or, pass fail.
School Lunch Programs During COVID
Jess Backlund reports on a school lunch program.
Student Refunds at the University of Minnesota
Ruby Guthrie covers the University's final student refund decision.