Hello SWEsters,
What can we say? A LOT has happened in the past few weeks. Just for a bit of recap, all classes are now online, the university doors are closed, Denton has put in place “Stay at home” orders, millions are now unemployed, internships have been rescinded or postponed, and a lot more. I list all of these so we can face the reality of the situation. No one planned for this to happen. A lot of us didn’t sign up for online classes. People had plans for the rest of the semester. As an organization, we had a lot lined up for you all, but this is where we are now. We must play the game with the cards we have been given. SWEsters, hope isn’t lost. The game isn’t over. The cards have been changed, so our strategy must too. At this point, I want to invite you reading to close your eyes, take a deep breath in and out.
Our officers had a meeting a few weeks ago, to brain storm on the next steps. We had to answer some tough questions; “What does this change mean for our members and student organization?” “What does this mean for our classes?” “How will this situation affect graduation or our entrance into the job market?” The answers to some of those questions were heart breaking. However, something we all realized was that this was a season filled with opportunity and alternatives. I mentioned earlier that our strategy must change given the situation, but what does that even mean? What does that look like? It means although online classes may not be your preferred method of learning, you have to make them work for you now. Changing your strategy means finding alternative ways to bond/have fun with your friends. It means using money saving tips/tricks if you are part of the millions that are now unemployed.
At UNT SWE, our strategy change is to turn up our social media/online presence. We want to help you all adjust to the current situation like engineers. Engineers are problem-solvers, inventors, and designers. We don’t want you all to simply survive but thrive in this situation. Hence, we have a lot still in store for you this semester. Our blog will feature a number of topics to help with online classes, social isolation, boredom, laziness and much more. We have movie nights and game nights to give you at least some sort of escape. We have different fun social media activities in the works. SWEsters, we got you!
Let me end with this old Persian adage, “this too shall pass.” Everything is temporary. Yes, someday we will walk into a restaurant to sit and eat. Someday, we will go back to our class rooms to be face to face with our professors and friends. Someday, we will return to our jobs. SWEsters, we will be reunited face to face. At this point, I invite you to take a moment and think about the first thing you will do once this quarantine is over. Email your answer to [email protected] for some SWE points!
Wash your hands, keep up the hard work, create motivation to do your work, don’t lose hope and look out for our next blog/social media post. “This too shall pass.”
To; you