The Swarthmore College website proclaims that its community “thrives on open dialogue, shoulder-to-shoulder discovery, face-to-face exploration.” This approach, as well as the 8-to-1 student to faculty ratio, has helped the college garner a reputation as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country. But its hands-on, intimate learning had to be modified once the college transitioned to remote learning.
When COVID-19 prematurely ended the residential semester at Swarthmore College in March, some students were left without clear alternatives. Since the crisis began, the college has raised more than $150,000 in emergency funds, using the money to help students with immediate needs caused by the pandemic. Dean of Students Jim Terhune is proud of the college’s response to this crisis, “particularly with respect to our commitment to low-income/high-need students,” he wrote in an email. However, some students still found their needs unmet.
On April 13, the Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board (WSSD) convened (over Zoom, due to the COVID-19 outbreak). Board president David Grande opened the meeting by thanking parents, teachers, and students for their efforts in adjusting to online learning. “Our community and our children are going through an unprecedented challenge right now,” he said.
“A fine new roof is going on Mr. F. Sauter’s house on Dickinson Avenue.” That quote comes from the News Notes section of a 1920 issue of the Swarthmorean. Back then, News Notes consisted of seemingly mundane details about the lives of people in Swarthmore. In other words, the “News Notes” section — or the “Personals” as it would be called by the 1940s — looked a bit like a Facebook or Instagram feed does today.
Read about board games and the community in Swarthmore in an essay by our Swarthmore College intern, Elisabeth Miller.
