On July 2, teaching ended for the third and final semester (also called the “summer” semester) of UWI St Augustine’s Academic Year 2020/2021. It has been quite a year, dominated by the pandemic and our national response. Our students have been forced to adapt to a new learning environment and new methods of assessment. Many, if not the majority, of our faculty members have been required to transform their teaching practices and find new ways to encourage their students to succeed. Our other staffers, in the many administrative and support functions, have had to show enormous flexibility and ingenuity to keep this institution functioning while working remotely.
As difficult as this year has been, we made it through.
It is especially fitting that as we end the chapter of this challenging year, Trinidad and Tobago seems to be emerging from the worst of this phase of the pandemic. Confirmed cases and deaths have been decreasing. Lockdown measures are easing. The nation has received a good supply of vaccines and is engaged in an aggressive vaccination programme. For the first time in quite some time, we can truly be cautiously optimistic.
We are at a moment – both the campus and the society – to pause, breathe, self-assess, and practise self-care. In this issue of UWI TODAY, Dr Sarah Chin Yuen Kee, the Coordinator of our Counselling and Psychological Services Department (CAPS), recommends that we do more to take care of our emotional and mental health, particularly during these times. We have been working for our material well-being and the well-being of T&T. In doing so, many of us have neglected our internal state. Let’s use this moment to replenish those stores for the academic year ahead of us. Knowing how to do so should be at the centre of a new national education agenda.
There are many ways to recharge – involvement in fulfilling hobbies, recreation, exercise, proper eating, therapy, and connection with positive and uplifting social circles. Of course, we must still pay heed to the risks of COVID-19. We are in no position to drop our guard. There is, however, a space between restriction and freedom, where we can engage in activities that support emotional and mental healing.
The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us that life is not just about survival or even material prosperity. There is enormous fulfillment in finding the intrinsic value and deeper meaning of our existence. Particularly now, in an age where we face the risk of pandemics, climate change, natural disasters, crime, inequality, and economic uncertainty, enjoying the simple pleasures in life – while we work for better – is crucial.
In these last few months, many lives have been affected by COVID-19. Many have been lost. Apart from the pandemic, we have lost, as well, some extremely prominent members of our extended campus community. We should all celebrate their lives and legacies. We should also recognise their mortality, and in doing so, recognise our own.
Life is meant for contribution, connection and enjoyment. As we prepare for Academic Year 2021/2022, let us not forget to take care of ourselves as we take care of business.
