COVID-19 MAINE Alumni Magazine Submissions (Alumni)

I hope you are healthy and managing well. 

These last three months have been unlike anything UMaine alumni and students have ever experienced.

The UMaine Alumni Association is working on a major project to document this historic period in time. We invite you to be part of our efforts. 

The Alumni Association is gathering stories, quotes, and photographs from Black Bears to chronicle how the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted their lives. We will feature a selection of them in a special edition of MAINE Alumni Magazine, to be published in July. 

Below we’ve provided a list of questions. Please take a moment and respond only to those questions that interest you.  

Please note the following:

  • The magazine will feature excerpts of the submissions we receive. However, all submissions will be included in full in an expanded digital collection being compiled by the Alumni Association and Fogler Library.
  • All excerpts chosen for the magazine will be shared with their authors before they are printed.
  • Please attach a high-quality selfie of yourself taken at work (if you are not working remotely), at home, on a walk, in a lab, etc., during this period of time. Or if you prefer, you may submit a headshot. 
    Max. file size: 32 MB.

  • Questions

  • Though we sincerely hope the answer is no, did you, a friend, or family member contract or test positive for COVID-19? If so, please share the experience from your own perspective. (< 50 words)
  • From a personal standpoint, what has been the most difficult adjustment you have had to make during this period? How did it affect your family life, financial situation, or other responsibilities? (< 50 words)
  • Describe anything you did as a volunteer or professional to help address public health conditions or to help neighbors and community members in need. (< 50 words)
  • How did the COVID-19 restrictions affect your employment, travel, or graduate school plans? What had you been hoping or planning to do? (< 50 words)
  • During this period, did you take part in videoconferencing or other forms of “virtual” get-togethers with other Black Bears? If so, please explain the nature of the get-together and share the names of the Black Bears involved. (< 50 words)
  • The pandemic turned normal life upside down for most people. Please share a situation you experienced during this period that you’d describe as funny, weird, awkward, uplifting, emotional, tension-breaking, etc. (< 50 words)
  • Any additional observations that you would like to share? (<50 words)

 

Thank you! Contact John Diamond at diamond@maine.edu with any questions.

About the UMaine Alumni Association

Founded in 1875, the UMaine Alumni Association is an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing the best interests of UMaine and its former, current, and future students.

We do so by encouraging relationships and mobilizing resources in ways that enhance the value of a UMaine degree. Our efforts focus on:

  • providing information, programs, and events that serve our members’ personal and career interests; and
  • advocating for policies and assets that strengthen UMaine’s quality, reputation, and appeal.

The Alumni Association has more than 109,000 UMaine alumni living in 50 states and 112 countries.