This article is a part of The S&B’s Anniversary Project. See the entire project here.
As everyone at Grinnell College both processed the news and made plans to evacuate campus, the vibe of campus was often charged with absurd and chaotic energy. Pictured here are some of the images that encapsulate the wild feelings and scenes of the week.
“4 days since the fall of Grinnell College”
A whiteboard outside the dorm of Abby Doudna `20, Noah Burgess `21 and Destiny Magnett `22 displays a message exemplifying the gravity of the week.
Queeronavirus?
During discussion for Professor Leah Allen’s “Foundations of LGBTQ Studies” class, just an hour after the campus memo was emailed out on Tuesday, March 10, Andy Kenley `22 queers the coronavirus on a HSSC whiteboard. (Abraham Teuber is a features and arts editor for The S&B.)
“Fear-washed hand”
Chloe Wray `21 snaps a photo of her “cracked, dried, fear-washed hand,” a behavior now familiar to many as pandemic paranoia began to creep in.
Loggia post-happy hour
A shattered wine bottle splashes on the floor of the South Campus loggia the morning after a night of fervent partying.
“Thoughts?” “Fuck…”
Throughout the week, a bulletin board in Loose Hall gathers messages summing up the emotional extremes felt across campus.
It’s corona time
A recycling bin in Cleveland Hall full of the fitting drink of choice for many student parties throughout the week.
COVID-safe D Hall
On Saturday, March 14, Dining Hall staff pack take-away meals, adapting services in response to the rapidly developing safety guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“I <3 Grinnell”
At a town hall for the student body on March 11, then-Dean, now-President Anne Harris recalls standing on stage in Herrick Chapel, taking notes on student questions: “And this is cheesy but it’s true,” she said in an interview with The S&B. “At one point I just wrote ‘I heart Grinnell’ on this notecard. … And then ten days later I found out I was nominated to the presidency and I was like, yes, I love this place. I would give everything to this place.”
“End of the World” concert
Nicole Rosengurt `20, Jacob Schneyer `21, Paige Oamek `20 and David MacDonald `21 (left to right) set up for an “End of the World” concert in the backyard of 1011 High Street.
Dystopia GUM
A poster for the Grinnell Underground Magazine’s spring edition – soliciting submissions that fit the theme of “Dystopia” – takes on new meaning as campus prepares to evacuate and shut down. (Eva Hill is the news editor for The S&B.)
Emergency haul
The kitchen of Rylee Beltran `22, full of plastic bags from a panicked grocery run. “I ended up staying with my girlfriend in Iowa City and this was our first big pandemic grocery trip,” wrote Beltran. “Our panic over seeing the half-empty shelves was heightened by her anxiety-inducing roommate’s insistence that we were about to go into a depression.”
