The 1918 flu pandemic caused the death of at least 50 million worldwide, with about 675,000 in in the United States, but there is little documentation of its impact in Storrs, with initial reports of the flu arriving in 1919 at what was then The Connecticut Agricultural College, which was closed for the Christmas holiday.<\/p>\n
The student newspaper, \u201cThe Connecticut Campus,\u201d reported on Jan. 10, 1920 of three deaths — a woman, her daughter, and niece who all lived in the same home. According to the newspaper, the CAC school doctor and nurse conducted daily nose and throat inspections of students. Safety advice for everyone one campus was headlined as \u201cTo Avoid Spreading Disease,\u201d and included tips like washing hands with soap and water, using a handkerchief when coughing or sneezing, and only using your own drinking cup.<\/p>\n
Scholars looking back to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic at the University in 2020 will have a much richer documentary record, thanks to an initiative launched by University Archives & Special Collections (ASC) in the UConn Library.<\/p>\n
ASC is reaching out to the UConn community\u2013 students, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, and other affiliated community members\u2013 to share their stories of life during the pandemic to be collected, preserved for posterity, and made accessible for research and study in what will be known as the UConn COVID-19 Collection. A website detailing the effort has been established that includes a submission form for members of the University community interested in providing information about their experiences.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe campus is closed but classes are ongoing, faculty are teaching, alumni are in their own environments trying to work through all this,\u201d says ASC archivist Betsy Pittman, who is leading the documentation effort. \u201cIt’s a way to collect personal experiences while it’s happening, rather than in retrospect where things might be colored a little bit differently. UConn is experiencing this in a totally different way, but each one of those experiences are valid. If people are willing to share and have it available for research and study, I’m interested in collecting contemporary documentation of the experiences, reactions and feelings of how people express themselves for faculty, staff, students, and UConn alums as we all adjust, struggle, and move forward through the challenges of a world-wide pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n She says examples of personal documentation can include audio files, social media posts, emails, screenshots, photographs, blog posts, journaling, zines, interviews, and more. This information will be in addition to the official University information, messages and updates being posted on the existing COVID-19 information website.<\/p>\n Students in three classes this semester are already writing about their thoughts and experiences of how the suspension of classes, concern over the pandemic and disruption of their lives is affecting them, their families and friends. Three professors \u2013 Brenda Jo Brueggemann, Aetna Chair of Writing and director of the First-Year Writing Program; Helen M. Rozwadowski, professor of history and maritime studies at Avery Point; and Sylvia Schafer, associate professor of history \u2013 revised writing assignments in their courses following the move to online classes to incorporate reflections on the effects of the pandemic.<\/p>\n Brueggemann says during Spring Break in March, she revised the syllabus for her \u201cAdvanced Expository Writing\u201d class, creating what she calls the \u201cQuarantine Collaboration Journal.\u201d She asked students to explore writing for a variety of platforms including stop-motion video, infographics, Spotify playlists, a collaborative podcast, a letter, an interview outline, and more.<\/p>\n