It’s week nine, and 20S is quickly approaching its conclusion. The final weeks of spring, as seniors prepare to graduate and another academic year comes to a close, tend to be particularly significant. However, with remote learning, many of the rituals and traditions that occur just before the transition to summer have presented themselves in different ways. Instead of scrambling to spend our last bit of DBA on delicious King Arthur Flour pastries — relishing in the purchase of full pies and massive bags of granola — we’re recreating our favorite blueberry muffins from home. Finally making a move on our recent Last Chances match in a frat basement has transitioned into sliding into their Instagram DMs. And deciding what to wear for a senior thesis presentation is now making sure that your camera is tipped high enough to block the pajama pants you’ve worn for the past week.
This week’s theme is “Last Chances.” In this issue of Mirror, we look at the ways in which Dartmouth students are wrapping up their final weeks of spring term. We reflect on the tumultuous experience of taking online classes, speak with seniors who had to take their last Dartmouth classes over Zoom and check up on how well students have kept their quarantine fitness goals. We mourn the loss of KAF and Morano Gelato, shed light on sophomores’ alternative summer plans and explore how seniors are presenting their theses online.
Although spring is rapidly coming to a close, there are still opportunities for growth, learning and reflection, just like any other term. This is also a time for us — students and professors alike — to look back on the past nine weeks and congratulate ourselves for making it through a term of online learning. Pursuing an education in the time of COVID-19 is no easy feat, and even the smallest victories deserve to be lauded. So keep pushing through — we’re almost there; let’s not waste our last chances of 20S.
