BY BETSY EMISH STEVENS
When I read student body president Chandler Rankin’s reflection of how “a virus fundamentally changed our lives forever,” [UC Magazine, Spring 2020] I felt profound empathy for the class of 2020 graduates who could not have a Commencement ceremony or enjoy the final moments of their senior year. Four years of hard work, study and financial sacrifice deserve greater recognition and these graduating students were cheated by the pandemic. Rankin laments not being able to say goodbye to his friends or have the final celebratory meal.
I experienced a similar event 50 years ago as a member of the class of 1970. The years between 1966 and 1970 saw radical changes on the UC campus. I was living on campus in April 1968, when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Riots occurred in several cities, and Cincinnati mandated a 7 p.m. curfew. That evening I saw a police car drive slowly down Clifton Avenue with rifles hanging out the back windows. I felt terrified and the full impact of the assassination hit me hard. Something momentous had happened, and I knew our lives were going to be changed in ways I couldn’t imagine.
UC alum Betsy Stevens. Photo/UC Alumni Association
On May 4, 1970, four Kent State University students were shot and killed by members of the Ohio National Guard who were dispatched to that campus to quell demonstrations over the Vietnam War. Civil unrest followed on several Ohio campuses and others across the nation. Cities experienced protests and looting. Several days later UC suddenly closed its doors and sealed off the campus to avoid the destruction occurring on other campuses. Senior year was over.
I was stunned, upset, and I knew I would never again see some of my classmates. A month before the closure, a contest had been held for the senior commencement speaker, and I was selected. I was thrilled to be representing my senior class. Graduation for the class of 1970 was initially planned as an evening event, but was moved to midafternoon as the city and university administrators feared a large crowd gathering at night. I felt nervous speaking to thousands of people in Nippert Stadium that day, but I was grateful that, at least, our Commencement ceremony was held. (The 50th anniversary celebration for the class of 1970, scheduled for April, was cancelled due to the pandemic.)
The class of 2020 was not so lucky.
Graduates, you’ve experienced a bittersweet ending to your college careers. You all deserved a more rewarding finale, but the resilience that Chandler Rankin so articulately described will enable you to accomplish great things. Following the tragic death of George Floyd, we are all called to repair the social fabric that knits us together. You have the talent and ability to take up the challenge of leading us in a new direction toward mutual respect and understanding. On behalf of the class of 1970, you have our support and prayers. Congratulations and Godspeed.
Betsy Emish Stevens, A&S ’70, M (A&S) ’71, is a teacher and proud Bearcat.
March 2, 2016
From March 8-11, the UC Foundation will host its second annual UC March Mania Challenge, a four-day fundraising competition between UC s colleges and units.
March 10, 2016
With spring at the Tristate s door, flu season continues with the Ohio Department of Public Health reporting an increase in influenza cases during the last week of February
March 18, 2016
Fourth-year medical student Emily Hautman got her first choice for a match.
March 21, 2016
Medical students have one of the most demanding curricula in higher education, but at the University of Cincinnati, many still have time for mentoring schoolchildren.
March 30, 2016
Three faculty members from the UC Academic Health Center were recognized as Outstanding Educators 2016 by Cincy Magazine: Valorie Grant, Yvette Pryse and Rebecca Leugers.
March 17, 2016
The UC Radiation Safety Offices are being relocated to the MSB as part of the project tearing down Wherry Hall for the HSB. The move will take place March 22 and 23.
March 21, 2016
A new father to 11-month-old twins, Adam Crosby, 31, says his favorite thing about fatherhood is the look on his daughters faces when he comes home from a long day.
March 23, 2016
Cheedy Jaja, associate professor of research in the UC College of Nursing, discusses Dream Home, an orphanage for children who lost their parents to Ebola in Sierra Leone.
March 2, 2016
As spring break plans are being finalized, many people are heading for the tanning salons to get that beach-ready glow. However, Jeffrey Sussman, MD, says to think twice.
March 4, 2016
The Black Death hit Europe in the 14th century but it left genetic clues to aid UC faculty in treating HIV patients co-infected with hepatitis C using an anti-retroviral drug
