乔纳森·莫拉莱斯
萨克拉门托 State’s College of Education has devised an innovative way to help students, faculty, and staff combat social isolation amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“寒冷的云,” which launched in October, allows members of the University community to sign up for or create informal virtual meetings on any topic, or simply to allow people to hang out in a non-classroom setting.
寒冷的云网站上的会议建议包括为诗人、表演者或喜剧演员举办一个开放麦克风之夜； “the fun topic you will NOT learn in my course;” 冥想和瑜伽； 讲故事; and “cooking dinner with…”
“Random social interactions on campus – people bumping into each other, exchanging a few words – all of this is more important for our well-being than we knew before. We wanted to create a platform for people to get together more intentionally, and use the information technology not just for classes, but also for out-of-class experiences.”
教育学院院长萨沙·西多金（Sasha Sidorkin）表示，自3月份校园转向远程教学以来，教职员工和学生都对缺乏社交接触感到不满，这是对这种不满的回应。
“Random social interactions on campus – people bumping into each other, exchanging a few words – all of this is more important for our well-being than we knew before,” he said. “We wanted to create a platform for people to get together more intentionally, and use the information technology not just for classes, but also for out-of-class experiences.”
一些教职员工已经通过寒冷的云创建了虚拟聚会场所，西多金说，他希望随着学期的继续，会有更多的人加入。 参与者必须有一个Sac州立电子邮件地址。
一个早期的活动是11月16日的虚拟开放麦克风之夜，由教育领导博士项目和萨克拉门托地区青年演讲主办。
Social isolation is “the experience of being disconnected from support systems or having a lack of social connection,” said Danielle Muñoz, a 囊状态 master’s in counseling graduate who is a case manager in 萨克拉门托 State’s Crisis Assistance and Resource Education Support (CARES) office. It is associated with effects physical – such as increased risk for stroke and heart disease – and mental, including higher rates of suicide, anxiety, and depression.
Muñoz said social isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected college students’ “formative years” through canceled events, virtual classes, and a mostly closed campus.
“Students rely on campus events, social gatherings, student clubs and organizations, classes, and places like the library to stay connected with people,” she said. “COVID affected all of these opportunities, leaving students with the slim options of virtual programming or social media to keep up-to-date with their community.”
寒冷的云 is a “perfect opportunity” to combat social isolation because it creates “spaces that foster community and bring people together.” 她说，专注于特定爱好、兴趣或任务的项目对保持学生之间的联系特别有帮助。
JaNay Brown-Wood, an assistant professor of Education who also writes children’s books, is among individuals taking advantage of 寒冷的云. On Nov. 20, she held a meeting for people who want to learn how to write children’s books of their own.
Knowing that reading and writing has helped many people cope with the stress and uncertainty of the pandemic and presidential election, Brown-Wood said a meeting about children’s books made perfect sense for the 寒冷的云 platform.
“I thought this may be a space that overlaps the tranquility and chill that comes with writing and reading a children's book with giving a concrete way to have control over something like writing, getting your story down, getting your voice down,” she said.
In addition to discussing the practicalities of writing and publishing a children’s book, Brown-Wood also read from her two books, including Grandma’s Tiny House, about a large family that celebrates in their grandmother’s small home. It’s a timely and, hopefully, comforting story inspired by Brown-Wood’s own Thanksgiving experiences.
“It's a reminder that we will get back to some kind of normal, that we will get through this and we'll be able to come together as family again,” Brown-Wood said. “Reading this book should make people feel nostalgic, but also hopefully make people feel hopeful that we'll get back to that again.”