The only visitors to the Grebel campus these days have feathers. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, students, faculty, and staff have settled into a new normal of working and studying from home.
University students who have been anticipating their graduation – complete with celebrations, final recitals and capstone project presentations - are struggling with the abrupt end to campus activity as a result of COVID-19 closures.
In this time of uncertainty and isolation caused by COVID-19, Grebel Professor Carol Penner is offering a gift to all who need help putting their heart’s longing into words. Author of a popular blog, Leading in Worship, she is tapping into her training as a Mennonite pastor and practical theologian to write pandemic prayers. “Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday will all be experienced differently this year because of the fears and anxieties we have about this pandemic,” Carol explained. “My prayers reflect that reality.”
When assignments pile up and due dates loom, the act of writing can become a stressful task for university students. Emilie Chase and her fellow GrebelSpeaks team have been working to change that. GrebelSpeaks is Conrad Grebel University College’s monthly publication that is written for Grebel students by Grebel students.
On March 11, three Grebel students competed in the C. Henry Smith Oratorical Contest. This Peace Speeches competition invites students from Mennonite and Be in Christ colleges and universities across Canada and the United States to present speeches exploring the application of the Christian peace position to contemporary concerns.
Apartment-dwellers visit with Grebel’s Director of Operations Paul Penner outside their window and with Director of Student Services Mary Brubaker-Zehr via video chat. Photo by Anna Kuepfer
Most of our lives have shifted dramatically in the past few weeks as we grapple with social isolation, educational upheaval, job changes, pandemic preparations, and health care emergencies surrounding COVID-19. Over the course of two weeks, the situation moved rapidly at Conrad Grebel University College
For complete information on Grebel and the University's response to COVID-19, visit UWaterloo's Coronavirus website.
March 20, 2020
The Mennonite Historical Society of Canada is utilizing the resources of Mennonite universities in Canada to research and write an updated history book on the history of Mennonites in Canada from 1970-2020. They have invited Conrad Grebel University College (Grebel) Archivist-Librarian Laureen Harder-Gissing to co-author this book with Brian Froese, Associate Professor of History at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU).
Facilitating engaging classes is just one of the ways that Lowell Ewert cares for and supports students in achieving their goals. Lowell is Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) at Conrad Grebel University College and the University of Waterloo. Originally a lawyer, he researches the ways that peace interacts with human rights, law, and civil society. His teaching and in-class discussions empower students to apply what they are learning in whatever vocation they find themselves.
Photo by Seyran Mammadov
Lukas Wormald of the Waterloo Warriors swim team has called Conrad Grebel University College home for the last two years. Lukas is in his second year of mechatronics engineering at the University of Waterloo and appreciates how living at Grebel suits his busy schedule.