Before you read this, get out your rabbit’s foot, cross your fingers, or knock on wood to prevent any jinxes: After nearly a full year, life is returning to something more like “normal” at Knox College. After conducting the first half of winter term remotely while COVID infection rates were at their highest, the College welcomed students back to campus in mid-February with just a single new case of COVID among them. Sports teams will compete for the first time since 2019. The Class of 2021 will get to walk across a stage to receive their diplomas in June. And though it will look different, Flunk Day—on campus!—will be happening.

Zoom fatigue is real. We’ve all gotten better at managing our onscreen appearance and remembering to mute when we’re not speaking, but you can be forgiven if you’re ever tempted to freeze mid-sentence and pretend that your connection has timed out. Still, the widespread adoption of videoconferencing has led to innovations that are likely here to stay. Alumni who typically live too far away to attend Homecoming have told us they loved being able to reconnect remotely in fall 2020. Virtual events, including lectures from faculty members including Ole Forsberg (statistics) and Professor Emeritus Lance Factor, regularly draw sizable audiences. It may also enable Knox to work with faculty and staff based outside Galesburg in the future. Here’s hoping that when videoconferencing is no longer the only option, we’ll continue to take advantage of the opportunities it offers.

Probably every person reading this? It’s been a hard year, from the pandemic and its attendant financial hardship to the regular reminders that we still have a long way to go in the fight for racial justice. Congratulations for making it through—and let’s remember to take care of each other.