To friends and students at Wesleyan,

Greetings, everyone. I hope that everyone reading this is in good health and doing well. As a facilitator at Nagasaki Wesleyan University, I thought it would be appropriate to share a message with the students. No doubt, with all that is going on it has been challenging for everyone and I think we are now living through major changes for society in general. I have never seen anything like the changes that this crisis has had around the world, and I particularly sympathize with everyone who is finding this a particularly stressful time.

Perhaps many students are feeling bewildered by local and world events and wonder what the future holds. Please know that the university is here to support you over the coming months and years as students and alumni.

Nagasaki Wesleyan University is truly a family as students and staff have come together to support each other in learning and life that lasts beyond the boundaries of the campus and our time at Wesleyan. Instructors at Wesleyan are currently working through Google Classroom and through other online sources to ensure that student academic attainment is unimpaired by the current crisis. Wesleyan is here to support you during these times.

I am certain that after this crisis there will be new opportunities and if we can take this time to consider what really matters in life, then we will create a better future society. This is an opportunity for us to instigate changes in our own lives.

The coronavirus crisis has demonstrated how quickly life can change. We can take nothing for granted and so we must therefore work hard and collaborate to create the world we want to see. It is always easier to identify and call out problems but less easy to find the solutions and implement lasting change.

Students at Wesleyan are each in a unique situation. We have students abroad not able to come to Japan at this time due to travel bans. Likewise we have students preparing to study abroad but are faced with uncertainty as to when they will be able to travel and if hosting institutes will be able to participate in an exchange. There are students who are faced with uncertainty and concern over their family, relatives and friends. Everyone is experiencing this coronavirus crisis differently.

Those who are in a fortunate position, please take a moment to consider those who are not and take steps to help those you can. Nobody quite knows how the future will play itself out, but if we work together, we can adapt and use these days to become better prepared for the future.

I feel that it is important to be aware of how stress can cause displacement of ill feelings. This coronavirus crisis has the potential for the perpetuation of discrimination. As a teacher and as a father I would like to stress how it is important to objectively be aware of how we treat others during this crisis. Covid-19 as a disease does not discriminate, but it seems to be in human nature to label, marginalize, and discriminate those who are different. It is important to separate the disease from the individual.

As we are now at the end of the Golden Week Holiday, I hope that everyone was able to take some time out from work and studies, spend time focusing on what is important to you and your loved ones no matter where you are in this world. I hope this message finds everyone well.

Take care,

Lee