To: Liberal Arts Faculty, Staff, Post Docs, and Graduate Students
From: Clarence Lang
Date: April 6, 2021

Dear Colleagues: 

Tomorrow (April 7), the College of the Liberal Arts will again observe the University’s scheduled Wellness Day. With this being the last one of the semester, it is important that you take advantage of it. We have been laboring in an overwhelmingly remote environment for more than a year – a longer period of hardship than any of us likely could have imagined. The toll that this has taken is evident. Many, if not most, of us are tired. I have heard the comments made in Zoom meetings, and I have seen the exhaustion on many people’s faces.  We can’t alleviate the pronounced sense of weariness that weighs heavily on us as faculty and staff members of the college – and this is exactly why taking advantage of these small moments matter. 

For those of you teaching this semester, you should not be convening classes or giving assignments in place of class this Wednesday. And whether you are teaching or not, feel free to cancel any regularly scheduled standing meetings and take an overall break from Zoom. In all the ways that you can, reorganize your day so that you can enjoy some outdoor weather, eat lunch away from your computer screen, play with any household pets you may have adopted since the pandemic began, talk to a colleague or friend on the phone about something other than work, and otherwise make time work for you. 

For those of you who are interested, the theme of Penn State’s final Wellness Day is “Physical and Environmental Wellness,” and it comes complete with a schedule of University-sponsored activities that you can find here.  

Regardless of how you use your Wednesday, let’s agree that we will all benefit from taking this respite. Enjoy your Wellness Day – see you Thursday. 

Sincerely, 
Clarence