Recording Your Story

• Did you contract the virus? How did you find out? Can you tell us about the experience?

• Were you considered an essential worker? How did that feel?

• Did you work with the public? Were people respectful?

• Were you a front-line worker? Can you talk about your experiences with that?

• Did you keep your job? Were your hours reduced? Were you furloughed? How long? How was that experience?

• Did you work on the Parkside campus?

• If you are an instructor, how was that experience?

• Did you work from home? How did you manage that?

• How do you feel about the various shutdowns and mask mandates? Were your feelings similar or different than your family/friends/coworkers?

• What was the most frustrating part of daily life?

• Did you join any protests regarding mandates or other provisions such as remote schooling? Describe the experience?

• Where did you get your information about the pandemic, vaccines, or other health protocols?

• How did the pandemic intersect with other crises of 2020 and 2021, such as the murder of George Floyd and the ensuing protests?

• Did climate crises occurring during the pandemic add to you level of stress? In what ways? 

• Do you have children at home?
• What were their school and daycare situations before and during the pandemic? How did that impact home and work life?
• Did they attend school remotely? What was that like?
• Did you want them to attend remotely or would you have preferred in-person instruction?
• Did you change your shopping practices during the pandemic? Did you experience hoarding or shortages? Did shopping practices evolve as the rates of infection role or fell? How?
• Did your cooking practices change?
• Do you think of any books or films as getting you through the pandemic and times of stay-at-home orders?
• Did you increase online subscriptions to streaming services?

• How did you recreate, relax, and socialize despite restrictions?

• Did you feel tempted or pressured to circumvent distance and isolation protocols to connect to people? How did you resolve this?

• Did you eat outside your home during the pandemic? Under what circumstances?

• Did you or your household take up new hobbies?

• Did your use of parks and outdoor recreational opportunities increase?

• Did  you make online video calls to friends and relatives? How was that experience?

• How did you celebrate important days and holidays?

• What did you miss most?

• Were you lonely?

If you are unsure of which questions to choose, you can select our standard list of five questions. Choose from a list of questions for students, faculty and staff!