As the new president and CEO of the Ravinia Festival, the country’s oldest music festival, Jeffrey Haydon ’97 is guided by a singular mission. “Music,” he says, “is a universal language that inspires each of us to come together, to listen more deeply, and to explore new ideas.” 

For people of color, what happened wasn’t new—it was merely a reminder of what they have seen and experienced all their lives. To gain perspective, we asked three people to reflect on the issues the country has been grappling with. One is a Black student who has struggled to feel comfortable at Puget Sound—and who is trying to make the path easier for others who follow her. Another is an alumnus whose lifelong activism dates to the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

Puget Sound's first Taiwan Culture Night brings Chinese community together

Under ordinary circumstances, Dana Levy ’21 has a lot going on. 

Levy is double majoring in English and gender and queer studies (GQS) with a minor in music. He’s also a violinist and active member of the Puget Sound LGBTQ community. (Levy identifies as transmasculine.) 

Last summer, however, looked like it would be pretty quiet. The coronavirus had nixed any prospects for a summer job, and by early June, the California native was, he says, “sitting around, twiddling my thumbs.” 

“It feels good to help,” Zoe Love ’23 said over a Zoom call from her childhood bedroom in Evergreen, Colo.

Like a lot of current students, Zoe is trying to make sense of everything that’s going on. Thrust into her old life when COVID-19 seemed to change everything overnight, she moved back in with her parents when Puget Sound classes went online a week before spring break.

Chet Selis ’18—and his Logger recruits at Loopie—want to help with your laundry

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began its domination of the global news cycle in February, the virus has served as a framework around which to discuss a host of other topics. One of the most notable: the shortcomings of the American health care system, specifically the limited number of ventilators. In March, the American Hospital Association estimated that up to 960,000 Americans could become sick enough to require ventilation—but the United States only had about 200,000 machines.

“One of the benefits of quarantine—if there are any benefits—is that people realize they don’t have to necessarily go to a gym to work out,” says Puget Sound Strength and Conditioning Coach Brent Roling.

Chemist Dan Burgard is at the forefront of an exciting—and stinky—field: wastewater analysis

Chemist Dan Burgard is at the forefront of an exciting—and stinky—field: wastewater analysis