BY MADISON SHAPLAND
The Fort Hays State University Psi Chi Chapter and the Psychology Club are teaming up to present the Living Through and Learning from Covid event. This panel will be held in the south study area of the Forsyth Library on Tuesday. The event is open to FHSU students, faculty and staff as well as the community of Hays. No registration is required.
This panel will address the social, psychological and occupational effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts and students will reflect on diverse experiences living through the pandemic, and how we can grow and change through these experiences.
Kylie Jank, who has been the president of the FHSU chapter of Psi Chi since 2019 and is a Graduate Clinical Psychology Student and research assistant, joined with Dr. Rachel Dolechek and Latisha Haag to research the effect COVID had on students. This research project sparked Jank’s idea to present this panel to the public.
“Because of the pandemic we haven’t been able to put on any events until now, so I was ecstatic to have the opportunity to share any of my ideas,” Jank said. “I thought a panel talking about the positives and negatives could be beneficial to everyone involved.”
Obtaining a wide scope of experiences with COVID was something Jank felt necessary for her panel to provide ways for people to connect and relate with their individual experiences.
“The panelists come from many different walks of life, with multiple professors, students, business owners, professionals within our community, parents, etc. We thought by broadening our panel allowed for many perspectives to be heard that may not have been heard in the past,” Jank said.
Panelists include Taissa Carvalho Mick, a current Graduate Clinical Psychology Student at FHSU; Kaley Conner, a marketing coordinator at High Plains Mental Health Center; Dr. Rachel Dolechek, a Professor of Applied Business; Leo Harzman, an Undergraduate Psychology Student at FHSU; Kylie Jank, a Graduate Clinical Psychology Student and president of the FHSU chapter of Psi Chi; Courtney Riggle, a certified massage therapist and Co-Owner of Anhelo Massage; and Will Stutterheim, the assistant director of Health and Wellness and a mental health counselor at the Kelly Center.
“While students and professors have a unique view of COVID, business owners and professionals have a separate view that should be talked about as well,” Jank said. “COVID affected us all in social, emotional, and psychological ways but what is important is understanding the differences and how we all persevered in one way or another.”
The Panel will be moderated by Ken Windholz, an undergraduate and graduate psychology instructor at FHSU.
“I want attendees to understand that while COVID has been a difficult time, we have benefited in more ways than we would like to admit. We have dwelled on all the negative aspects of COVID for a while, but it is even more vital to remember that we have gained many skills having to live through this pandemic,” Jank said.
The event will be presented in a hybrid manner so those who cannot attend in person can still get the information and ask questions for the panel: https://fhsu.zoom.us/j/95652712611.
The panel begins at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 12.
