Luke Mason (He/Him), Maintenance Coordinator for Viking Union Operations (essential@Western project)

When March 2020 brought the lockdown to Whatcom County and WWU we all left the Viking Union having no clue what we were in for. The custodial staff and myself were deemed critical and we found ourselves working in a virtually empty building. It was kind of surreal. It was like time just stopped, which gave us the time to stop and think about the time we now have. We accomplished cleaning projects that hadn't happened because we didn't have the time. The custodial staff took the time to complete trainings and gain certifications. We spent a LOT of time figuring out how the Viking Union would open up again. How it would operate, how it would look, how many signs to hang... Then time passed and we are open to students, staff and faculty in a safe manner and it feels so good! We are creating outdoor seating areas, installing new art and getting creative ideas on how meetings will be like. WWU and Viking Union aside, I hope and feel we ALL will come out of this pandemic in a better space, and time.

Creators/Contributors

Luke Mason - Contributor

Collection

Telling Our Stories: Essential @Western During COVID-19

Identifier

wwu_covid_essential_9

Date Created

April 8th, 2021

Publisher

Digital object made available by University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, Western Libraries, Western Washington University

Physical location

  • WaBeWWUA
  • Western Washington University

Repository

University Archives

Resource type

Still image

Related to

Telling our Stories: Western's Response to COVID-19

Access conditions

  • http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

  • The contributor has transferred to Western Washington University Libraries, Division of Archives & Special Collections, all rights, title, and interests to these materials, and further agreed that these materials may be made publicly accessible (with no restrictions on their use). For more information, please contact University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; archives.speccoll@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Telling Our Stories: Western's Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic Collection, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.

Genre

Images

Rights and Permissions

  • See "More Details" tab and "Access Conditions".