After nine months of coming to the park every day, Brian Rogers has learned a few things – about the world of nature around him and about himself.
He is a sight to behold, almost completely engulfed by cooing pigeons, as he sits on the root of a tree, calmly hand-feeding a slice of bread to an eager young swan who looks at him with bright black eyes.
It’s like a scene from Home Alone 2 – but even Brenda Fricker didn’t have the swans of Central Park eating out of her hands. The birds of St Stephen’s Green came to trust Brian after he rescued this same swan as a lost cygnet, reuniting it with its mother. Once the bigger bird began to trust him, the pigeons followed, along with the doves. Not to mention the squirrels – the other day, Brian fed two of them some peanuts from his hands.
UConn Researcher Finds Family Support Key to LGBTQ+ Student Wellbeing During Pandemic
Support from parents is a key indicator of whether LGTBQ+ college students are experiencing higher levels of stress during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eva Lefkowitz, University of Connecticut professor of human development and family sciences, investigated the impact of COVID-19 campus closures on LGBTQ+ students. Graduate students Alyssa Clark, Rachael Farina, Veronica Hanna-Walker, Samantha Lawrence, Tracy Walters, and Yuan Zhang had active roles in the conception and execution of the study (courtesy of Eva Lefkowitz). Copy Link
The COVID-19 pandemic uprooted the lives of many college students throughout the country as they were unexpectedly forced to move home when campuses closed. Many struggled with the adjustment to living with their families full time. But in some cases, LGBTQ+ students had additional concerns and challenges associated with the transition.