Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Individuals in a U.S. Higher Education Institution: A Collective Trauma and Wellbeing Assessment and Approach Towards Healing

Students living, learning, and working in higher education institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced collective emotions and experiences with traumas to their social connections and communities. The stressors of abrupt changes, isolation, and heightened inequities to marginalized communities while maintaining their academic and social goals have uniquely impacted college students around the world. This study aimed to understand how six students in a small, private, liberal arts college in the Intermountain West experienced collective trauma caused by the pandemic, their wellbeing, and their experiences and responses during a restorative justice practice of community circles, and how it impacted their wellbeing and informed the design of future circles for use in higher education. A qualitative research approach to this action research study was imperative to best comprehend and analyze the collected transcription and wellbeing survey response data to answer the research questions. Analyzing participants' stories and experiences of three students participating in the restorative circle informed the results of significant collective trauma, decreased mental health and wellbeing, additional institutional support for mental health access and negative online learning experiences, and improvements to circle design for higher education. Students experienced decreased and nonexistent sense of community and social connections, increased loneliness and tiredness, and some hope and encouragement for supporting their communities. This study supported the need for further research on implementing restorative justice practices in higher education, more institutional fortitude to meet students' needs, trauma to college students' social lives, improvements to online learning, and re-including individuals into their community.

Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Individuals in a U.S. Higher Education Institution: A Collective Trauma and Wellbeing Assessment and Approach Towards Healing Kaitlyn M. Brown A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education Westminster College Salt Lake City, Utah May 2022 COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT Abstract Students living, learning, and working in higher education institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced collective emotions and experiences with traumas to their social connections and communities. The stressors of abrupt changes, isolation, and heightened inequities to marginalized communities while maintaining their academic and social goals have uniquely impacted college students around the world. This study aimed to understand how six students in a small, private, liberal arts college in the Intermountain West experienced collective trauma caused by the pandemic, their wellbeing, and their experiences and responses during a restorative justice practice of community circles, and how it impacted their wellbeing and informed the design of future circles for use in higher education. A qualitative research approach to this action research study was imperative to best comprehend and analyze the collected transcription and wellbeing survey response data to answer the research questions. Analyzing participants’ stories and experiences of three students participating in the restorative circle informed the results of significant collective trauma, decreased mental health and wellbeing, additional institutional support for mental health access and negative online learning experiences, and improvements to circle design for higher education. Students experienced decreased and nonexistent sense of community and social connections, increased loneliness and tiredness, and some hope and encouragement for supporting their communities. This study supported the need for further research on implementing restorative justice practices in higher education, more institutional fortitude to meet students’ needs, trauma to college students’ social lives, improvements to online learning, and re-including individuals into their community. Keywords: Restorative justice, College students, Collective trauma, COVID-19 pandemic, Wellbeing, Socioemotional health COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT Dedication This research and study is dedicated in loving memory to my grandfather, Michael Uchnar, whose love and support helped me get to where I am today. I miss you everyday, Pap.Further dedication is to the lives of those lost during the COVID-19 pandemic and various events that have transpired around the world, especially those advocating for a better, equitable world. Additional dedication and gratitude goes to the peers, colleagues, and professors who believed in me and encouraged me to pursue further studies, question current systems and the possibilities of restorative justice, and keep on dreaming and climbing on my darkest days. This work is dedicated to my family and loved ones close and across the world. Dedication is especially for the brave medical and public health professionals supporting safety and success during the COVID-19 pandemic and those who have been fighting for equity, justice, and peace against all odds. This is also dedicated to all of us who have experienced loss, despair, hardship, growth, and/or healing from the pandemic; may we all continue to seek peace, harmony, and happiness in our lives and communities. COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT Acknowledgements My greatest thanks goes to the few, but mighty group of supporters who shone so much light and love during the most difficult parts of my academic journey and life. I deeply appreciate my families and friends whose love and care was the constant motivating me when I felt unable to continue. Special thanks and gratitude goes to my families of friends whose fun and laughter helped to take my pain and frustrations away. Here’s to more great times, trips, and tattoos together to make up for the time we lost. Colton, you’ve been the wind in my sails and the greatest supporter of my dreams; our love, sacrifices, and hard work made this and so much more possible, especially growing our family with Andiamo and Gambit. We have many adventures ahead of us together and with your family, whose love and acceptance means the world to me. The love and support of my mother, sister, grandmother, and father from afar has been most meaningful and important to my continued success throughout my challenging yet exciting life journey. My deepest appreciation goes to my classmates, research seminar peers, thesis advisor, and supporting professors at Westminster. Our stories, experiences, and shared emotions truly inspired my research topic and sustained my perseverance to continue and fight for it. I am grateful for the mental health professionals and advisors who have supported me in this tumultuous time. This study would be absolutely impossible without the trust, honesty, time, and interest of my brave and beautiful research participants. You all made my dream come true when it was so close to not being possible. I am so proud of each of you for sharing your stories so that we may better understand this topic and how to make a better world. COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT Letter of Permission for WEMWBS COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT Table of Contents Chapter I: Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….....1 Statement of Topic…………………………………………………………………………..……2 Potential Significance……………………………………………………………..……………...4 Theoretical Framework…………………………………………………………………………...4 Limitations………………………………………………………………………………………..6 Statement of Researcher…………………………………………………………………...……...6 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………..8 Chapter II: Literature Review……………………………………………………………………………..9 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………….9 Trauma: Introduction, Historical and Intergenerational, and Impacts on Adult Learning……….10 Introduction to Trauma…………………………………………………………………..10 Effects and Impacts of Prolonged and Prior Trauma(s).....................................................11 Childhood Trauma……………………………………………………………………….12 Intergenerational and Historical Traumas………………………………………………..13 Trauma and Its Impacts on Adult Learning……………………………………………...14 Collective Trauma and COVID-19……………………………………………………………….16 Mental Health and Wellness of Students and Employees in Higher Education During COVID-19………………………………………………………………………………………...17 Higher Education Student Mental Health and Wellness During COVID-19………17 Higher Education Faculty and Staff Mental Health and Wellness during COVID-19………………………………………………………………………..18 Resilience……………………………………………………..………………….19 Restorative Justice Practices for Healing Intrapersonal/Collective Trauma and Building Community………………………………………………………………………………21 COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT Restorative Practices and Circles………….……………………………………..21 Building Community…………………………………………………………….23 Restorative Practices and COVID-19……………………………………………23 Theoretical Framework of Research……………………………………………………..26 Trauma Learning Theory………………………………………………………...26 Adult Learning Theory…………………………………………………………..27 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….....28 Chapter III: Methodology………………………………………………………………………..29 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………..…..29 Methodological Approach and Rationale…………………………………………....…..29 Setting………………………………………………………………………………....…31 Participants……………………………………………………………………………….32 Data Collection………………………………………………………………………..…34 One-on-One Pre-work Meeting……………………..…………………………...35 Restorative Community Circles………………………………………………….36 WEMWBS Responses…………………………………………………………...37 Data Analysis………………………………………………………………………….....38 Positionality Statement………………………………………………………………..…39 Trustworthiness………………………………………………………………………..…40 Ethical Considerations…………………………………………………………………...41 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….43 Chapter IV: Findings………………………………………………………………………..……44 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………44 COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT Social Connection………………………………………………………..………………45 Quality and Quantity……………………………………………………………..45 Safety with Social Connection…………………………………………………...52 Hope for Community…………………………………………………………….55 College Experience………………………………………………………………………57 Online Learning………………………………………………………………….58 College Resources………………………………………………………………..62 Wellbeing and Emotions…………………………………………………………………64 Loneliness………………………………………………………………………..65 Tiredness…………………………………………………………………………67 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………68 Chapter V: Conclusion………………………………………………………………………...…69 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………69 Summary of Findings…………………………………………………………………….69 Recommendations……………………………………………………………………….71 Implications for Future Research………………………………………………………...73 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….76 References………………………………………………………………………………………..77 Appendices……………………………………………………………………………………….83 Appendix A: Informed Consent………………………………………………………….83 Appendix B: One-on-One Pre-work Meeting Interview Protocol………………...….….85 Appendix C: Restorative Community Circle Protocols…………………..…………..….89 Appendix D: Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS)......................91 COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT Appendix E: IRB Approval Form F………………………………………………..…….92 Appendix F: NIH Certificate…………………………….……………………………....93 Appendix G: Recruitment Flyer………………………………………………………….94 Appendix H: Recruitment Email………………………………………………………...95 Appendix I: Recruitment Script In-Class………………………………………………..96 COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 1 Chapter I: Introduction My mother’s conversations while grieving the recent and sudden loss of her father, my grandfather, often gravitate to the same sentimental statement: “This was the year we were all supposed to be together and make up for lost time from when we were separated.” After bearing the weight of living alone and over 1,000 miles away from my roots in Pennsylvania, her words reduce my learned fortitude and independence to tearful homesickness. Each one signifies the flight tickets I could not buy to go home and be with family, the spaces between them incomparable to the emptiness exacerbated by the isolation, fear, and havoc caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. My mother’s hopes are becoming more possible, but not as safe as we would like after almost two years of an emergingly manageable albeit exceedingly deadly pandemic has extended the restrictive conditions we all should live in to remain safe and healthy. Beneath her words are a few relatable feelings we all might have experienced and continue to feel during the pandemic: loss of loved ones and time with them, eagerness to return to our “normal,” anxiety or other valid reactions to sudden change and socializing again, anger at exposed inadequacies and injustices in the U.S., exhaustion from living during “difficult times,” and many others. As with all facets of lived experiences, our reactions and emotions to occurrences and events caused or facilitated by the pandemic and how we heal from them all operate on a spectrum. Through my academic and professional careers, I witnessed the vibrant energy of college life that quickly and drastically shifted into forced isolation with the ghostly quiet months of barren classrooms and campuses. My college’s vitality was retained virtually although its vivacious glow was dimmed by stress of adapting to online learning, social gathering and travel restrictions, changes in our professional careers especially for my friends COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 2 teaching in K-12 schools, and growing political unrest and necessary peaceful protests to address racial, political, and medical injustices. Now that the hallways outside my office are teeming with masked and unmasked students and faculty, my “normal” is slowly emerging from its extended stay in isolation, but it is constantly snagged by pandemic-caused pains. New virus variants, over 4 million deaths internationally, dissemination of unmedically-sound solutions and information for unvaccinated people, and increased pandemic-related discrimination has distorted what “normalcy” could be for us all. My hope is that the aftermath of the pandemic is an era of peace, growth, and justice instead of a decimated coast after a hurricane. Statement of Topic The pandemic has painfully proved that we are not impervious to harm regardless of socioeconomic status, race, gender, sexuality, health, and various ideologies and beliefs. The causes, types, and intensities of these harms are individually unique; however we all have been negatively impacted by the prolonged pandemic in some way. Common experiences and harms also can vary by the groups we belong to such as neighborhood communities, sports teams, K-12 and college classes and cohorts, religious and social communities, businesses and organizations, peer collectives, and those sharing similar beliefs and practices. Given the increased term of the pandemic that strains our mental, social, physical, and emotional health and wellbeing, contemporary research on COVID-19 has defined our communal stress as collective trauma (Ali et al., 2021; Kalsched, 2021; Kuchuck, 2021). Individuals belonging to the higher education collective have experienced distinctive, not superior, challenges and stressors that cause a COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 3 particular type of trauma for this group, especially its Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Community members (Blad, 2021; Harper & Neubauer, 2021). When interpersonal harm is caused between two or more people or groups, we seek justice to the right the wrong caused. The solutions and means one person or group see fit could resolve the harm, but do they repair relationships, neglect the harm, or divide people further? Since the beginning of the pandemic, I witnessed astonishing ways people attempted and completed justice towards a deadly virus from community resilience and advocacy for necessary reforms to anti-mask and anti-vaccination campaigns and malicious slews of deadly misinformation. Resilience will be discussed in more detail in the Literature Review section, but it is important to note that healthy resilience and peace for all is imperative to healing collective trauma. Some of us are still mourning our lost loved ones or might not know how to begin finding justice from a plague. My research questions focused on a potential way to initiate healing our collective trauma for students living, learning, and working in the higher education field: restorative community circles. ○ How does the process of restorative community circles impact the social, emotional, and psychological well-being of students in a small, liberal arts college in the intermountain west during the COVID-19 pandemic? ○ What characterizes trauma for students living, working, and learning in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic? ○ How do participants describe their experience/perceptions of participating in the circle and how can the findings be used to inform the design of circle practices for higher education environments? COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 4 Potential Significance As of submission, my study is the first of its kind to support current research on the collective trauma and wellbeing of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic paired with literature on restorative community circles and related practices used to heal individual and collective traumas. Restorative justice practices are used for resolving harms and they provide many individual and social healing benefits via a structured, safety-based process facilitated by an open and supportive person(s) (Hübl, 2019). My research was a combination of these two bodies of literature, a great benefit for future research on utilizing restorative circles to promote the healing of collective trauma caused by COVID-19 and experienced by individuals and groups in higher education. I believe this information will spark a larger conversation about the trauma of COVID-19 on all people, how we have reacted and adapted in productive or maladaptive ways, and how we can heal our temporarily broken social ties and resolve harm and injustices illuminated by the pandemic. Theoretical Framework The first theoretical framework guiding my research was trauma learning theory; how our brains and bodies are affected by trauma(s) in the short- and long-term as well as the impacts of unaddressed post-traumatic stress disorder and maladaptive coping mechanisms (Van der Kolk, 2014). Individuals whose brains are trapped in a constant anxious state of “flight, fight, or freeze” can experience challenges with engaging in learning and being open to new ideas. This is problematic for accepting sudden changes and adapting to overcome them with rational coping skills and collaboration. This is because those experiencing traumatic stress can experience a decrease in executive functioning given trauma’s impacts on the prefrontal cortex which is the COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 5 part of the brain most affected by traumatic experiences (Warper & Neubauer, 2021). On college campuses, the community may be struggling with memory and decision-making, regular self-care, and emotional and behavioral effects of trauma including, but not limited to, self-regulation problems, communication barriers, dissociation, hypervigilance, trauma re-enactment, sleep disturbances, oppositional behavior, self-harm, and eating problems (Alexander, 2019). It is necessary to state that not every student will experience these if any at all: I believe this depends on the person’s degree of felt harm, frequency and severity of traumatic experiences, and support in processing trauma(s) and healing. This theory was critical to analyzing every piece of data relevant to this research discussing COVID-19-related trauma(s) and healing the people and communities who need peace and healing after experiencing trauma(s). It was necessary to carry the utmost sensitivity and care with this topic as well as support, flexibility, transparency, and agency for the safety and most potential for trust and openness for the participants and myself. As these people are adult learners in the context of a pandemic that has caused them some degree of collective trauma, I considered principles of andragogy when instructing them on the restorative community circle process, developing questions and activities, and guiding them through the meetings. Andragogy contributed to the understanding of how adults learn and their unique educational needs based on four assumptions: increased self-concept for self-directed learning, wealth of experiences, learning to develop related skills, and maturity’s impact on learners’ perspectives (Merriam & Bierema, 2014). Adults are rich with a multitude of experiences making them unique while providing personal connections to material and people, learning opportunities, and helpful life lessons for themselves and others (Merriam & Bierema, 2014). These experiences can shape adults’ learning in two ways: they can be uniquely shaped to COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 6 be self-directing and engaged in learning or close-minded to new ideas because they do not need to alter their current perspectives and knowledges that have served them well in the past. The latter can be very problematic for trauma healing for individuals who might be overwhelmed with traumatic stress symptoms as previously discussed. The dualities of adult learners must be considered especially as restorative circles are not commonly known or frequently used on college campuses. Limitations This study was limited by its small sample size and its findings cannot be generalized to larger current and future studies. In order to promote the participants’ productivity and equity in the circle conversations, the group’s size was limited to six people. The context of this study was a small, liberal arts college in the intermountain west that will be referenced throughout this study under the pseudonym of Cleanwater University. The institution required a vaccination requirement for employees and students, but did not universally mandate classes to return to an in-person format. This study was intended to assess restorative community circles’ potentials for healing and other benefits to address and abate felt symptoms of collective trauma for individual students, faculty, and staff at Cleanwater. Therefore, it was not generalizable to the greater public and other communities. Additionally, this was not intended to be a therapeutic practice as I am not a licensed mental health professional; I instead am experienced in facilitating restorative justice circles and incorporating experiences and knowledges from content experts. Statement of Researcher My lived experiences have gravitated me towards restorative justice and seeking peace. Since graduating high school, my passions for teaching and academia were cultivated in the COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 7 institutions of higher education I attended as an undergraduate, non-matriculated, and graduate student and served as a volunteer and staff member. My research is dedicated to this unique environment including its policies and procedures, campus community of scholars, regardless of role and identity, and their pasts, presents, futures, and goals. I firmly believe that students within this space must receive continued instruction in socioemotional learning, mindfulness and empathy, and mental, relational, and sexual health. Students of all ages enter their classroom with their own unique histories, opinions, doubts, and hopes for the future; it is imperative to support them on their way to success while encouraging healthy behaviors, coping skills, and helping, not harming, themselves and others. Within this space, I focus on individual, collective, historical, and intergenerational traumas, their effects on individual and collective wellbeing and learning, and how they are caused, perpetuated, and forever prevented by the institution and its people (Hübl, 2020; Linklater, 2014; Van der Kolk, 2014). Advocacy for college affordability and accessibility, including decreased standardized testing and other obstructive admissions practices, in addition to increased equity, inclusion, and transparency practices and policies is imperative to ensure the success of all students. Additionally, I was very interested in the incorporation of restorative justice practices into policy to benefit remorseful individuals who want to repair the harm they caused to the institution, classmates, instructors, staff, and others on-campus and in the local community. My beliefs and perspectives on the higher education environment and its community align with my constructivist and critical humanist research paradigms. Jones and Brader-Araje’s (2021) definition of constructivism that best supports my research approach is a “development of understanding [which] requires the learner [to be] actively engaged in meaning-making” (p. 5). COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 8 More importantly, constructivism supports the claim that learners have “a rich array of prior experiences, knowledge and beliefs that they use in constructing new understanding.” A learner’s past experiences can include traumas from childhood and adulthood both healed and unresolved that can impact their ability to make meanings appropriately. Depending on the impact(s) of their trauma(s), learners might maintain certain “preconceptions” and naïve beliefs that can thwart their ability to healthily and productively adapt to change. This may even exist in peoples who are not aware of their past trauma(s) or in people who do not have a trauma history. Constructivism was critical to understanding the variety of reactions to the sudden changes the initial shutdown and isolation caused in addition to the prolonged stressors and changes we are still experiencing in pandemic life. It was especially important to consider when supporting healing in individuals and groups who do not believe in life-saving information and necessary mandates from our educated public health officials and trained, science-supporting medical and scientific research professionals. This inspired me as a researcher in trauma to aid in abating these symptoms in people as I personally experienced increased anxiety, fear of uncertainty, and stress after the coronavirus ravaged the world. Conclusion This introduction to my research provided a foundation of understanding of the study, its research questions, the limitations and environment, and myself as a researcher that are necessary for the subsequent chapters. Following this chapter is the literature review on relevant themes for my study. The chapter will begin with a guiding overview before delving into four imperative themes and their additional subthemes. Afterwards, there will be a discussion of the theoretical framework for research that is closed with a conclusion to finish the second chapter and prepare for the third. COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 9 Chapter II: Literature Review Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic impacted all communities globally who responded with collectively similar and individually unique methods of recovery which was no exception for institutions of higher education. Students, staff, and faculty experienced long-term uncertainties around resuming in-person instruction, effectiveness of vaccines and mandates, accessing affordable health care and campus resources, quality of education, financial burdens to students, and changes to student employment (Klebs, et al., 2021). US colleges and universities are still experiencing repercussions from the unexpected decline in enrollment, expenses of transitioning to online education, budget fluctuations, and students’ displacement off-campus especially for international students (Smalley, 2021). As we all keep pressing forward, the prolonged distress, anxiety, and depression these changes may have caused us must not be neglected. We currently have a better understanding of ensuring our safety when socializing again and can come together to discuss the personal and social wounds we have felt, continue to feel, or cannot readily identify. The goal of this research was to understand the impacts of COVID-19 on Cleanwater University’s campus community, use of restorative community circles to impact mental and socioemotional well-being, and how future circle practices can benefit from the findings and experiences. This literature review analyzes the existing research on collective trauma, especially emerging research on COVID-19, and restorative justice practices’ uses for healing trauma and building community which also includes research in support of its implementation in a post-pandemic world. COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 10 Following these sections will be the discussion of the theoretical frameworks used in this study: trauma learning theory and andragogy (adult learning theory). The chapter will conclude with an explanation of how restorative community circles can address collective trauma felt by those at Cleanwater to identify and understand traumas, build community, and heal together. My research questions to better understand this topic were: How does the process of restorative community circles impact the social, emotional, and psychological well-being of students in a small, liberal arts college in the intermountain west during the COVID-19 pandemic; what characterizes trauma for students living, working, and learning in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic and how the process of restorative community circles affects their social, emotional, and psychological well-being; and how participants describe their experience/perceptions of participating in the circle and how can the findings be used to inform the design of circle practices. This chapter will dive into traumas and healing, the collective trauma of COVID-19, the mental health and wellbeing of college students and employees, and restorative community practices for healing and building community. Trauma: Introduction, Historical and Intergenerational, and Impacts on Adult Learning Introduction to Trauma This discussion must first begin with the most important and complex theme: trauma. Trauma is a person’s or group’s response(s) and reaction(s) to their harm or injury from an individual or short- or long-term recurring event(s) and ongoing experiences from these reaction(s) that impact their healthy brain functions (Linklater, 2014; Van der Kolk, 2014). This definition has been adapted to address flaws from its Western origins as noticed by Linklater (2014) “using trauma terminology implies that the individual is responsible for the response, COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 11 rather than the broader systematic force caused by the state’s abuse of power” (p. 22). Also, trauma can be felt by more than just the person(s) directly harmed; responses can be felt by firstand second-hand witnesses and those associated to the harmed person(s) such as family, friends, and loved ones (Hübl, 2020). It is imperative to acknowledge the local, state, and federal governments’ responses to the pandemic that perpetuated or caused further trauma(s) on individuals who have historically or recently faced health care and income inequality and job loss, often those who are less-educated and of lower socioeconomic status (Dean, 2021). In the context of the start of the pandemic, a student living on-campus without health insurance might respond differently than a student who lives with their parents covered by health insurance. Bessel Van der Kolk (2014) states that when we feel danger after an event or experience, our body reacts by activating our brain’s amygdala, sending danger signals to increase our stress hormones and adrenaline in anticipation of a fight, flight, or freeze response. Then we decide what is most necessary for our survival, act to get past the danger, and our body returns to its normal state of feeling safe thanks to the brain’s prefrontal cortex and its ability to rebalance the mind back to consciousness and mindful regulation. This may include reevaluating one’s life and priorities, making personal and relational improvements, and finding an increased sense of purpose (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2014). This is the goal for everyone who survives a life-or-death situation. Effects and Impacts of Prolonged and Prior Trauma(s) However, the brain’s and body’s return to normalcy may be more complicated for those who have experienced prior trauma(s). The brain becomes at risk of incorrectly identifying the degree of danger during events, causing unnecessary stress responses that can impact the brain’s COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 12 ability to return to its safe state and healthy adaptability and growth that are important for resiliency to be discussed later in this chapter (Van der Kolk, 2014). Traumatic events can be divided into three categories based on their causes: natural, intentional acts from human(s), and accidental/technological catastrophes from human(s) (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2014). Naturally caused traumatic events include, but are not limited to, as earthquakes, tornadoes, epidemics, severe storms, flooding, famine, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, and landslides. Some examples of intentional traumas from people are domestic and school violence, homicides, suicides, genocides, physical and sexual assault, war, human trafficking, and abuse, assault, or neglect from caregivers, domestic partners, and parents. Lastly, accidental human-caused traumas include accidental shootings, car malfunctions resulting in accidents, machinery-related accidents, mine collapse, plane crashes, oil spills, and sports-related deaths. Childhood Trauma Before concluding, the discussion of traumas must include the unique impacts of when trauma events are experienced extensively during childhood and exclusively towards a specific group of people over a long period of time as seen in intergenerational and historical traumas. The latter two traumas are considered to be types of collective trauma and collective trauma will be discussed in the following section. When these traumas are experienced in childhood, they are considered adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) because they impact the development of the child that later effects their trauma responses as adults (Hübl, 2020). Multiple experiences of trauma in childhood may impair the healthy development of one’s attachment and relationship skills, behavioral and emotional regulation, stress tolerance, attentiveness, learning abilities, executive functioning, and self-esteem. COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 13 If the impacts of these traumas on the individual and brain are not addressed, the long-term effects of unaddressed trauma can lead to further complications in adulthood: foreshortened sense of future, dysregulation, numbing, hyper- or hypo-arousal, disturbances to sleep and healthy cognition, disassociation, substance abuse, and unhealthy relationship patterns to name a few (Center for Substance Abuse Control, 2014). When these adults experience another traumatic situation, such as a pandemic, their responses may vary slightly or drastically from those who haven’t experienced this trauma. Literature on trauma and its impact on responses and well-being are imperative to support the first two research questions about student, faculty, and staff well-being during the pandemic and the characteristics of trauma in this specific community. Intergenerational and Historical Traumas Similar differences may be seen with individuals who experience intergenerational and historical traumas. Linklater (2014) and Hübl (2020) concur that intergenerational traumas are psychological and emotional harms that are transferred and felt from one generation to the next. Hübl (2020) adds that these traumas are also untreated, unquestioned, and unresolved amongst families, resulting in legacies of “poverty, risk of abuse,” and often a cycle of childhood trauma (p. 67). Linklater (2014) provides a fitting explanation for the unquestioned approach to this trauma; parents who have been traumatized pass down their trauma through genetic memory codes and familial and ancestral “blood memories” to their child. Harmful behaviors, thought patterns, and actions become recycled which over time becomes embedded in Indigenous experience and knowledge. Historical trauma is a form of intergenerational trauma felt by families and people who share an identity affiliated with a larger cultural group who have been harmed in the past and are experiencing ongoing harms from an event(s), political or cultural COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 14 movements, or other phenomena (Hübl, 2020). History is riddled with short- and long-term instances of extermination, colonization-related harms, forced migrations, annexation, kidnapping, trafficking, persecution, and abuse of individuals in specific cultural groups with consequences lasting for generations. The people of the historically traumatized cultural group share similar wounds as well as the wounds of their elders and predecessors. Further, Hübl’s (2020) comparison of historically traumatized communities across the world indicated similar conditions of “lower socioeconomic status and report higher stress and poorer health” (p. 75). Before understanding how collectives responded to the pandemic, their responses to past traumatic events and possible experiences of historical and intergenerational trauma must first be considered. It is important to identify and understand the similarities and differences in people’s responses prior traumas when compared to responses to the pandemic which will be discussed in the following section. Therefore, literature on characteristics of trauma responses for groups of adults and their impacts on overall well-being supported this study’s first two research questions. This research also increased the awareness of potential experiences and trauma responses of the study’s participating students, faculty, and staff that can possibly be aided from the circle process to fulfill the third research question. Trauma and Its Impacts on Adult Learning The adult brain’s ability to perform basic functions under the influence and impacts of trauma(s) can be moderately or significantly impaired, but it is not irreparable as to be discussed in the Resilience section. Adult brains, especially 18-24-year-old brains of most undergraduate students, are unique considering their motivations, roles, and importance of lived experience which are the foci of adult learning theory or andragogy (Merriam & Bierema, 2014). Andragogy assumes that adult learners are constantly maturing and growing their self-concept and are COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 15 internally driven to learn, particularly to develop one of their roles, such as student, worker, or researcher. As they age, these learners obtain a wealth of lived experiences and knowledge derived from them creating truly unique, diverse learners with unique perspectives. However, instructors and staff might not be readily aware of if these lived experiences are traumatic or not until they become a part of the living-learning environment or classroom. When the brain is fixated on interpreting all signals as a potential threat, it becomes stuck in a reptilian cycle “flight, fight, or freeze” instead of a state of curiosity. If this brain were to belong to a college student or new faculty or staff member, their learning and information retention may be compromised, being distracted or delayed by battling these threats and other symptoms of trauma (Hübl, 2020). Additional effects of trauma on the brain are attention difficulties, poor emotional regulation, decreased feeling of safety, impulsivity, and disconnection. Consequently, an adult learner may not be as engaged in the classroom and their peers, not as willing to learn, struggle with making connections, and delayed on completing assignments and tasks. The impacts of trauma on the brain must be considered in this research with its likelihood of involving participants who experience trauma-caused learning and healing difficulties that have been unaddressed. More importantly, understanding how trauma was experienced by individuals in this private, liberal arts college community helped to inform my first two research questions in this study. The third question was answered by assessing how individuals experienced and possibly healed in the restorative circles over time, indicating if the practice needed to be adapted to aid participant learning and growth. COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 16 Collective Trauma and COVID-19 When a group experiences a common, collective wound, they often react to the traumatic event and return to safety in similar ways. Some groups may be able to resiliently respond, to be discussed in the following section, whereas others may exhibit an increased or prolonged trauma response of fight, flight, or freeze (Hübl, 2020). All people experience a traumatic event that impacts their family or cultural group during their lifetimes; if these traumas remain unhealed, they will impact the development of community and culture, identities, and norms of the group. In the context of the pandemic, people internationally have lost friends and loved ones, experienced similar responses like fear and anxiety, and felt the impacts of isolation and abrupt lifestyle change (Stanley, et al., 2021). Research on young adults comparing their lives before and during the pandemic indicated women and participants with strong social networks and greater social support reported the highest levels of loneliness and increases in depression due to feeling more disruption of their social lives (Lee, et al., 2020). The weight of the suffering is heavier for historically traumatized Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities who had higher death rates due to COVID-19 than white communities with deaths accruing internationally (Blad, 2020). Defining COVID-19 as collective trauma is relatively new given the international impact the pandemic has had on our socioemotional, physical, and mental health with more research becoming available daily. According to Nidhi Sharma (2020), the pandemic has caused rising instances of abuse and neglect at home and new and resurfaced mental illnesses from multiple new stressors and uncertainty which can create collective and intergenerational trauma(s) if the mental impact of the pandemic is not addressed. They express the necessity for additional mental health and economic resources, information on post-traumatic stress disorder and mental illness, and collective processing of the pandemic. However, the research on shared trauma, collective COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 17 stress, and their effects, especially for communities with historical trauma, is extremely limited and focuses on acute stress and trauma of almost exclusively individuals or a specific community (Ali, et al., 2021). What we know from past instances of collective trauma is that there is wisdom in our collective response tendencies. In response to the shared trauma of COVID-19, identifying how individuals and cultures experienced trauma inform a transcultural conceptualization of collective trauma, resilience, and growth was an informative approach to creating healing methods for an internationally traumatic event. By understanding how college students and employees at Cleanwater University responded to the onset of the pandemic and its ongoing, imposed changes on this group, their shared wounds can be identified, addressed, shared together, and hopefully healed. Mental Health and Wellness of Students and Employees in Higher Education During COVID-19 Higher Education Student Mental Health and Wellness During COVID-19 The impacts of COVID-19 on the mental and socioemotional health of students internationally, including both youths and adults, has been a growing area of research interest since the start of the pandemic and a call for additional mental health resources. Interviews with graduate and undergraduate students at a large US university in 2020 indicated increased stress, anxiety, depression and missing social connection that manifested in difficulty sleeping, suicidal and depressing thoughts, unhealthy eating patterns, and maladaptive coping skills (Son, et al., 2020). This mirrors the findings of Chi, et al. (2020) in their study on anxiety, depression, and impacts of ACEs on 2,200 Chinese college students’ mental health during the pandemic and returning to college. A large study surveying over 4,000 United Arab Emirates citizens also COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 18 indicated increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression in college student participants, especially those female-identifying (Ismail, et al., 2021). Another large US university study on the correlation of stress and sleep patterns of college students supports the previous studies, especially during the onset of the pandemic, transition to online learning, and changes in housing and access to support (Benham, 2020). National poll responses from college students in the US supported prior studies regarding student well-being, but also gauged their optimism about getting a degree in the current economy and the purpose and benefits of attending college (Klebs, et al., 2021). Lastly, Batra, et al. (2021) tediously analyzed twenty-seven studies with over 90,000 total college student participants whose research explained their collective “negative psychological burden of COVID-19” and advocated for additional preventative measures and mental health resources from university administration (p. 8). These international findings support the common, collective responses and emotions of college students that cannot be ignored as the pandemic continues, especially with the population debating the worth of a college degree. Unaddressed mental health issues in these communities will be detrimental to the success and well-being of the individual, longevity of their overall health, and their ability to learn and grow regardless of participating remote, hybrid, or in-person teaching modalities. Higher Education Faculty and Staff Mental Health and Wellness during COVID-19 However, the faculty and staff responsible for supporting the learning and growth of their students have also expressed similar negative mental health symptoms and stress. A study on college employees in Northern Ireland indicated similar increases in stress, mental illness, and maladaptive coping strategies that are congruent with research on professors and staff, but must also be addressed in order to improve well-being and their work environment (Shen & Slater, 2020). Another review of the impacts of the challenges and abrupt changes imposed on US and COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 19 UK college staff members during the pandemic indicates the potential long-term negative mental health impacts of uncertainty, confusion, and coping with chaos (Sahu, 2020). Lastly, 20 partand full-time faculty at various Canadian universities shared similar experiences through their stories in interviews also expressing exhaustion, stress, and difficulty managing uncertainty (VanLeeuwen, et al., 2021). These findings, like those of the students’, also support the importance of addressing staff and faculty well-being from pandemic-related stress and negative mental health symptoms. Without acknowledging and healing these harms, the prolonged impacts of the pandemic the people bravely kept their institutions afloat could negatively influence the quality of education and experiences for students. This paired with my first and second research questions to understand the impacts of the pandemic on staff and faculty and what was characterized as pandemic-related trauma in this group. All members of college communities are a healing priority for their overall success, well-being, and learning, but some employees and students may have already begun the process. Resilience Our bodies and brains are not built to endure trauma forever; some people experience more difficulty than others with recovering resiliently from traumatic events. Trauma-informed practices for classrooms promote a four-step approach to building healthy, adaptive resilience: (1) to help students feel safe, (2) to help students be connected, (3) to help students get regulated, and (4) to help students learn (Alexander, 2019). This is the most ideal approach for facilitating resilience because their brains must learn to cease interpreting every sensation and signal as a threat, untangle themselves from depression and disembodiment, and regain the courage and COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 20 trust to reconnect with their sense of self and loved ones (Hübl, 2020). They begin to love themselves and others, enjoy their lives, exhibit healthy coping skills like meditation and optimism, and become engaged in their studies and communities. A perfect example is a study on college students who survived Hurricane Katrina and participated in a college course on trauma that was taught with a trauma-informed practice approach (Elmhurst, et al., 2019). After taking the course, students who were experiencing unresolved trauma were able to identify their symptoms, understand how they inhibited their mental health and learning, and pursue healthy coping and resilience. One student even found healing from shared their lived experience during Kartina with the class, feeling “better equipped to respond to, and show greater understanding for [their] community and social world” (Elmhurst, et al., 2019, p. 193). Once these three steps are achieved, then learners can experience the highest quality of learning, executive functioning, connectivity, and regulation to support their holistic success. A fascinating study of Chinese college students’ practice of mindfulness proved that students’ perceived severity of the pandemic and post-traumatic stress symptoms decreased or were nonexistent with mindfulness practice to buffer short- and long-term affects of prolonged trauma (Liu, et al., 2022). Participants’ responses to a Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms survey with questions to assess avoidance, emotional arousal, and intrusive thoughts were compared to their mindfulness survey answers. The latter survey assessed their ability to be helpfully, not obsessively, observational, describe their emotions, address judgmental thoughts, and nonreactivity to stressors. Students who did not have a high quality of mindfulness reported the inverse which supports mindfulness’s impact on students’ ability to be resilient amidst influences by media and subjective perceptions of the pandemic. Mindfulness practices that promote mental and COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 21 emotional regulation and safety such as deep breathing, meditation, and awareness are beneficial for improving student wellbeing and resilience. Before concluding, this discussion must include the maladaptive, unhealthy resilience response to trauma. Sometimes in traumatic events and situations, the brain’s focus to protect the person may cause them to seek behaviors that may harm them or continue to impede their healing and success (Van der Kolk, 2014). Schepis et al. (2021) found increased consumption of cannabis and alcohol as a form of resiliency in a large study of college students after the beginning of the pandemic which correlated to higher reports of anger and depression. This way of coping can potentially negatively impact their academic success if their dependence on the substance begins to prioritize their lives. Faculty and staff were not immune to experiencing maladaptive coping strategies as well which could affect learning in the classroom, college operations, and their own learning and development. This study monitored the participants’ expressions and experiences of both forms of resilience to better address the second research question. Also, the third research question was answered as effective restorative circles can help address the maladaptive behaviors and reinforce the adaptive, healthy ones to answer the second research question. Restorative Justice Practices for Healing Intrapersonal/Collective Trauma and Building Community Restorative Practices and Circles The restorative practice of community circles with questions about collective emotion and traumas for the higher education community can lead to community building and social healing for a highly social and interactive group. Restorative justice seeks to address the harm COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 22 caused, fulfill the needs of the harmed person(s), promote accountability and responsibility, and reconnect and heal the community (Karp, 2019). In a study on usage of restorative circles to address homelessness in a specific community in the US, participants were able to identify and express their needs, not only for safety and cleanliness, but also for how they can better respect and cooperate with each other to form a better community amongst the homeless and with local residents as well (Hamlin & Darling, 2012). In college environments, restorative justice can be used for addressing student misconduct and school-wide traumatic events and misdeeds that aims to heal intrapersonal harm and restore balance and community with a neutral, trained facilitator. Depending on the severity of the harm and the engagement of the harmer and harmed parties, this can be a preferential alternative to punitive or criminal punishment that can significantly alter a person’s life. It is important to note that these circles are not commonly used or researched in situations of rape or sexual abuse given sensitivity and inherent complexities. Moreover, restorative justice practices can improve community well-being by balancing power dynamics, providing agency and flexibility to adult learners, and fostering open discussions in circles to “engage learners in setting behavioral norms and discussing problems” (Adamson, & Bailie, 2012, p. 149-150). As college environments have historically repressed BIPOC and female voices and are presently acknowledging and repairing those harms, people in this community are highly sensitive to power dynamics. Therefore, these circles are an excellent method to humanize instructors, connect them and their students to each other, and increase group accountability and social support. When the group can reliably trust each other, then their lived experiences and stories become easier to say, they empathize with one another, learn from their community, and heal together if and when needed. COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 23 Building Community By holding community circles regularly in any environment, people can talk and connect more in a facilitated way that strengthens their sense of belonging and improves their trust in community. Also, these circles are a platform for addressing harms within communities or when a community member leaves or disobeys a communal rule or practice (Boyes-Watson & Pranis, 2015). Further, adapting these practices and circles for discussing and processing racism and racial trauma, equitable solutions for injustices in punishment and treatment in the classroom can provide healing for effected individuals, improve learning and socioemotional capacities, and more sense of belonging in community (Manassah, et al., 2018). Therefore, the restorative community circle process can be utilized and specified to address pandemic-related harms and experiences for college community members. Also, it is important to consider the needs and experiences of those who have been historically and intergenerationally traumatized and the unique suffering and traumas perpetuated by the pandemic as previously discussed. This discussion informed and guided research question three to understand the effectiveness of restorative community circles for discussing pandemic experiences and reconnecting and healing students, faculty, and staff in a small, private, liberal arts college community. Restorative Practices and COVID-19 Research and critiques on restorative justice practices’ uses and practicality in a post-pandemic world were imperative to include in this literature review as this research answered the questions and concerns they pose. Cooper and Williams (2020) list the tumultuous and traumatic experiences of Communities of Color during the pandemic. They explained how restorative justice was imperative to initiate addressing racial disparity in policies and treatments COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 24 by health care and law enforcement, violence, economic hardship, and excessive deaths from COVID-19 are impacting Communities of Color that are already battling the compounding stress and experience of historical and intergenerational traumas. Their closing sentence to follow was particularly inspiring to encourage this study in its darkest moments and my purpose as a budding restorative justice advocate: Lives lost can never be replaced, yet healing and renewal are possible for those who remain, through acknowledgements of the harm created by centuries of injustices, commitments to rectifying past wrongs, and changes that restore all individuals and communities, but especially those that have lost the most, to a state of health and wholeness. (Cooper & Williams, 2020, p. 1492) Their advocacy for restoring community after the devastation of the pandemic especially on Communities of Color and their prolonged, intergenerational traumas shines hope on supporting restorative justice practices in policy and practice to heal and improve lives in a post-pandemic world. Additional research in support for restorative justice practices focused on opportunities for improvement and implementation in educational environments, primarily focusing on K-12 schools. Velez’s (2021) discussion of the opportunities of implementing restorative justice in post-pandemic education systems to address and overcome worsened educational and social inequities, rebuild their communities, and encourage resilience and improvements to wellbeing and mental health. School-wide restorative justice programming, training, and systems have the potential to transform the students’ experiences of online learning and community-building as well as address unresolved traumas and inequities unearthed in the return to in-person learning COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 25 which has possibilities for success in higher education. His experience and research of restorative justice in K-12 environments to inform this article are adaptable and applicable to college environments that face different stressors for students such as housing, financial aid, experience as a Student of Color or first-generation student, and the impacts to college students’ unique social lives and experiences in addition to power dynamics between faculty and staff. Gavrielides critiques Velez et al. (2021) argued that the implementation of online restorative justice circles in a post-pandemic world was imperative yet considerably difficult due to training of practitioners, their ability to properly understand the group’s emotions in an online space, and questionable support of the practice without much research. Although this research did not add to the facilitation of restorative justice circles in a virtual space, Velez’s argument was important to advocate for more research in restorative justice practices reforms for criminal justice and education institutions following the pandemic. Regardless of the modality, they encouraged more research on possibilities, limitations, and future applications of restorative justice that my research will greatly support. As of publishing this study, it is currently the first of its kind to implement restorative community circles to understand collective emotion, stories, and trauma from college students living in the pandemic. The effectiveness of virtual restorative justice and circles studied by Velez, et al. (2021) encourage the benefits of these practices for building community, addressing traumas real-time, and even creating a more equitable space in online meeting spaces instead of physical ones. Included in their focus on adaptation of restorative justice is a special discussion on how their middle school students appreciated how circles helped them feel connected and adding them to their routine helped them feel regularly included by peers through sharing experiences and opportunities for others to resonate. One recent study supported collective COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 26 emotions of US adults during the pandemic through semi-structured interviews and focus groups which share similarities to restorative justice and help inform this study’s practice and practicality (Stanley, et al., 2021). Interviewees expressed their complex and “undiscussable” experiences, emotions, and reactions to the pandemic through metaphors in individual and group meetings which yielded four common responses: uncertainty, danger, grotesque, and misery. Through the expression of complex and socially hidden emotions, the individual and group can benefit from social support, reduced stigma to sharing difficult experiences and feelings, and validation of collective emotion which can promote healing. Theoretical Framework of Research This section describes the theoretical frameworks that inform this study. The first subsection will review trauma learning theory and the second subsection adult learning theory and their respective importance in guiding my research. Trauma Learning Theory Given the prevalence of trauma(s) experienced by individuals and communities in the onset and wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the most necessary theoretical framework that guided my research was trauma learning theory. The majority of studies and research discussed in this literature review involve trauma: individual and group reactions to trauma, trauma’s shortand long-term effects on individuals and groups, significance of intergenerational and historical trauma, trauma in the context of the pandemic, and healing traumas (Hübl, 2020; Linklater, 2014; Manassah, Roderick, & Gregory, 2018; Van der Kolk, 2014). When discussing responses to an unexpected pandemic that impacted the planet and exposed inadequacies in multiple important support systems for US college students and employees, prior and COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 27 pandemic-associated traumas must be considered to help this community heal. Also, trauma responses such as maladaptive coping mechanisms, disruptions to sleep, and stress about school and normalcy must be acknowledged in sharing and healing processes (Adamson, & Bailie, 2012; Shen, & Slater, 2020; Son, et al., 2020). The studies included in this review all supported the awareness of trauma on at-risk, historically and intergenerationally traumatized individuals and groups as well as those with childhood and multiple instances of traumas. More importantly, they helped guide this research when addressing pandemic-related traumas with a group of adult learners at Cleanwater University. Adult Learning Theory Because of this study’s focus on adults in the academic community, adult learning and adaptability were necessary to include in the literature review discussion. Adults internationally had to learn a new lifestyle in quarantine and isolation while requiring healthy executive functioning and decision-making to abide local, national, and public health mandates (Benham, 2020; Son, et al., 2020; Stanley, et al., 2021). Adult learners have unique learning needs in comparison to children, even more so for learning in higher education institutions during a pandemic with quarantining, mandatory isolation, and a tumultuous transition to online learning (Benham, 2020; Klebs, et al., 2021; Stanley, et al., 2021). By adapting semi-structured restorative community circles for adults in academia during the pandemic, acknowledgement of social wounds and collective emotions can lead towards social healing. When individual and collective wounds are healed, the students, faculty, and staff of Cleanwater can learn, socialize, self-regulate, and problem-solve better together. COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 28 Conclusion There was a very evident call for additional research and resources to help community members process and heal from their experiences and potential trauma(s) including those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In higher education, it was imperative to explore ways of bringing people back together and healing in an inherently community- and socially-oriented environment that was not allowed to exist in-person for over a year. Student, faculty, and staff stress levels and socioemotional and mental health issues and symptoms were likely still very high and they must be addressed and responded to with effective programming and resources. By using restorative community circles specifically tailored for the needs of people during the COVID-19 pandemic, I add my findings to the sparse literature on this potential way of healing. Following this literature review will be an in-depth description of the methodologies used for this study. COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 29 Chapter III: Methodology Introduction My research explored and assessed the impact(s) of the COVID-19 pandemic on students at Cleanwater University, a small, private liberal arts college in the Intermountain West during the lockdown and return to campus from Spring 2020 to Spring 2022. My research questions to better understand this topic were: how does the process of restorative community circles impact the social, emotional, and psychological well-being of students in a small, liberal arts college in the intermountain west during the COVID-19 pandemic? What characterizes trauma for individuals living, working, and learning in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic and how does the process of restorative community circles affect their social, emotional, and psychological well-being? How do participants describe their experience/perceptions of participating in the circle and how can the findings be used to inform the design of circle practices? The following sections of this chapter provide more detailed explanations about the approach, rationale, setting, participants, data collection methods, positionality statement, and ethical considerations of the research. Methodological Approach and Rationale This study was considered qualitative because it relies on understanding “people’s lived experiences” and the aspects of the context in which they live (Rossman, & Rallis, 2016, p. 7-8). Also, qualitative researchers depend on their interpretations of observations, inquiries, and answers to improve and adapt their study and to better understand their participants. The most important data were the participants’ verbal and nonverbal responses and expressions during the preparation meeting, community circles meetings, and one-on-one interviews to assess the COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 30 positive, negative, or neutral impacts of the circles over time and participant well-being. Additionally, awareness of the new and inherent complexities of the study’s context and its effects on participants’ lived experiences is crucial: the COVID-19 pandemic, power dynamics and history of higher education institutions, the newness and possible biases towards restorative practices, the physical classroom space, the potential anxiety about speaking in classroom spaces especially for historically underrepresented persons, and being in a group of new people since the start of the pandemic’s forced isolation. Qualitative was preferential over quantitative methods because the latter would be ineffective at wholly capturing the unique perspectives and experiences of students given the intricacy of this context and community. Further, this study incorporates principles of action research to understand and assess the effectiveness of the restorative circle process. Sagor and Williams (2017) state action research focuses on past, present, or future actions and practices that focus on improving one’s professional actions or testing possible future actions. With the pandemic’s impacts presently remain unyielding and research indicating suboptimal mental health for some in the higher education community, pursuing research on a social healing practice to promote positive and meaningful change is long overdue. Rossman and Rallis (2016) explain the process of action research as involving “analysis, reflection, taking action, assessing the effect of those actions, further reflection leading to new action, and so on” (p. 13). By analyzing current research and data on the socioemotional and mental health and wellbeing of students at similar institutions of higher education, this literature informs the development of effective, Cleanwater-focused community circles especially after the return of in-person classes and events on-campus. Reflecting on the data and my lived experiences in higher education during the pandemic as both student and staff member, to be discussed in the Positionality Statement section, will provide COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 31 insight to the unique needs, pains, and healing of this community. Starting my research and facilitation of the community circles are my “taking action” steps. Then assessing the participants’ participation, answers, and emotions before, during, and after the circles will aid my understanding of the impacts and possible benefits of this process in individual and social healing. The action research method best guided my research to understand and evaluate the effectiveness of restorative community circles in higher education communities. Setting My study’s setting was Cleanwater University: a small, private, liberal arts college in the Intermountain West region of the United States. Cleanwater was tucked in an expanding urban area serving approximately 2,000 undergraduate students and 400 graduate students. Over three-quarters of the undergraduate study body identified as white, about 10% identified as Hispanic, less than 10% identified as Black, Asian, Pacific Islander, and more than two races/ethnicities. Also, more than half of students were female-identifying and called the university’s state their home. Cleanwater’s faculty body was also mostly female-identifying, however the racial disparity was more staggering at almost 90% of faculty identifying as white. Detailed data on staff demographics did not exist, however, personal experiences in this community indicated staff having similar trends as faculty members. Like most universities, Cleanwater provided residence halls for students, multiple teaching-learning facilities, a cafeteria, a library, gymnasiums, extracurricular activities and clubs, and plenty of outdoor space and events. At the beginning of the pandemic, staff and faculty executed life-saving precautions as quickly as possible to stay safe and continue learning. When the study was completed, these spaces and facilities had informational posters on mask COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 32 and vaccine mandates and healthy practices. Also, ending the six-foot distancing of desks and office spaces allowed for more socialization and interaction while staying safe. The limitations and flexibilities of sharing physical spaces again were considered as I was required to comply with Cleanwater University’s policies and ensured my participants are aware and following them. This study depended on meeting in-person to best connect and confidentially discuss personal experiences. Restorative justice and community circles are typically facilitated with all participants physically present, aware of expectations prior to meeting, and anticipating meaningful engagement. The meeting space was neutral, private, accessible, and agreed upon by all before the first meeting. This study’s participants and facilitator met in a sizable classroom on-campus, preferably one that is well-lit and spacious enough to move chairs into a comfortable circle with windows propped open and a fan running to help with air circulation. The physical circle structure ensured that all involved can see, hear, and take up space equally which absolves any physical displays of power dominance. Another circle requirement was use of a talking piece to maintain equity in speaking space and turn. If conflict or discord arose, it could also restore balance and order, however the facilitator could intervene without the piece to resolve an immediate issue. Participants were asked to bring in objects of importance to the meeting space to help represent an emotion, thought, or experience of gain and growth during the pandemic. Otherwise, all participants were required to bring and wear masks or face coverings. Participants Participants for this study were initially identified as faculty, staff, and students who were learning, working, and living both in residential housing and living off-campus at COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 33 Cleanwater University during the COVID-19 pandemic starting in March 2020 and continuing into Spring 2022. The age range of participants were individuals 18+ years old and participants of all gender and sexual orientations will be accepted. This excluded first-year students who were under 18, students who graduated in Spring 2020, and who did not return to campus for further education or work. Participation did not depend on age, financial aid or socioeconomic status, on-campus employment, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, academic performance, year of study (with the aforementioned exception for first-years), consistency of attendance at Cleanwater University, or number of enrolled courses. The study aimed to understand the impact of COVID-19 on wellbeing, safety, and social connection in the higher education environment; individuals who were not on-campus during this time would not be able to provide sufficient data on their experiences. Students who graduated in Spring 2020 and did not return to campus could only provide data on their pandemic experiences in higher ed for three months instead of those who were learning or working on-campus for the past 15 months and longer. Recruiting these possible participants was an unexpected challenge that nearly made this study impossible. In order to contact the community en masse, I contacted several colleges and student-serving departments and groups on-campus to promote my study via email and in-class meetings (see Appendix H). During the Fall and Spring semesters, I visited ten classrooms and spoke directly with nearly 80 students about my study (see Appendix I). Additionally, I created an informational flyer that was posted in multiple locations on-campus at the end of the Fall 2021 and early Spring 2022 semesters (see Appendix G). To reach staff and faculty, I emailed them directly with information about the study, but they mostly forwarded the information to the students instead of expressing interest in participating themselves. I also reached out to the university’s Staff Council group to circulate the flyer and present it in a Staff Council meeting. COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 34 Cleanwater University’s student government group was helpful to recirculate my flyer, but was not able to fulfill my request to post it on their social media accounts. Lastly, I attempted to gain access to mass student email lists to send an informational email to reach all graduate and undergraduate students. Despite these attempts and the support of faculty, I only received interest and availability from six students whose details are shared later. Recruited participants who reached the criteria also agreed to meet online with Zoom for a discussion about the study, referred to as a pre-work meeting, and attend the circle meeting. Participants who did not attend both steps of the process still provided important information regarding their college experiences during the pandemic, their wellbeing, and social connections. Their data was not included for analysis of the restorative community circle process, but is was reviewed for significance on the collective trauma and wellbeing assessment to answer this study’s research questions. During this process, if a participant exhibited intentionally hurtful behaviors to themselves or others, they were planned to be removed from participation. This was important as the safety created in these circles must be maintained and if a particular person decided to ignore that later in the process, they were to be addressed and removed in order to maintain the trust and safety in the group. Participants could indicate when they feel unsafe, unsupported, or disrespected immediately in the circle setting or privately to me whenever. Pauses to make real-time assessments of the cause of the threat or disrespect were an important part of the circle process to heal from the event and continue to talk and support one another. Data Collection With multiple sources of data for this study, this section will offer a detailed review of each source, its importance, participants involved, and data collection methods with applicable COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 35 explanations. The data sources were transcripts of the one-on-one pre-work meetings, one community circle meeting, field notes, and the Warwick-Edinborough Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS). All recordings were done with my locked, personal phone and locked, personal laptop to ensure two copies to ensure quality of audio and account for any technical issues. Two audio recordings of one pre-work meeting and the second device in the circle meeting could barely be used due to extensive technical problems with the device and background noise that rendered parts of the recording incomprehensible. The WEMWBS responses were collected virtually and anonymously via Google form with all questions and answer options replicated perfectly per the PDF of the scale form. In this section, each source receives its own subsection that concludes with the relevance of these sources and methods to address my research questions before advancing to the Positionality Statement section. One-on-one Pre-work Meeting The one-on-one pre-work meeting was recorded and transcribed by Otter.ai in order to assess their baseline understanding of restorative community circles, their mental, emotional, and social wellbeing during and after COVID-19, and any significant struggles or concerns they have about participation (see Appendix B). After a participant indicated interest in participating in my study, I arranged a 20-30 minute meeting with them held virtually through Zoom. This initial meeting was highly important for establishing my understanding of the participants, their experiences, and their needs so I could accommodate them without drastically changing the circle questions and approach. Further, their disclosure of their needs allowed me to anticipate them if they arose during the circle meetings. Also, this meeting was an opportunity for me to explain the study’s confidentiality and completion of Informed Consent form including use of pseudonyms, expectations and process of restorative community circles, meeting information, COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 36 and college policies for gathering in-person. At this time, participants were asked to complete the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (see Appendix D) to be completed and returned to the facilitator before the first circle and after the last. The purpose of this data piece will be discussed in the final subsection in this section. Restorative Community Circle All moments in the community circle were recorded and transcribed by Otter.ai software and rich details of environment and physical, nonverbal, and emotional responses will be recorded in my research notebook. The questions for the circle were predetermined with the flexibility of including follow-up questions to explore a topic deeper, gain additional information or explanation of experiences, and address a situation, occurrence, or theme in the group (see Appendix C). The recordings were audio-only as video recording could make students uncomfortable and make the environment less personable. Immediately or closely following each circle meeting, I closely reviewed the recording, Otter.ai transcription, and my research notes in order to check for the accuracy of the auto-generated transcription, make necessary corrections, and update participant pseudonyms. Research journaling, interviews, and recordings of participants during the circles all are considered valid data collection practices for this action research (Sagor & Williams, 2017). These were the most important and relevant data sources and appropriate collection procedures to best answer the research questions for this study. WEMWBS Responses Although submitting a mental wellbeing survey was atypical of restorative justice practices, this study needed a measurement for any possible changes in students’ wellbeing before and after participating in the circle meeting. The WEMWBS was specifically chosen COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 37 because it includes fourteen questions that inquire about the participants’ emotional wellbeing, curiosity, and optimism as well as their sense of community and belonging (Warwick Medical School, n.d.). The possible responses were on a scale of 1-5, labeled up from 1 as “None of the Time”, “Rarely”, “Some of the Time”, “Often”, and “All of the Time” ending as 5. Sagor and Williams (2017) recommended this practice for action research to track participants’ behavioral ratings to assess changes in well-being through the circle process. Questions like “I’ve been feeling close to other people” and “I’ve been feeling loved” were very important to understand the social wellbeing and quality of social connections the students are currently experiencing. The survey was given to students after the pre-work meeting via email for students to fill out any time from after the meeting until when we would meet in our circle meeting. Some students experienced difficulties with completing the form in the PDF format so I personally adapted it into a Google form that received better feedback from participants. Every question was copied exactly as written in the WEMWBS survey and the formatting of the response scale was perfectly replicated as well. Further, of the three students who participated in the circle meeting, only one completed the survey before and after the circle so this data was not included to assess any improvements to wellbeing following the circle meeting. The only WEMWBS included in this study are all three circle participants’ responses post-circle to understand how they were feeling and reporting their wellbeing after the circle. Their self-expressions of their wellbeing are significant for answering the research questions addressing students’ similar emotional state to indicate collective trauma and understanding the effects of this restorative justice practice on their wellbeing. The students’ responses were confidentially recorded and kept on my password-protected and locked personal computer. COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 38 Data Analysis The recordings, WEMWBS responses, field notes, and transcriptions were the most imperative data sources to understand how participants were impacted or not by the pandemic, collective trauma, and the community circle process. Their word choices were carefully reviewed and retained to immerse myself in their experiences and reactions to better inform my research and the circle process (Rossman & Rallis, 2017). New, recurring, and common themes and trends (individually and collectively) about wellbeing, safety, experiences, and social interaction were closely monitored and tracked. Notes from the recordings and the transcriptions were all organized in Microsoft Excel for ease of access and identifying and coding themes (Rossman & Rallis, 2017). In monitoring their physical and emotional reactions, I was looking for all types of reactions and emotional responses and did my best to write down instances of participant resonance with each other and expressions of love, hope, fear, anger, sadness, happiness, doubt, encouragement, and connection. Nonverbal communication was necessary to track as engagement and emotional connection and disconnection are not only conveyed in words or can be impossible to explain verbally. Additionally, interpretation of all data relied on the constant-comparison method that benefited identification of themes for coding. Constant-comparison was equally important for analyzing each story and experience for instances of collective emotion and trauma to answer the second research question of this study. Positionality Statement To better frame my approaches for establishing trustworthiness in my study, I first provide my positionality statement and my unique experiences in this study’s context. My ability to attend and complete graduate school was made possible by full-time employment as a staff COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 39 member at a similar higher education institution. Collaborating with and supporting students, faculty, and staff across Cleanwater University’s campus offered close, personal insight into their lives. I was deeply immersed in many facets of the community: attending campus events, participating in clubs and committees, and joining town halls, school meetings, and information sessions. I witnessed my college before, during, and “after” the impetus of the pandemic and how our lives and responsibilities rapidly adapted to a new normal. As a staff member, I witnessed the stress, exhaustion, and concerns about uncertainty from my faculty and colleagues that rarely permeated into the classroom. I witnessed the trials and errors, failures and successes of transitioning to online learning, returning to campus under a hybrid model, and adapting to mandates and further change. The impacts of the pandemic were unique for students, staff, and faculty with pains, stasis, and growth present in my college community. As a person who felt and empathized with these experiences real-time, my immersed position increases my sensitivity and awareness to the particular needs of my college that inform the community circle design and questions. My complex positionality was not solely dependent upon my professional and academic roles. I identified with the majority of the fellow classmates and faculty being white and female. This was important to note as most in the Cleanwater University community interacted with white women in a predominantly white institution and could impact participant involvement and responses. Further, my identities may impact the responses and participation of BIPOC participants who often interact with white students and authority figures at this institution. Dissimilarly, I was born and raised outside of the Intermountain West region, still learning the culture and customs of my new home. Further, I did not attend this college for my undergraduate coursework, meaning that I did not experience living in residential housing as some of my COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 40 student participants may have. Although I was uniquely immersed in Cleanwater University and shared some lived experiences with their community, I did not share the same lives, responsibilities, and experiences as all of my participants, but I was eager to learn about them to the best of my ability. Trustworthiness All restorative practices are rooted in establishing safety, trust, and connection which also must be practiced and embodied by this study. As the circle facilitator and researcher, I strived for complete trustworthiness with my participants and the circle process. The ways I ensured this in my study are researcher reflexivity, thick rich descriptions, and participant validation (Sagor & Williams, 2014). Restorative circles are places of great potential for connection, growth, and healing, however working with people may come with unexpected responses and actions. When designing the circles, I created flexibility to include additional probing questions to explore certain topics in more detail given interest of the group, time, and relevance to the circle study. Given the moderate risk of this study, I also had the responsibility of stopping the circle process if a participant(s) become angry, disrespectful, upset, or sidetracked. Monitoring the group’s well-being and addressing problematic and harmful behavior were active displays of my care and attentiveness to their needs. In return, they were reassured that they could be open and honest with a neutral, immersed party to intervene if necessary. Another method to ensure trustworthiness was writing thick, rich descriptions full of detail about the circles, participants, environment, and personal facilitation experience. As I did not video record the meetings to not worry the participants, in-depth descriptions were a COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 41 necessary supplement to my research. My research notes were as detailed as possible with descriptions and drawings of the room and circle, participant emotions and non-verbal cues, and any subtle indicators or cues that may not be picked up by the recordings. These rich descriptions were vital when I engaged in participant validation as needed. Discussing confusing transcriptions and difficult explanations with applicable participants allowed me to validate their stories and experiences or make corrections with their insight. All participants were allowed to review their transcripts and records of experiences if clarification was needed so my findings were accurate and true. Ethical Considerations First and foremost, the primary goals of my moderate risk study were to ensure and enhance the safety of my participants and to not cause harm to anyone involved, including myself, to any degree. Specific protections for participants as individuals and a group were required which were submitted with my project’s details and goals to my college’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) for review and approval (see Appendix E). In this crucial step in the research process, the IRB reviewed every research project to ascertain and approve the study as ethical prior to its implementation (Rossman & Rallis, 2016). The protections provided to my study’s participants were trust, confidentiality, intimate knowledge of their college, and adherence to all college policies and codes of conduct. All recordings, transcriptions, notes, and data had participants’ given and/or preferred names removed and replaced with a pseudonym that will be chosen by the participant or randomly selected by me to be approved by the participant. I ensured that I was the only person to access all data by storing electronic documents and recordings in a locked file on my COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 42 password-protected personal computer. During all meetings, I ensured that I only had access to my personal cell phone used for audio recording purposes only through Otter.ai and no one was in physical distance to end or tamper with the recording. All recordings were stored in my personal account on Otter.ai’s website and application that were both password-protected. Additionally, my research notebook was kept on my person at all times and when it is no longer in use so it is out of the view of participants. Lastly, I provided name tags to the participants with only their pseudonyms written on them and no identifying symbols or markers on them so they could visibly see the pseudonyms. When we sat together, I reiterated that we were to refer to each other by our pseudonyms even if we recognize someone in the circle and that they had the right to not disclose potentially identifying information in their responses during the circle. Caution and confidentiality about identities were very important as some participants discussed personal matters, experiences with other campus members or classes, and other identifying information. Any information disclosed to me by a participant was not to be shared with the rest of the group unless if the participant wishes to inform the group. These protections were important to maintain safety, trust, and reduce any potential stress or repercussions within the group and the greater campus community. If a participant experienced stress or discomfort at any time, they were to be reminded of their right to conclude their participation and be removed from the study entirely. As this study focused on individual and social healing, all communication to potential participants was carefully considered as to not lead them to assume they will be healed in some way by the circle process. The messaging was framed as a discussion on experiences, thoughts, and feelings as individuals, group, and a higher education community as to not mislead people. If someone was misled into thinking and then knowing they will be healed by this process, their COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 43 responses and participation would skew the results of the study and possibly affect the rest of the group’s understanding of circles and sense of safety. Conclusion The discussion on the methodologies used in this study at Cleanwater University covered the importance of taking a qualitative methodological approach and rationale over quantitative for exploring personal experiences and effectiveness of restorative community circles. An in-depth description of Cleanwater’s people and campus offered further support for a qualitative method while providing rich details about their uniqueness and the university’s qualities. This was supplemented by the following thorough overview of the possible participants in the university’s student, faculty, and staff and qualifications for participating. Next, the data collection explained the three sources of data used in this study and, later, the methods used to analyze them including coding and constant comparison. My Positionality Statement exclaimed my unique familiarity with Cleanwater and perspectives that were the foundation for my approach to ensuring trustworthiness and ethical behavior during the study. The Ethical Considerations section expanded on additional concerns and situations that could occur in the circle process and how they were resolved and mitigated. The subsequent Chapter IV will contain the analysis of the data from this study utilizing the sources, methods, approaches, and rationale provided in this Methodologies chapter. COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 44 Chapter IV: Findings Introduction The data collected during this study included field notes, transcripts of the five pre-meeting interviews and restorative community circle with three participating college students and their responses to the WEMWBS that were incredibly valuable to address this study’s research questions. The data I collected helped answer how the process of restorative community circles impact the social, emotional, and psychological well-being of the students in a small, liberal arts college in the Intermountain West during the COVID-19 pandemic; how trauma is characterized for individuals living, working, and learning in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic; and how participants’ descriptions of their experience/perceptions of participating in the circle and the findings inform the design of circle practices for higher education environments. After carefully reviewing and coding the collected data from five participants, four main themes emerged across the students’ stories, emotions, and circle responses: social connection, college experience, and wellbeing and emotions. This chapter will explore these themes in more detail and additional sub-themes will also be addressed to better explain the similarities and intricacies of these students’ feelings and experiences. As a reader, you may find yourself sharing a similar part of a story or emotion and possibly connecting with the participants as I did and any triggering or upsetting feelings are unintentional. The participants’ openness, honesty, and trust with me and the restorative community circle process and my reciprocation were all critical to the rich quality of data that will be analyzed and explored in the following theme sections and subsections. COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 45 Social Connection The mandatory transition of a culture from one that highly values and expects a thriving, active social life to one of requisite isolation and limited in-person interactions was more than just a temporary adjustment. Being trapped in this new culture was a very tangible shock that impacted the students’ ability to pursue and maintain friendships, optimism for future socialization opportunities, and interests in staying to finish their degree at this university on-time, later, or dropping out entirely. As previously discussed in Chapter II’s literature review, students’ experiences of lacking social connectivity and the differences in their social connections at college before and during the pandemic were reflected in the stories shared by both the participating undergraduate and graduate students. Each student’s unique expression of how their social lives have been impacted by the pandemic accentuated the similarities amongst them all. Regardless of living off- and on-campus, students felt a negative impact of the pandemic’s isolation that impacted their social experiences at the university and their communities of friends, dormmates, student-run organizations, and classmates. The high quality of details in the data highlight the multifaceted nature of how college students experience social connection which support the purpose of the sub-themes in this section. Discussed in this section will be the social connection subtopics of quality and quantity, safety with social connection, sense of community, and hope for community. Quality and Quantity Both undergraduate and graduate students indicated unique changes in the quality and quantity of their social connections during their attendance at Cleanwater University before, during and “after” the start of the pandemic. During the pre-meeting interviews and circle meeting, four students who experienced college before the pandemic all shared a loss of quality COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 46 and quantity in their social friend groups, student organizations, and classrooms. Undergraduate students spoke of high satisfaction with the quality and quantity of their social connections with smiles and excitement when telling stories of their first friends and roommates in college, their jobs and clubs, studying and connecting with other students, and hopping around to different buildings on-campus. Bobbi, who was employed on-campus and working as a Residential Advisor, cheerfully explained her freshman year with her roommate: “ [we] had like a tag team situation where I would like remember everyone's names…then [my roommate] would just be like, superduper friendly. So like, whenever people would see us, they'd be like, ‘Hey, it's those two!’ (Laughs).” Another participant, Adora, shared what she loved about being at school versus living at home with family stating: I think very positive to be able to be in like a study environment with other people who are like studying and doing things like you know. When you're at home, your family isn't doing that and they have other things going on. Their praise of their experiences relied on the social connection aspect, whether it was directly with new potential friends and expanding connections to having others around doing the same things as them. Their experiences pre-pandemic were important to understand the quality of their social connections and what they indicated was most important to then before the mass disruption of lockdowns, social distancing, online learning, and mandated isolation. They clearly valued the community they experienced at Cleanwater University, preferring connections on-campus with peers and colleagues over family relations. The expectations of a strong network of connections and opportunities for social connectivity are very common amongst students at this university and many other institutions: making and maintaining social connections are pivotal parts of college students’ lives. COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 47 Excitement for friendships and connections in college was mentioned by all participants who started college before the pandemic such as Penny who said “The start of my bachelor degree was amazing (....) I was really happy, you know? Supportive professors and great classmates.” Penny attended Cleanwater University to complete her bachelor’s degree before the pandemic and then continued to pursue a graduate degree which happened during the pandemic. When asked about her overall experience at this university, she lit up when describing this profound experience that likely encouraged her to continue her studies here instead of another university. This student values the pre-pandemic quality of connections and interactions with professors and students that encourage community, especially as she was involved in music. When recalling her happiness with an on-campus job and making new friends before the pandemic while navigating college life as a first-generation student majoring in public health, Kamila mentioned thinking “Wow, like this is how could be for the next four years? I’m all for it.” immediately followed by “But then spring hit… it was really sad(….) That was very devastating for me just because like I’m a first gen student. I’ve never been to a higher [education] institution...” Her concerns were very unique for her experience and highlight the importance of supporting first generation students who have never been exposed to higher education environments let alone transitioning to online learning spaces. How the loss of the expected quality social connections has impacted this student is unique and shares some similarities to other participants. For this specific first-generation student, their hurt and stress over lost connections and opportunities was exacerbated by not having access to college before the pandemic with the additional learning curve of online learning which will be discussed in the college experience section. COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 48 When students were asked about how the pandemic impacted their sense of community during the circle meeting, their responses indicate the trauma to their social wellbeing: Kamila: I do not feel like I have some sort of community out here at Cleanwater because of the pandemic, I’m kind of just like, alone. I have my friends but I barely ever see them now. Penny: I lost contact with that community. Orchestra wasn’t happening at all so that was completely lost (....) I just think there’s a big lack of trust even with people you think you know so well, it’s like, “I don’t know if you’re sick and I don’t know if I’m sick”. Jason: I don’t think I ever felt a sense of community at [Cleanwater University]. My first semester was in 2020 during the pandemic and it’s just been pretty much all online. The loss of quality of social connection supports the existing and ongoing research on this topic as well as the pandemic’s impacts on the social identity, sense of community, and connectivity of students at this university. For Kamila and Penny who began their college careers before the pandemic, their lost social connections and the decreased quality of their interactions with their community were painful to hear, but very important to understand the pandemic’s impacts on this once vital part of their lives. Kamila sacrificed social connection to protect her school community and family with a steep cost to the quality of her friendships as she enters her senior year with COVID concerns. Penny and I both played in an orchestra together and felt similar pains of isolation and its impact on sharing space to create music and the social, collaborative community of musicians. The collective trauma of lost connections experienced for these two participants was characterized as a once-great resource and experience that the pandemic tested and destroyed with few yet growing connections available. Jason’s experience casts a unique and intriguing light on the pandemic’s impact on socialization and the experience of community in an COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 49 online-only classroom environment for students starting their academic career during the pandemic. This was echoed by a first-year undergraduate student, Fern, whose only experience of college was during the pandemic, responding similarly when asked what she thought college would be like: “Like, I don't feel like I'm as connected to my class as like everyone else's. So probably just like, more social I think that that's like the one thing.” Although she did not share this in the circle meeting, this piece of data supports the quality of community-making and social wellbeing and connections experienced by students who started school during the pandemic. Graduate and undergraduate students nationally have collectively conveyed that their missing social connections have been negatively impacting their cognitive functioning, sleep, emotional wellbeing, and coping skills (Son, et al., 2020). The complete lack of feeling a part of a community is very troubling for students’ short- and long-term social wellbeing as well as their connection with their classmates and school; their stories must be included when answering this study’s research questions. Each students’ experience of community, or lack thereof, and loss were valid and indicated a strong trust in this restorative process to share the degree of their collective trauma. The impacts of restrictions on in-person interactions, decreased presence of students on-campus and opportunities for socialization, and lost social connections due to the pandemic were reflected across these four participants, stating how few of their friendships remained and their shared loneliness and feelings of sadness which will be discussed in the wellbeing and emotions section. These experiences are supported by responses to the WEMWBS question “I’ve been feeling close to other people” and three of the circle-attending participants, two of which began their college career before the pandemic, indicated “Rarely.” When responding to the COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 50 question “I’ve been feeling interested in other people”, the three students individually reported “Some of the Time”, “Rarely”, and “None of the Time” on the survey. These findings and their interpretation are important to understanding the quality of the social connections which indicate a degree of shared depression experienced by students at this university (Warwick Medical School, n.d.). The lack of feeling close to other people and being interested in them are strong indicators of poor quality of social connectivity which can impact their sense of community, wellbeing, and ability to learn as shown in the findings. One of the last questions I asked in the circle meeting was “What is one thing that, kind of like, a takeaway from your experiences in this circle?” which was intended to gauge the effectiveness of this circle to the individual participants after hearing the stories and emotions of the group. The following is record of how the participants and I discussed this question in the circle: Facilitator: Sometimes in class, I feel like I can kind of talk about like, pandemic-ey things, but here it actually feels like, where it’s just something that can be released and just kind of get this appreciation and understanding. Although it’s crap, and although it’s bad, it’s like, we still understand, we still have gone through this, we still can like, acknowledge it, you know, and we grow from that. And so, that’s kind of hoping that myI’m kind of hoping that’s what we take away today. Kamila: Yeah, I would say in line with that too is that, although I might feel alone in like, my inner circle and everything like that, it’s just good to know that there are people who like, can resonate with me and have like, similar ideas to events going on in our world and just being able to talk about it, you know, and just, yeah. COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 51 Penny: Yeah, I’d have to agree. This has been nice to think about hope. I mean, that word I haven’t really heard much in the last little bit. I’m also in therapy too, I’m in two separate rounds of it, so you know, it’s not something I’m proud of, but like you said, we’ve all been through trauma and we all have different levels of experience. But, I think my takeaway from this is that, yeah, I just feel a bit more included, you know. Jason: My takeaway is to slow down and appreciate life… I’m very grateful for what I have. And not focusing on 100 percent, but you know, maybe 80 or 90 is good. This evidence was imperative for understanding how these students feel after sharing and connecting with each other’s stories and feelings. By being vulnerable about my inability to discuss pandemic-related topics in-class and genuinely feeling freer in the circle, participants also began to open up and resonate with each other’s feelings when discussing their experiences. Each participant indicated having a broadened perspective in unique ways that supported their awareness and mindfulness cultivated by the restorative justice practice. Jason’s appreciation of life and gratitude were particularly interesting as he understood the value of the present instead of exhibiting negative emotions or thoughts about it. These responses were indicators of healthy resilience as well due to their promotion of inclusion, acceptance, and appreciation that support healthy adaptability to overcome hardships. Although they mentioned they did not feel connected to their community, their feeling of inclusion is an indicator that the restorative justice process helped them connect at least in this circle. Velez’s (2021) critique of restorative justice for schools indicated that this process is not a panacea requiring additional research to support its great potential. It is especially notable to compare this data with the circle participants’ unanimous response of “Rarely” to the WEMWBS question “I have been feeling close to other people”. COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 52 Keep in mind that a part of the circle process is participants always have the option to pass or not answer questions which is why the participants’ vulnerability and trust are highly appreciated. This piece of data informs that this process can be a way for students to discuss difficult or traumatic events and feel heard, “included”, and free to talk about it in a way that they would not have done in class. Safety With Social Connection In this section, the safety concerns that will be discussed are their physical safety from contracting coronavirus from other individuals. As mentioned in the literature review, physical safety is imperative to the quality of learning for children and adults (Van der Kolk, 2014). When faced with the decision of safety in social distancing and isolation or social connection, the five COVID-concerned students tended to put safety first over connection by attending online classes, limiting time around large groups of students, and attending social events when cases decreased. Students did not complain and complied with the university’s strict vaccination and mask-wearing policies despite the state’s laxed mandates. Kamila, the undergraduate student participant majoring in public health mentioned: I feel like we’ve had one of the most secure COVID protocols in terms of mask-wearing and like how we’ve done online versus in-person courses when compared to other schools, and I’m really grateful because I feel like the most safe here. Her studies and experiences as a public health student provided a unique perspective on the pandemic and related stress and trauma. Cleanwater University’s COVID-19 protocols and procedures as outlined in Chapter III were more rigorous than other institutions in the state, but Kamila’s focus on them informed students’ concerns about the pandemic. Despite the intensive protocols, Kamila’s feelings of isolation and disconnect likely were unexpectedly encouraged by COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 53 isolation and distancing practices that promote public health and safety, but do not effectively support social connection. Kamila’s support of her institution’s strict COVID-19 procedures were reinforced by Fern’s experience “In my freshman year of soccer, we were getting tested weekly”, Penny’s orchestra not meeting, and Adora’s experience of being exposed to COVID and staying home “when [Cleanwater University] went back to a flexible start for the beginning of this semester”. Cleanwater University is well-known for its strong sense of community per participants’ responses when reflecting on their pre-pandemic college experience. Students around the world struggled with deciding to make social sacrifices to stay safe or risk their safety to commune at times when it was not the safest to do so. This evidence is important because it supports students’ concerns of safety and gratitude for college policy like Kamila and despite the obvious socioemotional impacts of prolonged isolation and limited socialization (Elmhurst, Figley, & McGraw, 2019). The students’ feedback on how their university handled the coronavirus pandemic outbreak and subsequent variation outbreaks shows institutional fortitude with vaccination requirements in a region that did not mandate higher education institutions to do so with mixed refute and support from its community, state, media, and other institutions. Their care for the health and safety of themselves, loved ones, and communities is helpful to understand students’ ability to express positive resilience to the stress and uncertainty of the pandemic. Regardless of the mandates and requirements imposed by Cleanwater University in accordance with public health mandates and advice from leading public health officials, some students did not feel comfortable or trusting of others’ exposure and safety. Penny, a long-time student at this university shared concerns about safety and mentioned: COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 54 I lost way more trust the second around though, the second, third wave or whatever it was, well this wave anyway since we’re in 2022 because I was just like, “I just want to not see anyone until we know that’s it’s okay, you know?” because I am so sick of resurgences happening all the time. Evidence like this is important for evaluating the certainty they had in their community’s safety practices and how that impacted their health and wellbeing. Her feelings of distrust in the safety precautions others took and uncertainty of her safety in social situations were very significant. When Penny and I were orchestra partners, the pre-pandemic music environment required close seating for collaboration and performance, but her flute could not be played with a mask and the health of her lungs was required to perform. Penny’s adherence to caution above university requirements and state mandates required sacrifices for herself and her music community from a place of care for oneself and others. Students are displaying concerns for themselves, their community, and their family, but their trust in others has been hindered per Bobbi “I definitely appreciated the amount of information that gets spread here because all like go home and then the information around like vaccines and masks and stuff is just ridiculous”. Kamila shared similar distrust and concerns over how students are acting on safety measures when she reflected on her experiences as a residential advisor for students in on-campus housing: “I have a hard time talking to new people, but also like, I'm literally exposing myself. Like, and I don't know what they're like COVID Like, relations are”. These concerns about trusting in others and uncertainty of trust and exposure have not been studied yet with studies focusing on trust in COVID-19 vaccinations and information and policies from the government. However, the evidence supported students’ underlying resilience to keep themselves safe to support the health and safety of their communities at their university and homes (Elmhurst, Figley, & McGraw, COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 55 2019). Despite the traumas to their social lives and wellbeing during the pandemic that cause distrust in others, these student participants showed remarkable fortitude and resilience to stay safe and abide by and support their school’s policies. Hope for Community Students indicated hope for their university community as well as the communities they serve in their work. When students were asked “What gives you hope?” during the circle meeting, the circle discussion blossomed as students were not expecting this question after digging deeper into their college experiences: Facilitator: …I think it’s just more so taking the skills and taking the memories and giving back to something better… Kamila: Something that I’m really looking forward to is being the person in my family to graduate. I’m really excited about that. Sometimes it brings me to tears just thinking like, I really just like, went to college through a pandemic and I’m almost done. I’m almost there. I keep telling myself that, “I’m almost there. I got this.” (....) Especially the Hispanic and undocumented community. I feel like they have been very, an invisible community during the pandemic right now, and I would love to just help in any way that I can when it comes to that. This proud statement from Kamila was very profound after hearing her uncertainties about graduation, negative first-generation experiences during the pandemic, and concerns of COVID-19 exposure for her family. Her sentiments regarding the lack of visibility of her community’s plights that were highlighted or new challenges that arose indicated a strong dedication to her awareness of equity. Her concerns were supported by research on the new and COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 56 old injustices and inequities to Communities of Color brought to light and reinforced by the pandemic (Cooper & Williams, 2020; Velez, 2021). Penny: What gives me hope is the future generations(....) they’re gonna be running our country one day so I just think that with everything that teachers have been through and with a new cohort about to enter the profession, we are the ones that have to bring back that “you can do it, you can get through this, and you need to, you need to have hope” because I really worry about the kids and just seeing themselves in a post pandemic world and what that means. Jason: First one is bringing spiritual beliefs. The second one is, my topic is all about healing trauma. That’s what I sort of decided, because we see that it’s difficult, but very possible. After hearing these students’ difficult experiences and feeling the weight of their stories and emotions, their budding optimism and excitement at this question show their ability to express their resilience and forward-thinking about their careers and communities. Each student responded with a sense of purpose for applying their education, skills, passions, or backgrounds to helping others. Their lack of hope and trust in others and concerns about safety dissipated which changed the entire tone of the conversation with students asking to speak out of turn, expressing more energy and excitement, and fidgeting less with the talking piece. This evidence shows how students may not feel involved or feel a sense of community, but remained hopeful for communities and causes that were important to them. Bobbi also shared care and concern for how their mentality towards school can impact others: “I'm also kind of like molding the experience of people younger than me which means I have to be kind of like mindful of how like, over it I am”. Expressions of students’ courage of their closer circles, show COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 57 impressive resilience that supports healing from their own traumas (Hübl, 2020). The stress, exhaustion, and lingering depression and trauma on students and other in the university community were valid emotions. Bobbi’s ability to appreciate her experience and be mindful of the impacts of her emotions and reactions were unexpected and interesting findings to support student resilience and support of their community. Bobbi’s care about the continuation of wellbeing and success of her community as a Residential Advisor was indicative of students’ appreciation of the quality of their social connections and community pre-pandemic with hopes to restore that for the next classes of students. Talking about hope in a restorative justice circle to inspire students and help them be mindful of what gives them hope is particularly important for Kamila. Her sharing of her hope for how she can use her degree for her community and serving those in need in the Hispanic community was very unexpected after she had mentioned her uncomfortability with talking about her experiences as a student of color. Restorative justice questions of system effectiveness which supports and advocates for the needs of LGBTQIA+ students and students of color like Kamila, giving them a voice and a way to express their stories and needs in a non-discriminative process and space (Brown, 2021). The positive expressions of hope from the student participants and myself prove that the circle process is effective at encouraging resilient mindsets and mindfulness to support their wellbeing to answer the third research question. Further, understanding student experiences and their ability to positively react and be resilient for the sake of themselves and others supported answers for the second research question. College Experience The following section delves into the students’ experiences during college, especially the pandemic college living and learning experience. Students’ social wellbeing, social connections, COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 58 and sense of community are only a few facets of their overall college experience. These were separated and discussed above due to their importance for the discussion on the pandemic’s impacts on social wellbeing and community. This section reviews and discusses the students’ academic experiences of online learning and changes in college resources during the pandemic. Online Learning Every student participant aired their unique frustrations, let-downs, and joys of online learning from the beginning of the pandemic and lockdown learning to beginning our second year of living with COVID-19. It is important to note that Jason, the one graduate student who was one of two participants who started their college career during the pandemic indicated “It’s hard to know what to expect because every class is different so it’s really hard to know whatwhat the future will bring.” It is very interesting to compare this comment made in our pre-meeting in December 2021 to Jason’s later response in the circle meeting when he opened up to mention “So I hate Zoom (classes) with a passion and having to do so many of these virtually makes me like um value being in the classroom.” Jason’s sentiment of uncertainty around online learning and how their lives as students would be during the pandemic was shared by Fern who shared “It was really rough. Like the academic part of it. Like I just did not enjoy it. And I think it was just because it was online and that's just not like the best for my learning.” Similarly, she also was relieved later in her academic career with in-person classes resuming, saying “I actually feel like I know my teachers now because I'm in-person and like, I don't know, yeah, I'm really happy. And like I've met so many more people, too, just because everyone's on campus now.” Fern’s happiness was very unique and important to include as a positive indicator of newer college students’ resilience to the pandemic and related stressors and traumas. Her response also supported the importance of meeting students’ needs for in-person instruction when online COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 59 modalities were the norm during the pandemic. As adult learners, their learning needs adapted given the imposed changes from state and university mandates; Jason and Fern were students who heavily indicated preference for more in-person instruction. Their gratitude for the options to return to in-person classes during the circle meeting in March 2022 was an optimistic sign for this research. Despite the months of online learning, these students were still interested in connecting with their classmates and teachers in-person indicating their resilience and slowly creating community again. This additionally supported students’ drive to reconnect which will hopefully improve their quality of learning and resilience (Alexander, 2019). Also, this indicated some students’ preference of in-person learning environments and the need for institutions to be flexible and understanding of how their students learn best. Further, these pains were echoed by Kamila whose first-generation college experience greatly impacted her quality of learning in the online environment. She mentioned: I've never been to like a higher institution and actually like being a part of that. Like, and then like finding out that I have to now do online class. I'm like, What even is an online class like I've never done that in my life, you know? Like, I was just like, super confused. Stories like Kamila’s need to be heard to understand the impact on connection and quality of learning that the pandemic has caused on first-generation students and Students of Color. This piece of data allowed myself and readers to step into her shoes; a surprising opportunity for empathy from a student who has indicated her tiredness of explaining experiences as a Student of Color. Her concerns were valid during the tumultuous transition to college learning and living and then changing again to the pandemic version that required online learning and isolated living. The learning curve to adjust to the demands of online learning were common pains shared by students which added an additional stressor to their lives on top of adjusting to pandemic life. COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 60 We all experienced these drastic changes uniquely and each student’s unique experiences indicating what was difficult for them about online learning is important for this study. All of these students share similar stressful experiences during the transition to online learning that impacts adult learners’ wellbeing and ability to learn and cope resiliently with changes (Benham, 2020). Her trust and honesty with sharing her experience provides great support for how these circles can be used to address injustices and solutions for meeting their needs (Manassah, et al., 2018). These students’ experiences of online learning are helpful to understand the areas of improvement in online learning and how to meet the needs of students when learning with this modality. Of course, not every student participant experienced difficulties or negativity after the initial adjustment to online learning. A few students later mentioned their contentment with online learning and the accommodations the university has made as they have adjusted to their new lives as online students. Penny’s experience as an international student shed light on special faculty members and their support: They did a great job of, you know, being available to me when I needed them, and making sure that I had the materials that I needed, and I wasn't forgotten about, you know? They were recording for our sessions for me, and making sure that I was involved as possible. After some struggles in the initial transition to online learning, Penny’s professors in her music program show exceptional support when she was not in the same country. This high quality of interactions with faculty improved her learning and connection to her music community that accepted her when she returned to campus. Bobbi also had a better experience with online learning, but with some additional insight into how it impacted her social life: COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 61 It just like felt easier to do … I'm realizing like that there were these certain moments that I was missing out on. So it's kind of 50/50 like, I like some parts of online, but also I really like having my last year be in-person classes. The ease of not having to commute to class and the flexibility to join from wherever allows students like Bobbi more freedom in their personal life, but her reflection highlights the quality of connection she and other students sacrifice. A shared experience that Kamila and I discussed was the benefit of online learning as survivors of bullying as younger students, but unexpectedly, she opened up about a more unique experience. Kamila trustfully explained: I actually was also bullied as a kid. And so like, I feel like that tie in a way I kind of also enjoy online classes, just because I'm like, a beautiful little girl actually was said something rude to me, you know, but also I personally started to notice that I like started to like online classes more was been like, because there's a lot of classes where like, I'm sometimes the only student of color and so like, they're like, I like to be online and like online because I feel like I don't have to speak for this for the students. This fascinating evidence sheds an important light on how students of color experience online learning and socializing spaces and how students of color are asked to speak on behalf of those sharing their identity. Without this process and creating trust with Kamila, this experience might not be available to help understand how students of color are pressured and stressed further in online spaces. Kamila’s resilience to adapt and appreciate the safety she feels in online learning with her identity obscured has now become a learning modality that works best for her given her possible traumas in the in-person and virtual classrooms to support her success (Merriam & Beriema, 2014). These students are now becoming motivating to think of their needs first with COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 62 the flexibility of attending classes wherever which makes learning more convenient and even safer. College Resources During the circle meeting, a follow-up question about support was necessary after the activity did not yield a complete answer. Some students expressed how the object representation or thing they learned was not helpful with addressing their needs and I wanted to explore how their needs were not being met out of curiosity. All three students in the circle responded with concerns about not receiving adequate mental health resources on-campus outside of our circle meeting and two participants spoke specifically about their experiences with university-offered counseling during the circle: Kamila: …for the counseling clinic to just be more flexible in terms of like, just giving more dates for students to just go and like, talk out of your mind, like just have therapy… Jason: I would like to concur on both of those which is, I mean, I don’t know how many people counseling center has staff wise, but yeah, they didn’t have a lot of options. The mental health needs of students were not being met by the institution especially for first generation students with a traumatic pandemic also pressuring the resources of a small, liberal arts university. Kamila’s mindset towards mental health was interesting when compared to Jason’s. Kamila was more focused on the participation in therapy and receiving the benefits of the practice whereas Jason was more concerned with the options and quality of resources he needed. The participants’ and other Cleanwater University students’ fortitude and awareness that they need to speak with a mental health professional about their emotions and experiences must be applauded as a sign of resilience and growth. This is a great sign of a positive coping mechanism following the isolation of the pandemic instead of students relying on maladaptive COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 63 coping mechanisms with a greater potential of harm to the student, their wellbeing, and success (Son, et al., 2020). The limited and inaccessible staff for handling the student body’s mental health needs indicates a larger issue with the institution and their current systems that are not properly equipped to handle their students’ needs. This evidence encourages findings from other researchers who also noticed the impacts of lacking mental health services for college students (Benham, 2020; Sharma, 2020). Of all the resources offered to students as tuition-paying learners at this university, this was an important collective pain point for the circle participants to understand how institutions can improve to meet their needs. Another resource that students regularly complained about was the quality of education and support provided by the faculty at Cleanwater University. Although Penny had a great experience with some of her professors, she respectfully shared “I just want professors to be more cognizant of our time outside of the class… they need to realize that it’s a huge mental load just turning up to a three hour class, and being engaged.” The ease of meeting online or working on classes asynchronously seemed to disrupt Penny’s schedule as well as the availability her faculty were expecting of her. Adora explained her frustrations with the quality of participation and discussion in her classes: It's pretty uncommon for an honors class to be like quiet, but my like COVID class experiences that have been in-person uhm I don't know like when we're all on Zoom, it's okay but when we're split, that's like when the problem definitely starts- split zoom and in-person. But I feel like it can be kind of hard now to have like effective classroom conversations (....) I think there's like other factors just with how the professors are approaching the class that aren't like my personal favorite and aren’t some other people's personal favorite. COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 64 Both of these students’ displeasure with how faculty are handling their classes and supporting the community learning environment is important for understanding how faculty can improve the quality of their classrooms both in-person and online. Adult learners need their needs met in order to be motivated to learn which can be difficult for one instructor to manage virtually and with a group of students in-person (Merriam & Bierema, 2014). These students are also sharing expressions of mental load and stress among other factors that impact their motivation to learn and attend classes. The burnout from prolonged trauma can seriously impact students’ ability to learn, connect, think logically, and self-advocate which can impact their wellbeing and success (Hübl, 2020). Facilitating this through restorative justice circles and creating a communal understanding of everyone’s needs for success has been helpful for participating students and must be further investigated. The students’ unique needs must be considered by the faculty when designing their courses and creating more flexibility and options for students. Concerns about faculty not being as responsive to or understanding of students’ experiences and needs can be resolved by implementing restorative justice circles as a way for students to share stories and communicate their needs once trust, connection, and safety have been established. Wellbeing and Emotions Understanding how students talk about and share their concept of their wellbeing and emotions helps address their ability to healthily cope and practice resilience after experiencing trauma(s) caused by the pandemic. The students’ most prominent collective emotions that will be discussed in this section are loneliness and tiredness. Before continuing, the overall results of their WEMWBS responses following participation in the restorative community circle must be reviewed to understand more about these students. Jason, Penny, and Kamila all scored below 41 points on their responses with two scoring the lowest of 35 points. Based on implementation of COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 65 this survey in multiple studies, a score of 41 or lower indicated potential clinical depression in participants and 60 points or higher indicating positive mental wellbeing (Warwick Medical School, n.d.). Following these discussions will be the concluding section of this chapter that will go deeper into their overall wellbeing from their WEMWBS responses and answers to questions in this restorative circle process. Loneliness Students expressed loneliness all in unique ways which came as a surprise when reviewing their transcripts as research on college student loneliness experienced during the pandemic was not yet found. The undergraduate students more frequently stated that they feel lonely including Bobbi who said “I became really lonely. Most of like the people that I knew like left the school or they like transferred out just like generally or like, because of COVID they like decided to just like leave you know?”. Her honesty with the diaspora of her friends following the pandemic sheds light on the academic decisions students were contemplating and acting on during the pandemic. Given the uncertainty and difficulty of transitioning to online learning as well as the growing skepticism of the worth of a college degree, students were all faced with continuing their academic careers during the pandemic or taking a temporary or permanent leave from Cleanwater University and other schools (Benham, 2020; Klebs, et al., 2021). The literature on loneliness of college-aged adults supports their increased feelings of loneliness and depression due to the impacts of isolation, concerns about socialization during the pandemic, and social support (Lee et al., 2020). Penny and Kamila shared their experiences of pandemic loneliness in the circle and resonated with each other’s statements when asked about their takeaways: COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 66 Kamila: Although I might feel alone in like, my inner circle and everything like that, it’s just good to know that there are people who like, can resonate with me and have like, similar ideas to events going on in our world and just being able to talk about it Penny: Even though it is sad, and it’s terrible that we’re all feeling alone, but like, I’d like to know how we could continue to grow and heal as well, what we’ve all been through. My excitement at both of these responses of course could not be expressed in the moment during the circle, but here I applaud these participants’ courage and openness to share how they are interacting with those they considered close and how they grow and heal with others. Kamila’s trust in others through the restorative circle process was very informative to how some Students of Color and first-generation students could find connection and heal through this process. Given her background in public health, her concern of trust and confidence in others was valid and provided support for the potential for restorative circles to be implemented more in higher education. Further, Penny, whose life was uprooted by the pandemic causing her to return home abroad and disrupt her music community, encouraged continued involvement and awareness of those in her community by considering how we have grown despite what we have individually experienced during the pandemic. These students’ stories are great evidence to show how loneliness has been felt by the group and especially how they feel about feeling others’ loneliness. This is imperative for supporting the collective trauma that can be addressed through restorative practices that are designed for processing harms. Further, I would like to commend these students for their resilience in feeling the pain of their fellow community members in sharing the horrible feeling of loneliness and lack of social connection (Van der Kolk, 2014). Their loneliness needs to be transformed into connection in order to improve their mental health, COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 67 learning, and sense of inclusion and community which could be meaningfully addressed with the restorative community circle process. Tiredness As previously mentioned and alluded to, all students reported some degree of exhaustion, fatigue, or tiredness during their pandemic college experiences. This is supported by the students’ responses to the WEMWBS survey question “I’ve had energy to spare”. Two students responded “Rarely” and one “None of the Time”. Paired with the students’ satisfaction with their academic career so far, the hurdles and struggles they experienced with pandemic learning, and their frustrations with quality of education, these findings are unsurprising. These data points are important to address students who are potentially suffering from long-term stress/trauma, especially for Penny who has multiple traumas and Kamila who may be experiencing historical and racial trauma at this school (Van der Kolk, 2014). Their exhaustion to do tasks that they used to accomplish with ease before the pandemic is a very valid feeling that is shared with other students. Bobbi elaborated on how her tiredness has become more profound since the start of the pandemic: Going back in-person this year like I've just noticed a big difference. I get like tired so easy when I feel like I used to go go go (….) I’d be waking up, going to class, doing homework, going to class again, going to work like, doing extra homework, like doing some kind of like on-campus involvement. Maintaining her once-busy lifestyle has now become difficult if not impossible for some facets of her life which could be considered as another form of loss for students like Bobbi. Students’ exhaustion during class with constant changes and long-term pandemic life pushing on with uncertainty and death in tow can contribute to additional stress and decreased mental wellbeing COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 68 (Benham, 2020, Hübl, 2020). Students’ prolonged pandemic living and learning lifestyles can cause additional mental wellbeing concerns depending on how students cope with their stressors and their resilience. This community of learners particularly needs additional support from their faculty and university, especially for students who have been in school since the start of the pandemic. Conclusion The trust and honesty of the study’s participants in the pre-work meeting, restorative community circle, and WEMWBS responses allowed for a fascinating review and analysis of the themes of their experiences and emotions. By analyzing this rich data with the Trauma Learning Theory framework, the themes of their wellbeing and social connection proved the students’ common feelings of loneliness, depression, and loss of community that indicate collective trauma. This helped to explain when these learners experienced and worked to overcome loss and trauma, their exhaustion and difficulty with returning to their normal routines. The Trauma Learning Theory also guided the analysis of more positive findings such as feeling included during the circles, supporting the students’ ability to trust others, connect, and resonate with one another to initiate repairs in their community. Analyzing the data with the Adult Learning Theory framework indicated how adult learners were hurt by lack of experiences, able to adapt to online learning to fulfill their unique learning needs, and recognize the needs of newer learners in their communities. The participants’ abilities to learn, model, and appreciate university COVID-19 policies and safe behaviors to protect themselves and their communities proved their healthy decision-making, maturity, and flexibility as well as the success of circles for sharing and connecting over these experiences. The following chapter will conclude this thesis with a summary of the findings, recommendations, and implications for future research. COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 69 Chapter V: Conclusion Introduction This research aided in better understanding how restorative community circles impact college students, their mental and socioemotional well-being while living and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how the findings can inform the design restorative justice practices to be implemented in higher education environments. Analyzing the data with adult learning and trauma learning theories in mind assessed student experiences of living, learning, working, ad socializing as well as their shared responses to questions in the pre-work and circle meetings as discussed in the findings chapter. This chapter focuses on summarizing important findings, providing recommendations for utilizing restorative justice and addressing students’ wellbeing and collective trauma to their community, and implications for further research on college students’ lived experiences during the pandemic and, most importantly, the opportunities for restorative justice in higher education. Summary of Findings Without the six student participants’ support, trust, and honesty throughout the research and restorative justice process, I would not have the rich, high caliber of data in transcripts, field notes, and WEMWBS survey responses to answer this study’s research questions and add to the growing body of post-pandemic restorative justice literature. This data was analyzed with the constant-comparison method which was imperative to understand similarities and differences in students’ experiences, socioemotional and mental well-being, and responses and reactions during the restorative circle process. There were several themes that emerged to address the research questions and provide additional weight to the significance of this research and further COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 70 implications. The summary of these dense findings is best written and explained by research question followed by the significant findings. This study’s first research question asked how trauma is characterized for individuals living, working, and learning in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although no students specifically mentioned trauma(s) they experienced, their stories indicated significant collective trauma. The themes of data that answered this question were decrease in social connections and inclusion in their community, low sense of belonging, and loneliness and tiredness. The collective trauma of losing friends and time with classmates in-person was a significant finding because it shows how much students at Cleanwater University value their social wellbeing. When students mentioned the quality of their socialization before and during the pandemic, their word choice of feeling lonely, losing friends, not having opportunities for community-building on-campus in explaining their experiences all supported these students’ social collective trauma. The feelings of tiredness and loneliness were important to understand the impacts of prolonged stress, adjustments, and isolation on college students’ healthy relationships and positive associations with their school. The second question addressed how the process of restorative community circles impacted the social, emotional, and psychological well-being of the students in a small, liberal arts college in the intermountain west during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the WEMWBS survey responses did not indicate a significant positive reaction from students following the circle, their reflected feelings of inclusion through the restorative justice process at the time of this study was very noteworthy. Students previously did not feel safe or comfortable with sharing their experiences in-class or lacked the social connections to express and discuss the pains of their experiences and emotions of living, learning, and working at Cleanwater University. All COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 71 students who participated in the circle felt safe, comfortable, and trusting in their peers and myself as a facilitator to dig into difficult experiences together and share their stories, hurts, and triumphs. These findings are important contributions to the literature on restorative justice and implications based on these findings will be discussed later. The last question of this study called for answers pertaining to participants’ descriptions of their experience/perceptions of participating in the circle and the findings inform the design of circle practices for higher education environments. This question dovetailed on the findings that supported the second research question, but relied on my field notes and observations from the circle meeting as well as facilitator. The restorative circle process was indeed a successful way for these three student participants to start to address, reflect, share, and grow from their experiences towards a more connected and optimistic future. This was also significant because some student participants have not previously participated in restorative justice circles or had no prior knowledge or experience of restorative justice at all. One circle alone was highly informative and insightful into how restorative justice supports students by giving them a safe, trusted environment for random students to come together. Although at the end students did not feel connected to their community as the once did, they still tried to come together, participated wholeheartedly, and began to feel reconnection with others with hope, similar stories, and takeaways to support their wellbeing and the success of their communities. Recommendations The promise of these findings and support for restorative justice cannot be ignored anymore given the student participants’ collective trauma to their mental and socioemotional wellbeing and sense of inclusion and community. Based on the vulnerable answers and trusted responses of this study’s participants, there are many recommendations for improvements to COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 72 learning spaces and university-wide procedures and policies. My encouragement for educators and institutions to consider implementing restorative justice practices to promote equity and healing are included in more detail in this section. I boldly encourage educators in all fields and facets of education to consider restorative justice practices not just for building community and addressing pandemic-related harms, but also for enacting justice in classrooms, processing other traumatic events to their collectives, and supporting preventative, not reactive, systems and overdue reforms. This goes beyond the “check-ins” at beginning of classes or using more preventative approaches to addressing conflicts on-campus. Restorative justice practices provided a way for students to feel included after an era of isolation and lacking sense of community; these practices are imperative to guide how we educate and create community post-pandemic. Community-building, community rule or policy making, and use of structured restorative circles when appropriate would greatly benefit learners, especially adults, as previously discussed. Further, colleges and universities must understand that they have been failing to meet the needs of all of their students. Each student participant discussed concerns of needs not being met, lack of support in their classrooms and jobs, and feelings of neglect from their school. The mental health support for all individuals living, learning, and working at universities must be a priority now more than ever as so much research indicates. Additional funding, staffing, resources, and community connections are necessary to encourage mental and emotional wellbeing for those struggling with neurodivergence, trauma(s), and behavioral support. The wait is long overdue and the need for more mental health professionals on-campus can promote a better culture of sensitivity and acceptance of receiving mental health services, especially for individuals who cannot afford such services. Also, schools who have enacted stricter isolation COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 73 policies must acknowledge the need for students to return to being in-person for socialization and connection-making purposes. The concerns of first-year and graduating students about the pandemic’s impact on traditional college experiences are very valid and have the potential to further impact the purpose of attending institutions of higher education like private liberal arts colleges who lean on student tuition and satisfaction with experience to keep students enrolled and coming back. A restorative justice-based program implemented school-wide with proper training for faculty and staff has been implemented in K-12 schools with much support for the success of its community and students. This must also be considered for higher education environments in our post-pandemic world. Additionally, the many injustices in the country and around the world that were brought to light during the pandemic must be addressed and restorative justice is very encouraged to facilitate these potentially sensitive topics and emotions. Racial injustice from healthcare, law enforcement, and education systems cannot be ignored any more. The experiences, pains, and victories of larger communities are not immune to college students who associate with them as discussed in the findings chapter. We all have sacrificed our own significant amounts of time, wellbeing, and energy to supporting those we love and feel connected to despite distance, isolation, social-distancing, and fear of contracting a deadly disease. The opportunities to heal and grow are available whenever we are ready and I argue that we have been overdue for a chance to come together and discuss our experiences in a restorative, holistic way. Implications for Future Research As the literature on restorative justice is small, mighty, and growing, more research on circles, practices, and systems reform are absolutely necessary to regain our sense of community and lost social connections. I again acknowledge Velez’s (2021) research on virtual restorative COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 74 circle practices in K-12 classrooms and this research’s support of their recommendations. I advocate for research on short-term and long-term frequent implementation and use of restorative circles in all education environments and spaces of learning. One circle is clearly not enough to address all the concerns and experiences of college students over the extended course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further research must address the importance of restorative justice in classrooms and learning environments, especially for adult learners. In addition, more research would assist in circle design and implementation is very important to continue to add to literature on restorative circles as well as the process for certain age groups, communities, and situations. Circles to address traumatic events such as the pandemic have been barely researched at all and we must seek more answers to how this practice can specifically benefit individuals, groups, and communities. Additionally, we need further research to support restorative justice practices’ benefits for resolving needs of victims of violence, bullying, and discrimination in schools. The pandemic uprooted and highlighted flaws in the systems we used to take for granted to work well. Now that we see issues in policies, programs, and accessibility of services information with clear indicators of their lack of support for all students and communities. This research demonstrated that restorative practices were a helpful method for people to feel included and safe to discuss hardships; this must be implemented to heal communities and come together to address what they need of their school, governing body, or support systems. As I mentioned earlier, our social lives in our communities have clearly been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and collective trauma effecting families, groups, and sociates around the world. Collective trauma and its impacts on resilience, learning, connections, wellbeing, and individual and communal growth must be researched further. Understanding how we as social COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 75 beings value, prioritize, and respond to threats to our social and behavioral habits and wellbeing is imperative to know the extent of the pandemic’s toll on our communities. Our experiences of prolonged pandemic lifestyle show how adaptable we are to new norms and ways of life; we cannot forget the hardship and trauma we have endured to get here where mask mandates are lifting, travel becoming safer, and vaccines and cures becoming more available. Lastly, the resilience, fortitude, and adaptability of us all to quickly convert our in-persona social lives to online platforms must also be acknowledged and researched further as online learning modalities and remote meetings and work become more preferable. Educators in all fields and all backgrounds have especially made significant leaps and sacrifices to save the quality of their classrooms and reach students to the best of their abilities through screens that some may be using for the first time. The benefits, harms, and impacts of online learning in all educational fields as well as the successes and improvements for online learning systems, collaboration, and socialization must be researched and supported. Technology has been difficult to explain, learn, adapt, and teach; this I know too well as a student and staff member at Cleanwater University where my peers and I struggled and overcome obstacles to provide the education our students needed. Research in this field must help support additional funding for schools in need of increased accessibility to technology resources, support, and education, especially for first-generation students and students of low-socioeconomic status. The amazing power to see, hear, speak, and connect with people in their homes, workspaces, and adventures across the world cannot be ignored, neglected, or considered a privilege. We all need to realize the possibilities and potentials of online learning and socializing to build our community and understanding of other peoples. COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 76 Conclusion This chapter reviewed the significance of the findings with a summary of their importance to the research questions I was happy and honored to answer for this thesis. Based on the findings, the recommendations for policy makers, teachers, and administrators in the education field encouraged more awareness of students’ needs, mental health resources, possibilities of online learning, and opportunities for using restorative justice in all places of learning. Several suggestions for further research in the topics of pandemic learning, online learning and living, collective trauma, and restorative justice and use of practices in education fields and learning spaces were explained in the third section of this chapter. This study shines light on many possibilities, pains, and potentials and I appreciate the time of the participants, advisors, and readers; without you all, my work would not be in front of you today. Keep growing. COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 77 References Adamson, C.W., & Bailie, J.W. (2012). Education versus learning: Restorative practices in higher education. Journal of Transformative Education, 10(3), p. 139-156. Alexander, J. (2019). Building trauma-sensitive schools: Your guide to creating safe, supportive learning environments for all students. Brookes Publishing. Ali, D.A., Figley, C.R., Tedeschi, R.G., Galarneau, D., & Amara, S. (2021). Shared trauma, resilience, and growth: A roadmap towards transcultural conceptualization. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tra0001044 Batra, K., et al. (2021). Assessing the psychological impact of COVID-19 among college students: An evidence of 15 countries. Healthcare, 9(2), p. 1-18. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9020222 Benham, G. (2020). Stress and sleep in college students prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stress and Health, 37, p. 504-515. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.3016 Blad, E. (2020). Meeting the needs of students of color in a time of collective trauma. Education Week, 40(28), p. 17-20. Boyes-Watson, C. & Pranis, K. (2015). Circle forward: Building a restorative school community. Living Justice Press. COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 78 Brown, M. A. (2021). We cannot return to “normal”: A post-COVID call for a systems approach to implementing restorative justice in education (RJE). Laws, 10(3), 68. https://doi.org/10.3390/laws10030068 Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. (2014). Trauma-informed care in behavioral services: A treatment improvement protocol. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207201/ Chi, X., et al.. (2020). Prevalence and psychosocial correlates of mental health outcomes among Chinese college students during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11(803). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00803 Cooper, L.A. & Williams, D.R. (2020). Excess deaths from COVID-19, community bereavement, and restorative justice for communities of color. JAMA 324(15), p. 1491-1492. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.19567 Dean, A. (2021). COVID-19 and global income inequity. NBER Working Paper Series. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.3386/w28392 Elmhurst, K.R., Figley, C.R., & McGraw, K.O. (2019). Post-Katrina undergraduate trauma education: Theory, conceptualization, innovation, implementation, and proof of concept. Traumatology, 23(3), p. 189-195. https://doi.org/10.1037/trm0000170 Gavrieldes, T. (2022). Ambitions and critiques of restorative justice post COVID-19. Laws, 1(6), p. 1-3. https://doi.org/10.3390/laws11010006 COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 79 Hamlin, J. B., & Darling, J. (2012). Use of peace circles in large-scale community conflict: A case study. Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 29(4), p. 403-420. Hoyt, L.T., Cohen, A.K., Dull, B., Castro, E.M, & Neshat, Y. (2020). “Constant stress has become the new normal”: Stress and anxiety inequalities among U.S. college students in the time of COVID-19. Journal of Adolescent Health, 68(2), p. 270-76. Hübl, T. (2020). Healing collective trauma: A process for integrating our intergenerational and cultural wounds. Sounds True, Inc. Ismail, L. C., et al.. (2021). Impact of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) lockdown on mental health and well-being in the United Arab Emirates. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.633230 Karp, D. (2019). The little book of restorative justice for colleges and universities: Repairing harm and rebuilding trust in response to student misconduct. Good Books. Klebs, S., Fishman, R., Nguyen, S., & Hiler, T. (2021). One year later: COVID-19s impact on current and future college students. Third Way. https://www.thirdway.org/memo/one-year-later-covid-19s-impact-on-current-and-future-collegestudents Lee, C.M., Cadigan, J.M., & Rhew, I.C. (2020). Increases in loneliness among young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic and association with increases in mental health problems. Journal of Adolescent Health, 67(5), p. 714-717. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.08.009 COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 80 Linklater, R. (2014). Decolonizing trauma work: Indigenous stories and strategies. Fernwood Publishing. Liu, X., et al. (2022). Buffering traumatic reactions to COVID-19: Mindfulness moderates the relationship between the severity of the pandemic and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. Advance online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001227 Manassah, T., Roderick, T., & Gregory, A. (2018). A promising path toward equity: Restorative circles develop relationships, build community, & bridge differences. The Learning Professional, 39(4), p. 36-42. Merriam, S.B., & Bierema, L.L. (2014). Adult learning: Linking theory and practice. Jossey-Bass. Rossman, G.B., & Rallis, S.F. (2016). An introduction to qualitative research: Learning in the field (4th edition). Sage Publications, Inc. Sahu, P. (2020). Closure of universities due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): Impact on education and mental health of students and academic staff. Cureus, 12(4). Sagor, R.D., & Williams, S. (2017). The action research guidebook: A process for pursuing equity and excellence in education (3rd edition). Corwin. Schepis, T.S., et al.. (2021). Alcohol use, cannabis use, and psychopathology symptoms among college students before and after COVID-19. Journal of Psychiatric Health, 142, p. 73-79. COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 81 Sharma, N. (2020). Traumatic skepticism of COVID-19. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Perspectives in Higher Education, 5(1), p. 84-88. Shen, P., & Slater, P. (2020). The effects of occupational stress and coping strategies on mental health and emotional well-being among university academic staff during the COVID-19 outbreak. International Education Studies, 14(3), p. 82-96. Smalley, A. (2021). Higher education responses to coronavirus (COVID-19). NSCL: National Conference of State Legislatures. https://www.ncsl.org/research/education/higher-education-responses-to-coronavirus-covid-19.asp x Son, C., Hegde, S., Smith, A., Wang, X., & Sasangohar, F. (2020). Effects of COVID-19 on college students’ mental health in the United States: Interview survey study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(9), p. 1-21. Stanley, B.L., et al.. (2021). Collective emotion during collective trauma: A metaphor analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative Health Research 22(10), p. 1890-1903. Van der Kolk, B. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Penguin Books. VanLeeuwen, C.A., et al.. (2021). Never-ending repetitiveness, sadness, loss, and “juggling with a blindfold on:” Lived experiences of Canadian college and university faculty members during the COVID-19 pandemic. British Journal of Educational Technology, 52(4), p. 1306-1322. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13065 COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 82 Velez, G., et al.. (2021). Opportunities and challenges in the age of COVID-19: Comparing virtual approaches with circles in schools and communities. Comparative restorative Justice, 1, p. 131-152. Velez, G.M. (2021). School-based restorative justice: Lessons and opportunities in a post-pandemic world. Laws. 2021; 10(3):71. https://doi.org/10.3390/laws10030071 Warwick Medical School. (n.d.). Collect, score, analyse and interpret WEMWBS. Warwick. https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/med/research/platform/wemwbs/using/howto COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 83 Appendices Appendix A: Informed Consent Form Consent Form for Adults Before agreeing to participate in this study, it is important that the following explanation of the proposed procedures be read and understood. It describes the purpose, procedures, benefits and risks of the study. It also describes alternative procedures available and the right to withdraw from the study at any time. It is important to understand that no guarantee or assurance can be made as to the results. See below. You have been invited to participate in a research study, the purpose of which is to better understand the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on students, staff, and faculty at an institution of higher education, assess the extent of experienced harms from the pandemic, and how a restorative justice technique could benefit symptoms of collective trauma. The study procedures have been identified as conducting a pre-conference meeting, series of community conferences called “circles”, and interviews for select participants. The duration of the study is expected to be November 1, 2021 – February 28, 2022. You will be notified of any significant variance from the stated duration of the study. Benefits that may occur from participation in this study have been identified as contribution to research on the impacts of COVID-19 on individuals in higher education institutions as well as the restorative justice field. The potential side effects/risks associated with the study have been identified as moderate for possible psychological, social, physical, and financial risks. During the community circles, I will be asking questions pertaining to lived experiences, emotions, thoughts, and coping skills during the COVID-19 pandemic that will be answered in front of a group of other participants. I will be transparent in indicating that there will be extensive work before and during the circle meetings to establish safety, trust, and community between participants, but that does not mitigate unforeseeable and foreseeable risks. If you agree to participate, please only share what you are comfortable with and consider choosing experiences that are not emotionally or psychologically overwhelming. In the event that you are affected by these side effects/risks, the following resources are available to you: Westminster Counseling Center (801-832-2465, [e-mail]), 24-hour Huntsman Mental Health Institute Crisis Line (1-800-273-8255), 24-hour Warm Line for Non-life-threatening Distress (801-587-1055). Some side effects/risks may be unforeseeable. Your participation in this study is entirely voluntary, and you may withdraw from the study any time you wish without any penalty to you. If you have any questions about this study or wish to withdraw, please contact: Shelley Erickson 480-510-3077 Principal Investigator Phone: If you have any questions regarding your rights as a research participant, please contact: Sheryl Steadman, PhD Chair of IRB 801-832-2164 Phone: COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 84 All personally identifiable study data will be kept confidential. However, the results of this study may be made available to you upon request or used in formal publications or presentations. If you feel that you have received a satisfactory explanation as to the risks and benefits of this study as well as your rights as a research participant and you would like to participate, please sign and date below. You will be given a copy of this form for your records. Signature of Subject Date Signature of Investigator Date COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 85 Appendix B: One-on-One Pre-work Meeting Interview Protocol The following outlines the interview protocol that will be used by myself, the facilitator, in this study to interact with study participants during the one-on-one pre-work meeting. After each step and question of the interview, the participant will be given an opportunity to respond. To be conscious of page space, the participant response lines will not be included following the facilitator’s lines. Appropriate follow-up questions to acquire additional information that was not fully gathered by the original question may be required and will be documented in the transcript. Facilitator (F): Hello and thank you so much for taking the time to participate in my study and meet with me. Before we continue, we need to review and sign the Consent Form so I can record our conversation. Is this okay? Can you please access the Consent Form on your computer or phone now so we can go over it together? (F): Do you have any questions? If not, we can sign the form and I’ll begin recording. (F): Thank you for signing the form and I’ve begun recording our meeting so we can get started. Thank you again for your patience with that first step. Please know that all recordings and records of our meeting will be kept confidential and will not be communicated with anyone else, just me. Let’s now get a chance to know each other and please be as honest as possible. This way, I can make the circles more relevant to you. If you don’t want to answer, you can always pass and I will include my answers, too. Is this something you’re comfortable with? (F): Great! Thank you. As you might remember, I’m a graduate student interested in working with students at Cleanwater University for my study. Can you tell me what year you are at this university? (F): Thanks! Do you or did you live in residential or university-offered housing? COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 86 (F): Can you tell me about how your life was at the beginning of college or before the pandemic?/Before the pandemic, what did you think school would be like? (F): Thank you for sharing! I appreciate your honesty. What did you feel changed the most for you while you were in college during the pandemic? (F): How are you feeling now at this point in the semester? (F): Thank you for sharing. I appreciate your answers and honesty. Is there anything else you’d like to tell me about yourself or your experiences in college before or during the pandemic? Please know you don’t have to answer if you don’t feel like it. (F): Thanks I’m grateful to get to know you a bit more. Let’s switch to talking about restorative justice and restorative circles. Remind me, are you familiar with restorative justice? (F): What do you think restorative justice is? (F): A quick overview of restorative justice is that it aims to address a harm caused between two or more people in a way that resolves the hurt caused to the victim(s) and their community. An easy comparison is punitive justice focuses on dealing a sentence to the offender whereas restorative justice focuses on resolving the victim’s needs with the offender’s accountability for their actions and plans to repair or “right the wrong”. Restorative justice acknowledges the hurt and needs of the victim and their community, resolves harms with involvement of the accountable offender, and aims to heal that harm and repair the community with a mutually agreeable plan. This is often facilitated through structured group meetings called circles that are led by a facilitator which will be me. Do you have any questions? (F): The circles in this study will be used to address harms caused by the pandemic. Restorative circles can be used to help a group address a sudden change or harmful event in their community to share experiences, find connection, and repair social bonds. Like the punitive justice example, COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 87 we can’t lock up COVID-19 or sentence it to prison forever. We have to repair the harm ourselves with support of our loved ones and community which is what I’m studying with college students at Cleanwater. Do you have any questions about this? (F): Great. As a participant of this circle process, there are a few guidelines that all participants will be asked to abide by to ensure the safety, confidentiality, and trust in the group. As a facilitator, I am ultimately responsible for your safety which I ensure at all steps of this process. Having everyone on the same page about how to behave and what to expect greatly helps with the success of these circles. Everyone is asked to be respectful, kind, and open to others. This includes listening when others are talking, asking appropriate questions, sharing experiences that are not too upsetting, being mindful of how much you’re speaking, and respecting everyone’s fake names or pseudonyms, even if you recognize them. Do you have any questions about these guidelines? (F): Thank you for your attention there. To protect your identity, it is important to talk about the pseudonym you’ll be using. We can change the pseudonym later if you’d like, but any change should be done before the first circle meeting. Would you like to pick out your fake name or pseudonym? (F): Another feature of the circles is we will be all meeting in-person, seated in a circle with social distancing, wear masks or face coverings, and we will use a talking piece. The talking piece helps to regulate how we talk together in a group. As facilitator, I have the exemption to intervene to maintain the group’s safety. Do you have any questions about this? (F): Great. Are there any objects you would like to use as a talking piece? (F): Thanks for your opinion and I’ll do my best to accommodate. Our first meeting will include COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 88 an activity where we bring in an object or item that represents something you gained/learned during the pandemic. Are you comfortable with doing this? (F): We’re almost done with our meeting and I appreciate your patience with these questions. What is your snack preference/any allergies? (F): Thank you. The circle meetings will be about an hour, at maximum an hour-and-a-half and will be held at Cleanwater’s campus. Can you please now access your schedule for the end of January 2022 and early February 2022? (F): Thanks! For this study, it is required that all participants attend every meeting. We will at least meet twice, possibly a third time if needed. What days and times work best for you during those four weeks? (F): Thank you for letting me know. I’ll do my best to accommodate your schedule and please keep in mind I must be mindful of the other participants’ schedules as well. How would you prefer me to contact you so I can let you know when our circle meetings will be held? (F): Thanks for giving me that information. Please know your contact information will not be shared with anyone else and only I can access the recordings and transcripts of this meeting. Lastly, do you have any other questions for me? (F): Again, thank you so much for your time and I appreciate your honesty, interest, and time today. After this meeting, I will be sending you the copy of your signed Consent Form which contains important resources if you need them. Also, you will receive a wellness survey that I would like you to complete and send back to me before the first circle meeting. Again, your responses will not be shared with anyone else, just me. Is that something you would be willing to do? [Share screen of survey if possible]. (F): Thank you so much again! Please reach out if you have any questions. Enjoy your day! COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 89 Appendix C: Restorative Community Circles Protocols The following pages contain the current protocols that will be used for the restorative community circle that will be used in this study. The questions are subject to change given participants’ responses and experiences conveyed during the one-on-one meeting and reactions to their circle responses real-time . For example, if all participants did not live in on-campus housing during the pandemic, questions to explore those experiences will be omitted. To be conscious of page space, the participant response lines will not be included following the facilitator’s lines. All participants will be given the opportunity to respond to questions or pass if they need additional time or feel uncomfortable answering. Appropriate follow-up questions to acquire additional information that was not fully gathered by the original question may be required and will be documented in the transcript of the meeting. If the meeting exceeds one-and-a-half hours, the remaining questions will overflow to the next circle meeting and may expand to a second meeting. Restorative Circle I Facilitator (F): Hello everyone and thank you for being here today. I truly appreciate and am grateful for every person here. I want to let you know that I’m recording right now and, again, your identities are all safe so please be diligent about using each other’s fake names or pseudonyms. As everyone knows, what we say in this circle does not leave this circle and we have all agreed to participate in the circle today under the expectations that we reviewed in our individual pre-work meetings. Does anyone have questions about this before we begin or a refresher of the circle expectations? (F): Awesome thank you! That makes me feel good, too. If you have your item or object, please put that underneath you or to the side. For now, let’s talk about the talking piece we’ll be using COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 90 today. When you have the piece, you may talk then pass it to the next person. If you’d like to add or ask a question, please raise your hand. As facilitator, I can intervene without the talking piece if necessary. Does anyone have any preference for a talking piece today? Our options are… (F): Thank you, now let’s begin. I’d like us all to feel safe and welcome here in this space so let’s take a moment to get to know one another in this circle. This will also be a warm-up to using the talking piece as some may not be experienced in this process and that’s okay. Please know that we’re all still using pseudonyms and feel free to share as much as you’d like about yourself. For example, my name is Kait Brown and I’m an M.Ed student at Cleanwater University… (F): Thanks for taking that time to allow us to get to know each other more. Let’s start by bringing out or objects or items representing something we gained or learned during the pandemic. If you did not bring an item, that’s okay and you can discuss something you gained or learned during the pandemic. (F): How have you been feeling about going to school here during the pandemic? (F): What strengths do you see in yourself, classmates, friends, teachers, and peers in this circle as we are continuing to learn and grow in the pandemic? (F): What gives you hope for you and your community? (F): What is one take-away from today’s circle that you would like other students to know? (F): How does it feel to talk about your experiences in this circle? (F): What will help you better adapt and what could be offered by the university to better help you? COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT Appendix D: The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) Below are some statements about feelings and thoughts. Please tick the box that best describes your experience of each over the last 2 weeks Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS) © NHS Health Scotland, University of Warwick and University of Edinburgh, 2006, all rights reserved. 91 COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT Appendix E: IRB Approval 92 COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT Appendix F: NIH Certificate 93 COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT Appendix G: Recruitment Flyer 94 COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 95 Appendix H: Recruitment Email This email is a replication of what was sent to faculty to engage their personal interest in this study as well as their students’ interest by presenting my study in their classes. Hello [name], I’m Kait Brown, a graduate student in the MEd program. I’m reaching out to you today because my study is in need of faculty and student participants. My research is on our experiences before and during the pandemic and how that impacts us today. Also, we will be participating in a restorative justice practice called community circles to discuss our experiences in safe and trusting space. If you are interested in participating in a circle just for faculty and staff, please let me know so we can schedule a meeting to discuss the circle expectations in more detail. Otherwise, is it at all possible for me to come to your class and pitch my study to your students? I’m in need of more student participants and will only need about 5-10 minutes of your class time to explain my study and answer any questions. Please find attached my study’s flyer for more information. If it is not convenient to present my study in your class, could you please send this flyer to your students to make them aware of this opportunity? This flyer has been posted around campus with approval of Student Affairs. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know. Thank you! Kait Brown COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 96 Appendix I: Recruitment Script In-Class Thank you for the time to present my study in your class, [Professor’s Name]. Just to let you all know, I’m Kait Brown, a graduate student in the MEd Program here at Cleanwater University. I’m here today because I need students like you to participate in my study that researches our experiences of COVID-19 in our university. Our stories and voices are important to add to growing literature on students like us! We’re not alone, there are studies taking place on how college students have adapted to online learning, felt an impact to their social lives, and experienced changes in their mental health after the pandemic drastically changed our lives. This study focuses on our experiences to add to this important growing body of literature. The way that we will discuss our experiences is through a restorative justice practice called community circles. How many here are familiar with restorative justice just by raising your hand? Great, thank you for answering. It’s okay if you’re not familiar with it, you do not have to be experienced at all with restorative justice to participate. To elaborate, restorative justice practices in short are a preventive measure that aims to restore short- and long-term harms that happen to individuals and communities. Restorative justice offers a way that victims can express their needs when an accountable offender and create a plan to restore and heal the victim, their community, and “right the wrong” in their society and hopefully governing bodies and systems. If you’re curious about how this relates to the pandemic, just think: we can’t lock up the pandemic in prison like we would in punitive justice… although I really wish we could. Instead, we have to repair the hurt and identify our needs ourselves which will be facilitated in a safe space with me as your facilitator. Every participant will meet with me to sign an informed consent form required by our university’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) and discuss the COVID-19 COLLECTIVE TRAUMA AND WELLBEING ASSESSMENT 97 expectations of restorative community circles like the one they will be participating in and have an opportunity to get to know me more. This is called a pre-work meeting that will be required for all participants to partake in. Next, we will have one or two community circles to discuss our experiences and more questions together. Please know that your identity will be kept confidential because we will use pseudonyms in every part of this research process. There may be the opportunity to participate in post-interview circles, but more information on that will be available later. Does anyone have any questions about this research project or any interest in participating? I’ll leave some flyers here for you to take that have my contact information on them. Please feel free to call, email, or text me with questions about the study or to let me know if you are interested in participation. Also, if you know of someone who would be interested in participating, please tell them about it and pass along the flyer or my contact information. I appreciate your time to listen to my study and enjoy the rest of your class. APPROVAL of a thesis/project submitted by Author(s): Kait Brown School Department: MED Title of Thesis: Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Individuals in a U.S. Higher Education Institution: A Collective Trauma and Wellbeing Assessment and Approach Towards Healing The above named master's thesis/project has been read by each member of the supervisory committee and has been found to be satisfactory regarding content, English usage, format, citations, bibliographic style, and consistency, and is ready to be deposited and displayed in the Westminster College—Institutional Repository. Chairperson, Supervisory Committee: Shelley Erickson Approved On 5/2/2022 1:47:32 PM Dean, School: Dr. Melanie J. Agnew Approved On 5/4/2022 4:02:16 PM STATEMENT OF PERMISSION TO DEPOSIT & DISPLAY THESIS IN THE INSTITUTIONAL REPOSITORY Name of Author(s): Kait Brown School Department: MED Title of Thesis: Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Individuals in a U.S. Higher Education Institution: A Collective Trauma and Wellbeing Assessment and Approach Towards Healing With permission from the author(s), the staff of the Giovale Library of Westminster College has the right to deposit and display an electronic copy of the above named thesis in its Institutional Repository for educational purposes only. I hereby give my permission to the staff of the Giovale Library of Westminster College to deposit and display as described the above named thesis. I retain ownership rights to my work, including the right to use it in future works such as articles or a book. Submitted by the Author(s) on 5/1/2022 3:00:55 PM The above duplication and deposit rights may be terminated by the author(s) at any time by notifying the Director of the Giovale Library in writing that permission is withdrawn.