{"id":133369,"date":"2020-05-21T15:21:23","date_gmt":"2020-05-21T19:21:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/?p=133369"},"modified":"2020-05-27T10:11:20","modified_gmt":"2020-05-27T14:11:20","slug":"making-face-masks-students-on-campus-feel-like-youre-a-part-of-something","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/2020\/05\/21\/making-face-masks-students-on-campus-feel-like-youre-a-part-of-something\/","title":{"rendered":"By hand-making face masks for Bates workers, students feel \u2018part of something\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

At first glance, it would seem there\u2019s not much to do in the Bates costume shop. Spring theater performances that require tailor-made outfits have been canceled, as has the Bates Dance Festival. But the space is still there, as is equipment like sewing machines and an industrial iron, plus a lot of surplus fabric.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Associate Professor of Theater Christine McDowell, Assistant Technical Director Aidan McDowell, and five rising seniors<\/span> who are still living on campus decided to put those resources to use by sewing hundreds of cloth face coverings for Bates employees\u2019 use.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cThis is one of the few times in life where a practical skill that, not only do we have in our wheelhouse, but that I really advocate as part of the Bates experience, could come to the forefront,\u201d Chris McDowell says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The students and employees in the costume shop, who are being paid for their work, are among a few groups and individuals who are making protective equipment for employees on campus, says Director of Environmental Health and Safety Jessica Smith.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The masks are made in accordance with <\/span>Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines<\/span><\/a>. Cloth face coverings are recommended for use in public settings where social distancing isn’t possible to reduce the spread of coronavirus, while the CDC says medical-grade masks and respirators should be saved for healthcare workers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Phyllis<\/a>

When the events that normally occupy the Bates costume shop in the spring and summer were canceled, Associate Professor of Theater Christine McDowell quickly started using surplus and donated fabric to make cloth face coverings. She is following Bates guidelines, as well as state guidelines for people in non-public settings, maintaining a 6-foot distance from students. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)(Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/p><\/div>\n

In addition to the costume shop team, Lysanne Doucette of College Advancement and retiree Shirley Govindasamy are also hand-making masks for their fellow employees.<\/span><\/p>\n

Assistant Professor of Biology Andrew Mountcastle, in addition to 3D-printing protective face shields<\/a> for healthcare workers, is coordinating a team making \u201cear savers,\u201d devices to hook elastic bands together behind the head instead of one\u2019s ears. Still more faculty and staff are making masks for themselves and the wider Lewiston community.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re so well-made,\u201d Smith says. \u201cThe fabrics are beautiful, the stitching is tight, and they have multiple layers of good fabric.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Smith, who is distributing the masks and helping to coordinate production, has already shared 432 masks from campus sources and more from a local industrial supplier. The masks are primarily going to staff who still need to work on campus, particularly security, Post & Print, limited numbers of dining and facilities staff, and \u2014 until the campus steam plant was shut down this month for the summer \u2014 boiler operators.<\/span><\/p>\n

Smith says she currently has enough face coverings for any employee who asks for one, and she hopes to have hundreds of masks at the ready when more employees \u2014 and, eventually, students \u2014 return to campus. That\u2019s thanks in large part to the supply of handmade masks, which are of particularly high quality.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The variety of surplus and donated fabrics the costume shop uses to make face masks serves a dual purpose: Different fabrics on each side of some masks help wearers keep track of which side is touching the face, and student mask-makers get to flex their creative muscle. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re so well-made,\u201d Smith says. \u201cThe fabrics are beautiful, the stitching is tight, and they have multiple layers of good fabric. We have options to fit the various sizes and shapes of people\u2019s heads. As I hand them out, people are happy to receive them and appreciate how well they\u2019re made.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a true assembly line at Schaeffer. Depending on the type of mask, there are 12 to 15 steps of outlining and cutting fabric; stitching together layers of fabric, elastic, and wire; ironing; quality control; and, in recent weeks, putting together more \u201cear savers.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The fabric comes from the costume shop\u2019s stash as well as a supply donated by Chris McDowell\u2019s mother, an avid quilter. The masks have two layers of fabric, each side with a different pattern so the wearers can keep track of which side is against their face.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Phyllis<\/a>

The seven mask-makers in the Bates costume shop have produced upward of 300 masks so far for Bates employees to wear on the job. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/p><\/div>\n

Because employees\u2019 preferences differ, the group is making both double-sided shaped masks \u2014 made to fit tightly over the bridge of the nose \u2014 and pleated masks, each coming with an instruction sheet on how to wear and wash them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been getting a lot of feedback from the people we\u2019ve been giving them to about what they prefer and what they need, so we\u2019ve been able to tailor some of the requests,\u201d Chris McDowell says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some of the student mask-makers already have experience with sewing or working with fabrics. Jade Zhang \u201921 of Hefei, China, is a theater major concentrating on costume design, with Chris McDowell serving as her thesis advisor. It was Zhang who recruited most of the other four student mask makers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Phyllis<\/a>

Production of face masks reminds Nicole Kumbula \u201921, left, of helping her mother at Singmark, a factory shop in her native Zimbabwe. The students are following Bates guidelines, as well as state guidelines for people in non-public settings, for students who have remained in residence, maintaining a 6-foot distance. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/p><\/div>\n

Nicole Kumbula \u201921 of Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe, also has some experience around textiles \u2014 she would sometimes accompany her mother to Singmark, a small clothing factory where her mother works in retail, and help her do small tasks, such as folding fabrics and buying buttons.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So the first day Kumbula came to the costume shop to make masks, \u201cthere was sort of a nostalgia for me, and I decided I would like to stay and learn to do each and every single part,\u201d she says. \u201cIt reminds me of my mom and everybody at home.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a creative process that can also relieve pressure you get from quarantine.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

At the same time, she and her mask-making colleagues are learning new skills, particularly related to the (relative) mass production of items. \u201cI\u2019m a chemistry major, so precision and measurements are on my mind all the time,\u201d Kumbula says. \u201cIt\u2019s been nice to apply that side of my brain to this place as well.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Phyllis<\/a>

Gabi Gucagaite \u201921 puts on a mask. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/p><\/div>\n

Beyond learning new skills and providing a critical service for the campus, the students\u2019 new job provides a sense of structure and purpose during a stressful time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice to have a dedicated time when you come in and just do something with your hands,\u201d says Gabi Gucagaite \u201921 of Kaunas, Lithuania.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a creative process that can also relieve pressure you get from quarantine,\u201d adds Wenjing Zheng \u201921 of Wuhan, China.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The students also have the regular chance to see each other in person \u2014 not a guarantee, given social distancing rules. (The seven mask-makers are only coming into contact with each other and in the case of the students,\u00a0 their roommates, if they have them, McDowell says.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Phyllis<\/a>

Stacia Poulin of Dining, Conferences, and Campus Events prepares a hamburger on the grill at Commons, wearing a mask that the Bates costume shop created. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s been a bonding experience, particularly for the five students.\u00a0 \u201cWe just get to know each other so much better and in unexpected ways\u201d in the costume shop, says Jade Zhang. \u201cWe\u2019re making something good out of the pandemic.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And, being on campus, they get to see the fruits of their labors.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe definitely have seen staff wearing the masks that we make here,\u201d says Zhao Li \u201921 of Guangzhou, China. \u201cYou feel like you\u2019re a part of something.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bates hopes to provide cloth face coverings for every student and employee who needs one. In their new jobs in the costume shop, resident students are contributing hundreds. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1005,"featured_media":133472,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_hide_ai_chatbot":false,"_ai_chatbot_style":"","associated_faculty":[],"_Page_Specific_Css":"","_bates_restrict_mod":false,"_table_of_contents_display":false,"_table_of_contents_location":"","_table_of_contents_disableSticky":false,"_is_featured":false,"footnotes":"","_bates_seo_meta_description":"","_bates_seo_block_robots":false,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_id":0,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_twitter_id":0,"_bates_seo_share_title":"","_bates_seo_canonical_overwrite":"","_bates_seo_twitter_template":""},"categories":[130,14,11012],"tags":[11312],"class_list":["post-133369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-collaboration","category-faculty-staff","category-student-life","tag-christine-mcdowell"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1005"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133369"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133369\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":133581,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133369\/revisions\/133581"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/133472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}