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On March 11, Ryan Loche heard that classes at Binghamton University and other SUNY schools across the state would move online.

Around March 18, his father, Chris Loche, started showing cold and flu-like symptoms.

First, he moved to a hospital. Then, the intensive care unit (ICU).

And last week, Chris, 49, of Amityville, unexpectedly died of COVID-19, leaving Ryan, 20, a junior double-majoring in economics and political science, and Ryan's sister Kaitlyn, 16, behind.

Chris passed away the day before his 50th birthday. He was a single father, and since his passing, Ryan has taken on full responsibility for the family, including their mortgage, bills and taking care of his younger sister.

Pipe Dream spoke with a variety of poets in the Binghamton area about their work and what inspires them to keep writing. Check out the articles below to hear their stories.

While announcing his decision to leave the Binghamton men's basketball program on March 11, standout sophomore guard Sam Sessoms said he intended to transfer to a power conference team. A few weeks later, he did just that, announcing on his social media accounts Monday evening that he will be transferring to Penn State.

After two illustrious seasons as a Bearcat, Sessoms, a West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native, proclaimed in a video posted to his social media accounts that he defied his doubters by verbally committing to a Big Ten basketball program in his home state.

"I've been overlooked, counted out, doubted before I had my chance," Sessoms said. "I had to learn how to face adversity, overcome poverty, fight for my own, be a dog. That all started here, [in] West Philadelphia. They said I couldn't compete against the best - did that. They said I couldn't score 1,000 points - did that twice. I bet they didn't think I could do this, but I did that too. And next year, I'll be attending Penn State University."

Just two weeks ago, Sessoms was ranked the eighth best sit-out transfer available in the country by ESPN, one of just two players formerly of mid-major teams ranked in the top 10. He led the America East (AE) in scoring last season, averaging 19.4 points per game, and won AE Rookie of the Year as a freshman. Sessoms was named second team all-conference as a sophomore. He also has recorded the three highest-scoring single-game performances in BU's Division I era, including a 38-point showing in the team's season-ending loss to New Hampshire, the second-highest of his career in what was his final game as a Bearcat.

Visitors to the Binghamton University campus are now greeted by white tents filling several of BU's parking lots, after the University was designated as a drive-thru coronavirus testing site for Broome County.

The site is one of several being opened in the upstate New York region, according to the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and the Office of the Governor.

Testing will be available for free, seven days per week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and is only available through appointment. An individual must fit certain criteria to get tested, according to the New York State Department of Health.

The Editorial Board Writes,

Administration: B

Despite the extreme circumstances Binghamton University found itself in this semester, administrators handled the coronavirus adjustments surprisingly well. They held multiple press conferences as the virus began affecting other universities and canceled classes for the two days prior to officially moving online to provide an adjustment period for students and faculty. The administration also acted quickly with housing decisions and made a great choice in letting students stay if they wished to do so. They are planning to refund those who did not. The pass/fail policy, created to accommodate the additional struggles of a rapid online transition, was also a success, enabling students to opt in after they see their final grades. Additionally, the Editorial Board appreciated the University's ruling preventing professors from moving tests forward and the fact that BU Zoom accounts were set up quickly.

That being said, there are some areas where the University was lacking. It seemed like they left faculty to fend for themselves when it came to figuring out how to structure online classes, and administrators should have offered more support. Also, although students received direct refunds for unused fees, the University left refunds for other fees, such as parking and gym fees, up to their respective departments. There has been no communication as to what is happening with those fees and when students can expect to see money deposited in their accounts. There is also a current lack of communication concerning the fall semester. While the Editorial Board understands that the situation is constantly and rapidly changing, other SUNY schools have released updates on possible scenarios and updates on their decision-making process, while BU has not.

In the beginning of my junior year, I went to a therapist for the first time.

Just a year earlier, as a sophomore, I decided I wanted to be a reporter. In a matter of months, I managed to somewhat unexpectedly become Pipe Dream's News Editor and conduct a long, frustrating internship search that eventually yielded an opportunity at a fantastic local paper in Pennsylvania.

On paper, everything looked perfect. Inside, I was stressed, burned out and exhausted.

It wasn't the first time I had been stressed. In fact, I'm pretty sure I was born stressed. As a child, I stressed incessantly over my grades. Anything less than an A was bad. Throughout my entire life, I had also stressed over my interactions with other people, convinced that I always came off awkwardly. But the stress had always been manageable. I actually defined myself as a person who thrived off it, who was infinitely capable of sucking it up, pushing through and looking back at it with pride. I never let myself look stressed. To others, I always appeared determined, focused and ambitious.

To be honest, I've been avoiding writing this senior column for weeks now simply because I refuse to believe that four years of college have already flown by. Maybe it's because I'm a nostalgic person and like to relish the past or maybe it's because I haven't had the chance to properly say goodbye to everyone before this chapter of my life closes, or maybe it's both. Either way, I can confidently say this: I am not ready to say goodbye.

The fact that I may never step foot on Binghamton University's campus again boggles my mind, especially since some days I wake up and still think I'm the same wide-eyed, eager freshman who was ready to take on the world and its uncertainties. Boy, was I completely naive back then. These past four years have been nothing less than stressful and chaotic, though it's weird to say that I wouldn't want it any other way.