Busy big sister Xu, a warm-hearted secretary working in the front line of the battle against the pandemic

The late spring and early summer of 2022 became empty and silent due to the sudden outbreak of the pandemic. Although the noise in the past was temporarily far away from the campus of Tongji University, the members of the Party and administrative leadership of the School of Political Science & International Relations (SPSIR) never pressed the pause button for work and life. Among them, the busiest one was Professor Xu Hong, the secretary of the Party committee of the school, who was concerned about the whole school and worked hard from sunrise to midnight every day. She is jokingly called “busy big sister Xu” by Professor Men Honghua, the dean of the school. This nickname is an affirmation and praise of the teachers and students for this "good teacher" and "good sister" for her hard work.

Be busy in the key part and calmly deal with campus pandemic prevention. On the afternoon of March 9, 2022, Tongji University urgently issued a notice to lock down the Siping campus. As the key person in charge of the pandemic prevention of the school, Secretary Xu Hong, in accordance with the instructions of the school, worked closely with other members of the school's leading team to quickly launch emergency measures. The pandemic prevention tasks on the campus are complicated, and the figure Secretary Xu Hong could be found in many tasks. The Party and administrative staff worked together to ensure that all the work of the school was carried out smoothly, teachers and students were organized for nucleic acid testing in an orderly manner, the resident teachers were settled down as best as she could, and she seriously responded to the urgent needs of the students in every detail. For more than two months, she worked and lived in the office in Zhonghe Building. As the person in charge of pandemic prevention, she communicated the orders from higher authorities, reported the situation to higher levels and earnestly implemented them. As a professional teacher, she undertook the teaching and research tasks, without affecting the teaching and learning arrangements. However, though under pressure, she has always maintained a high morale and optimistic attitude, encouraging everyone around her with her words and deeds. In this battle against the virus without gunpowder smoke, Secretary Xu has tried her best to make the bright Party flag fly above the campus, making her own contribution to protecting our school and Shanghai.

Be busy in the front line and take the lead in setting an example of volunteer service. In her daily work, Secretary Xu always regards herself as an ordinary member of the university and the school, so she is always the first to do volunteer service. As one of the first batch of volunteers, she was not afraid of toil and high temperature and wore protective clothing to deliver three meals a day, distribute antigen test kits, and carry supplies for the faculty members staying put at school. Sometimes the weather changed suddenly, and she still didn’t mind running through the wind and rain. Small as things are, it is difficult to repeat them day after day. Although the action is simple, the victory lies in taking the trouble. Secretary Xu loves to do things, do practical things, and do good things. As a leader, she has a strong awareness of service and maintains an affinity with colleagues and students. It is also under her leadership that the resident teachers actively participated in volunteer service, spreading the positive energy of SPSIR on the campus of Tongji.

Be busy with details and care about the difficulties of colleagues wholeheartedly. Due to Secretary Xu's meticulous care, the lockdown life of the resident teachers was no longer lonely and boring. With the all-out help of Secretary Xu, the urgent problems were solved one after another. In the eyes of her colleagues, she seems to have never stopped being busy for a moment. Secretary Xu’s heart was with every teacher staying in the school. When a colleague was ill, she stayed in the hospital late into the night and paid for medicines at her own expense. She took good care of a young pregnant teacher and tried to provide a better living and working environment for her. Though she doesn’t eat spicy food, she purchased "limited edition" Lao Gan Ma chili sauce for her colleagues. She loves fruits, but she often gave her own portion of fruits to old professors who stuck to their posts when distributing materials. Secretary Xu has been concerned about the faculty members who are outside the campus as well. The days of staying at home are dull and depressing. She could always perceive the mood swing of her colleagues and bring sunshine-like energy to everyone with sincere encouragement and comfort. Whenever the faculty members encountered material difficulties and special circumstances during the lockdown, she always tried to help solve them at the first time, truly implementing the service spirit in every bit of life.

Be busy in mind and extremely concerned about the needs of students. SPSIR always puts students first. Secretary Xu has set an example of teachers giving great love to students. When a student was ill, she went to the campus clinic to get medicine for the student. When students had to stay at dormitory, she personally acted as a "courier" to deliver necessities to them. When some students left the school for hometown due to illness, she arranged vehicles and escorted them to the school gate in person. At the most difficult time of the battle, Secretary Xu went to Zhangwu campus to visit the students with her saved snacks. As the supervisor of 8 freshmen, she often encourages the students to focus on their studies and wait for the silver lining, and recommends booklists to them so that they can gain knowledge and spiritual nourishment. Secretary Xu's "thousands of exhortations" to students are full of incomparable care and love for students and warm expectations for young people.

As Secretary-General Xi Jinping instructs, "No towering trees can grow in greenhouse, and those who slack off cannot achieve great goals. The broad masses of Party members and cadres should grow their talents and strengthen their physique by going through trials and tribulations and seeing the world. They should develop a strong backbone, an iron shoulder and a true ability to take responsibility. They should be brave, responsible and good at doing something. They should take the lead in effectively responding to major challenges, withstanding major risks, overcoming major obstacles and solving major contradictions." True feelings are shown most in trivial matters. Even a trickle of water can converge into rivers and seas. Our "busy big sister Xu" has constantly fulfilled the responsibilities of a CPC member through small things, allowing teachers and students of the school to feel the true feelings of a Party secretary in every detail. Even if the pandemic is rampant now, it will eventually become the past. However, Secretary Xu's ordinary and extraordinary love will be remembered by everyone at SPSIR.