Searching online for the phrase “liberated by Zoom,” one finds countless pandemic-era commentaries, variously critical and uncritical of how meeting online might free participants of in-person gatherings’ temporal, spatial, economic, ecological, and health constraints and costs. Their opposing stances spotlight two disparities: in participants’ access to virtual and physical networking spaces; and in how comfortable, conducive, and safe the space from which one joins online is, vis-à-vis conditions at a potential physical meeting point. How have wars, disease, ecological imperatives, and affirmative action’s imperilment affected these disparities? In networking to support vulnerable and underrepresented populations in higher education, which prioritizations do our disciplines and institutions seemingly require, and what can we learn from others?
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