COVID changes campus activities

Kenzie Schroeder, Staff writer

I am a member of the Women’s lacrosse team, the Merciad, Competitive Intelligence Club and Phi Eta Sigma.

This year, all these activities and clubs have looked very different with different rules and methods of attending.

While COVID-19 has changed a lot of lacrosse aspects which I do not like, it has made changes for my other clubs which I enjoy. I like having weekly meetings on Zoom or through Teams because it makes me more inclined to attend.

In normal years where a global pandemic was not on anyone’s mind, I had less motivation to leave my room and walk across campus for a 30 minute or an hour-long meeting. Once I get home from my day, I want to stay home.

Additionally, having meetings online has made it easier to have a busier schedule but with flexibility. I can schedule or do other things up until the minute before the meeting starts because all I have to do is click a link.

I think meetings are more efficient than they have been in the past and allow for more of a relaxed environment because of the flexibility online meetings have. I do not have to worry about what time I will eat dinner if I have a commitment before a meeting, or other task going on prior to events because I can now multitask.

I can cook during or before a meeting and eat while attending.

While I do miss in-person classes and the hands-on aspects of these activities, I think there could be a nice balance. In the future when COVID-19 is not reigning over our lives, I think clubs should give members the option to attend online.

I think it would increase the consistency of attendance and accommodate for students’ busy schedules more effectively.

It also helps to allow people to attend if they are not physically in Erie for some reason.

I think the downside of club events and meetings being online is that while it may increase attendance, or at least incline students to think about attending more often, it is hard to focus with having other distractions in your own home while trying to attend a meeting.

I know for me, I get distracted easily by the things I was working on prior to logging on for the meeting, my homework and my roommates. Online meetings for clubs and other activities is a double-edged sword.

While attendance may be up, other distractions on the other side of their screen could hinder the quality of it.

While this is a risk clubs will run if they continue to implement online gatherings as an alternative form of attendance after COVID-19, I know for me, I would be more inclined to attend because it could be in the comfort of my own home.

I think giving students options caters to all students and their own schedules and motives.

Students want to be involved as best they can in college, but with only having in-person attendance options, I think students turn away from the possibilities.

Providing options for students’ attendance can create more opportunity to join many different clubs and give students a more realistic chance to permit enough time to each activity.