With the cancellation of in-person classes and university events, all clubs and student organizations are no longer able to meet. However, some clubs are trying to adapt to these changes.
Dave Wilcox, the faculty adviser for social fraternity Sigma Phi Epsilon, said the organization has continued activities online. In his role, he offers mentoring to officers of the fraternity and helps with academic advising.
The elected fraternity officers run the online operations, and they have continued to hold Sunday chapter as well as Tuesday meetings. The students also engage in other activities, such as holding Netflix movie nights. Wilcox said the members have been using the online platform Microsoft Teams, which has “worked very well.” He also said the fraternity maintains contact through GroupMe.
Wilcox said this form of meeting was the best option the organization had considering the circumstances.
“The meetings are faster, but all needs are met from a communication standpoint,” Wilcox said. He said online meeting can’t make up for face to face communication, but even though it’s not ideal, it’s better than nothing and they’re proud of what they’ve been able to do.
Sofie Flores, a senior in the College of Engineering, is a member of the Society of Women Engineers and also the Alpha Omega Epsilon sorority.
Flores, the public relations board member for SWE, said the organization continues to meet online through Teams, and the executive board holds a meeting each Friday to discuss how to move forward through semester.
SWE has also had to adjust its annual election procedure for the executive board positions. Flores said in April, another Teams meeting will take place with presentations about the election, and then the members will vote through Google Forms.
Flores is also a member of Alpha Omega Epsilon. She said the sorority has continued meeting online, and they hold weekly chapter meetings through Teams. She added that they held a virtual event where members drew names and wrote letters of encouragement to the member they selected.
Flores also said the sorority members are planning to eat dinner together through a Teams meeting. Because their annual mac ‘n cheese fundraiser which was supposed to take place on April 27th was canceled, the organization is planning on holding an online contest to see who can come up with the best toppings. The original contest would have been open to the public.
Flores said the online meetings have gone really well and she “appreciates being able to talk to others.”
“It’s nice to get to talk and have social communication with others along with downtime,” Flores said.
This story was written by Matthew Choate. He can be reached at [email protected].
