Just a couple months ago, anyone passing through Delta College’s Club Rush never would have expected such a packed campus would be reduced to a vacant space.
Still, with roughly a month of social distancing already in the books, the people involved in various clubs and programs are still finding ways to stay connected and keep everyone’s heads up in these trying times.
The Zoom video conference application has received a large boost in usage among students and staff, as teleconferences have been the glue holding courses together through virtual sessions. Clubs, too, have used the tool to forge connections.
For many, this is their support, their sense of community, belonging, and even their motivation.
“We have regularly scheduled Zoom meetings on Tuesdays and Fridays where we continue to give each other support,” said Nicole Bain, vice president of Delta’s Pride Club. “Obviously it’d be a lot better to actually be present for pure support, especially for people in the LGBT+ community, but unfortunately that’s not possible right now. The best thing that we’ve been doing is trying to keep that support up through the video calls. We have hangouts where we talk to each other about pretty much anything. Pride Center recently had a meeting on how to keep focused and on-track with online classes.”
Getting together is not exclusive to Zoom sessions, however. There are more ways Pride Club retains a sense of community.
“On our social media, we’re putting up fun little interactive questions. We’re thinking of giving tips to help people learn new skills at home, too. We also have a Discord server where we continue to talk outside of Zoom meetings. We play online games and even do some D&D (Dungeons & Dragons). We might start a Netflix watch party at some point,” said Bain.
It’s important that people continue to support one-another outside of class meetings. Be it class or club, togetherness is key right now.
Different clubs have different ways of coming together, though, and sometimes bonding through activities involves blowing things up.
“We hold contests weekly to film videos, making things like baking soda and vinegar explosions,” said Hannah Bittar, president of the American Chemical Society (ACS) Club. “The contests people participate in are chemistry experiments, which include density layers of various liquids, and even making slime. Board members meet through Zoom biweekly to discuss what we can do to positively impact our club. These contests will be continuing.”
Though the members of ACS don’t know what will happen regarding the COVID-19 situation, they remain optimistic.
Future events are still being planned with the assumption that students may return to the campus in the fall.
“We’ve kicked-off elections for next year. It will be exciting to nominate and elect new board members. We hope in the near-future to include more fundraisers for our club, planning more interactive chemistry shows, and also spreading awareness about the current pandemic and how we can prevent such chaos from happening again,” said Bittar.
Students and staff alike faced challenges adapting to the current situation and have come under a lot of stress as a result. Even though there is still a social connection virtually, people still struggle from not having the connections being made on the actual campus.
“Sometimes the only interaction people will have is going to campus and going to class, and when that’s taken away, it’s challenging just as a program to adapt and work remotely,” said Sergio Lara, Resource Specialist at Delta’s Dreamers Success Center. “Making referrals over the phone, getting our lawyer connected with students, facilitating virtual conferences, it was a big adjustment. We have a support program from Dreamer’s Success that’s actually open to all students called ‘Coffee Talks’. Academic performance can depend on how well you feel like you’re accepted in a particular community, so that’s what we want to provide. The first two weeks after going remote and holding meetings over Zoom, we wanted to do general check-ins with students to see where they were at in terms of basic needs. We recently had a therapist on to answer student questions, and we’ve even done fun ice-breaker activities like poetry and art-sharing.”
The fear and anxiety undocumeted immigrant communities experience have been heightened with COVID-19.
Coffee Talks sees their meetings as an opportunity for students to feel safe, welcome, and be able to open up and be resources for one-another.
“We have another Dreamers club that still meets weekly, the Yo Soy/I Am Club, where students can connect and express their feelings, as well as grow their leadership skills,” said Lara. “Yo Soy is still doing activities and fundraisers. Students have taken advantage of our legal services and mental health therapy. We recently on-boarded two college navigators, Mike Lopez and Rigo Lomas, who help students connect to community resources and continue to thrive. The Dreamer’s Success Center is still here for everyone. These are uncertain times, but we’re going to see it through. We’re all in this together.”