In terms of events considered to be disruptive, COVID deserves a prize. If you were looking for something to make your best laid plans go awry, the pandemic certainly hits the spot.
In the wake of a year-and-a-half of chaos, it may be a good idea to check how some of Elizabethtown College’s clubs weathered the storm and how they’re faring at the start of the new school year.
One of Etown’s most community-focused clubs is Circle K, our branch of Kiwanis International. So, what happened when access to the community they’re built around serving was jumbled by quarantine?
“Normally we go out and do things with the Community Cupboard and ManorCare,” Circle K Treasurer Meghan Williams says.
But when the pandemic struck, they needed to make the best of it and find ways to help the community from the safety of their homes or dorms.
“We made cards to send to people in retirement homes and children in hospitals. We did things like freerice.com, where you can play games and the website donates rice to people who are hungry,” Williams adds.
Technology in general helped cushion the blow of the pandemic on some clubs.
Photography Club President Katelyn Godfrey mentions that while members lost any access they had to camera equipment from the Communication Department, phone cameras are so good now that it wasn’t much of an issue.
Additionally, video calls helped student organizations stick together—in theory anyway.
In the peak of quarantine season, many clubs retained their members officially but saw steep drop-offs in their participation.
Godfrey says that before COVID, “20 to 30” members regularly attended meetings. However, during pandemic-era Zoom gatherings, she was, “presenting to like one person.”
Williams says of the limits of Circle K’s Zoom meetings, “Instead of the service projects we usually got to do, it was more people asking, ‘How you doing?’”
Etown Anime Club President Jacob Schell says the club’s routine was complicated by lack of same room comradery.
“We tried to stay in contact through Discord,” he says. “Unfortunately, we could not get watch parties together.”
Perhaps Zoom calls are just no substitute for in-person engagement. For some activities, this is especially true.
“You can’t sing over Zoom because Zoom thinks that singing is background noise,” President of Etown’s co-ed acapella group Vocalign Ally Bonicker says.
Though it was a rough road, Vocalign is back up and running but with one quirk—they need to sing with masks.
“We got singing masks from the school. They look like duck bills. They’re giant. We used those for a few of our shows and then we realized that regular masks do the same thing,” Bonicker said.
(And with the added bonus that you don’t look like a duck.)
Vocalign has recouped its numbers this semester, according to Bonicker.
“We have a group of 18 this year, which is the largest it’s ever been. It’s the largest collegiate acapella allows it to be, which is exciting,”Bonicker mentions.
Other groups have also seen increased membership, especially after the Activities Fair has drawn in students of the new freshmen class.
Circle K newsletter editor Katie Hollen is happy to report they’ve picked up 37 new members this year and Godfrey says the Photography Club’s email list is hovering around 115 students.
While COVID is still here, we’re all learning to adapt. So why not try something new and check out a club or two?
