In a normal setting, students would have been able to walk through Seawolf Plaza and see countless clubs tabling on any given day, with club members flagging down students with flyers, trying to get them to sign up to join. Unfortunately with everything virtual this school year, students are forced to not only do classes online but find ways to get involved.
Clubs now have to find new ways to connect with students, meet with current members and host events. Mon., Oct. 9 kicked off a week long event called ORGtober. The virtual student organization fair let students and clubs come together to meet. Each club had a virtual table that students could click on to get a Zoom link. The event held a variety of student organizations on campus with themes related to culture,spirituality, politics, sports, academics, social justice, activism, and everything in between.
When asked her opinion of the event, International Education and Exchange Council member, Azucena Carlos Montesinos said, “I think any event that brings exposure to different clubs and organizations on campus is helpful. ORGtober gave us the opportunity to reach a larger portion of the SSU population which is extremely helpful.”
Virtual club and organization fairs are becoming the new norm in attempts of getting students involved. Without being able to table and interact with students in person, organizations are heavily relying on social media to promote themselves. Katherine Breeher president of REVIVAL Zine said, “helped us tremendously with gaining members and general interest in our organization.”
Entrepreneurs United was a club that was new to campus. Andrew Savedra, president of the club, said, “I have been reaching out to SSU students through my Zoom classes. Also, for the students who showed initial interest, I have been asking them to talk to their friends who might be interested,” when asked how he’s been growing the club.
While trying to gain exposure to new students, clubs have also been trying to maintain their organization similarly to before the school year went virtual. Most continue to hold meetings regularly and often invite students to join. Katelyn Castro, member of Filipino American Association at Sonoma State University said, “Meetings are a good way to stay informed about the club and upcoming events, also a great way to see some new faces and make great connections.”
Other than hosting meetings regularly, another way members are connecting is through virtual events hosted by their respective organizations. Sara Feinman, president of Hillel of Sonoma County said the club still held weekly events.
“The first and most important is Shabbat- which is a Jewish tradition/holiday we celebrate every Friday evening, its a time to connect with family (or in our case other Jewish students) and decompress from the week with prayers and dinner provided by Hillel of Sonoma County…and we do prayers,” said Feinman.
Clubs have been adapting to this new form of meeting.Normally the Filipino American Association at Sonoma State University (FAASSU) would go to Cal State Fullerton to participate in an event called Friendship Games where Filipino clubs come and compete while celebrating spirit, pride, unity, and friendship (S.P.U.F). Castro said, “…the organization has done a fantastic job in organizing a virtual event for all the clubs so we can still compete and enjoy the feeling that friendship games give all of us.”
With the transition to online, students aren’t the only ones adapting. Clubs and organizations have found ways to continue to hold meetings and events while following California guidelines. If Seawolves are interested in joining a club there is a directory on Engage@SSU with all recognized clubs at Sonoma State.
