Student organizations, as much as classes, can be the backbone of many students’ college experience. Some of their best memories come from belonging to a student organization and attending the group’s events.
With UMKC students taking the majority of their classes online, student organizations will have to find new ways to prepare for a unique fall semester at home.
“We are planning to have meetings both in person and online,” said Marcus Thieu, co-president of UMKC’s Asian Students in America organization. “However, we will prepare to move all events online based on any new guidelines that the school may enforce in the future.”
Halfway through the 2020 spring semester, UMKC administration notified students that classes would move online due to the rise of COVID-19 cases.
As the pandemic has developed, campus life has dimmed, and student organizations have begun to move their events and meetings online to give a sense of school spirit to the stay-at-home student body.
“With everything that happened last semester, we were able to learn from the experience and get used to online learning,” Thieu said. “The process of online transitioning has become much easier because of this.”
Anthony Maly, senior program manager of the Office of Student Involvement, recently released an informational statement for events hosted by student organizations on RooGroups.
Student organizations can have in-person events as long as they register events one week in advance and record all event attendees in RooGroups.
In-person meetings must follow proper social distancing protocols if virtual meetings aren’t feasible.
While passing out information at the Student Union is an option for student organizations, it’s likely that a lot of students won’t ever step foot on campus this fall.
Many student organizations, such as UMKC’s Latinx Student Union (LSU), have been utilizing online resources to connect with active and potential members.
LSU has been recruiting members and contacting those who have shown interest through social media apps such as Facebook and Instagram.
The organization has kept its members engaged by updating social media with posts that relate to current events as well as announcements for any events they plan to have, whether it be online or in person.
“There’s still so much uncertainty with the pandemic,” said Leidy Venegas, vice president of LSU. “We want to continue to provide students with different resources and opportunities as best as we can.”
