By Rachel Galatis
The Coronavirus pandemic has caused the school to switch gears in terms of how students spend their nights, whether this be weekends or weekdays.
The office of Student Engagement on campus has been working to create programs where students can safely socialize with one another and still feel like they can engage in some fun.
Indoor gatherings in Massachusetts are limited to 25 people and outdoor gatherings are limited to 50 people. Face masks are required when 10 or more people who are not from the same household are in attendance, and everyone must stay six feet apart.
Because of the high number of “remote” students at Stonehill for the fall semester, many student activities are now virtual so that everyone may take part. Some of those activities include bingo, a campus scavenger hunt, and an escape room.
Lina Macedo, the associate director of campus programs, said her office is starting to host outside, in-person events. Everyone must complete a “student check-in" at these events in the event contact tracing is needed.
The Office of Residence Life adheres to the same rules for programs at residence halls.
The programs appear to be successful so far.
“Bingo was always busy - it has so far been on par to what it has been. There was a scavenger hunt last weekend and there were a lot of teams who showed up and participated in that,” Macedo said.
Macedo urged students to join programming committees to help plan events.
“We are feeling the pressure to make sure we have events that students want and that’s where I encourage students to join any programs in the subcommittees where students can help plan events that they want,” she said.
To limit exposure to the virus, Residence Life is hosting more campus in-person and virtual events which keeps students on campus so the virus is not brought back to Stonehill.
Natalie Shafer, a resident assistant in Corr Hall, worries about students leaving campus on the weekends.
“The fact that everyone is exposed while being out with other people in a public space, and knowing that they are out doing their thing and then coming back with whatever they have been exposed to is a little uneasy to think about,” she said.
Shafer said the pandemic has made her job as an RA difficult this year because she can’t interact the same way with residents due to the restrictions.
“When I signed up for the job in the spring this is not what I had in mind. I have reconsidered my status as an RA and whether my whole role as a student would be better if I had not stepped into the job,” she said.
Shafer said that although she had second thoughts about her status as an RA, she remembers that being an RA and working with Residence Life is one of her favorite aspects about Stonehill.
“It is important to remember that this is all new and the college is trying its best to engage students while still following protocols and safety guidelines,” she said.
Because of her experience as a student, Shafer said she feels more connected to students this year, as they are seeking her advice on how to make friends and socialize with one another.
Some new college students are wondering what college life used to be like.
Before the pandemic, students would go to parties on the weekends, watch the sports teams play, and tailgate with their families. Now, none of these events are taking place, which forces students to find other things to do.
Wyatt Egan, a junior business major, said the changes due to the pandemic left him without structure in his days.
“I was able to use the evenings as stress relievers and as free time to enjoy myself and have a good time. But now I know I don’t really have that; I feel more compelled to find things to do,” Egan said.
Some students find it hard meeting each other because of the new school rule that no one can go into a residence hall that is not their own. When there were clubs and sports teams on campus, people could mingle with others easily.
Egan said he and others believe they can get through this.
“I think the overall emotion on campus for students is that we want to be here and we want to get to the point where we can go back to being a social campus where a senior knows a freshman and a sophomore knows a junior,” he said.
When the pandemic is over, students will be thrilled, several said.
“I think that people are going to capitalize more on social events than they were before. A lot of people are going to have a social explosion where they are going to have all this socialized energy in them and are going to try and go out and have as much fun as they possibly can,” Egan said.
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