How students can stay involved both in-person and remotely

As the nation continues to grapple with the unprecedented effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, many colleges and universities are discontinuing student extracurricular programs and activities. Some schools, however, have found alternate forms of leisure activity to retain student engagement.

At North Dakota State University, a combination of in-person and remote events are being offered to students for the fall 2020 semester.

One major host organization for these events is NDSU’s Campus Attractions. As the central coalition for extracurriculars, Campus Attractions is, according to the myNDSU webpage, “Dedicated to serving the NDSU community by providing educational, cultural, social, and recreational programs and activities through a wide variety of resources.”

This fall, Campus Attractions is hosting movie nights in the Memorial Union, with featured films including Star Wars, Dolittle and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Other organizations are offering virtual entertainment options for students.

Various workshops with a variety of subjects, including writing, computing, and data management, can be accessed online via a Zoom link. Students can register for and attend these workshops from home, bridging the gap in campus connectedness between students who are on campus and students who will be home for the semester.  

Matthew Friedmann, the Student Body President at NDSU, gave some insight into the work various departments have done to prepare for student activities to be up and running this year.

“When you’re in a pandemic, you have to operate differently,” Friedmann said. “You have to ask yourself- how can we do this (host student activities) in a way that reduces risk?”  

A few notable adjustments to on-campus activities include mandatory mask-wearing, increased sanitization practices, and in necessary instances, the cancellation of events as Friedmann mentioned.

While this semester has presented some challenges, NDSU is committed to enhancing student life.