Sanitizing, wearing a mask and getting tested bi-weekly are just three things that Quinnipiac University students have done to keep the COVID-19 cases as low as possible. In an email sent out to students, it was revealed that Quinnipiac conducted over 7,000 tests without a single positive case of COVID-19.
With Yale University reporting in 136 cases and the University of Connecticut reporting 200 cases, parents and students were skeptical if Quinnipiac could keep their cases at a zero for much longer. Nonetheless, the policy changes made by Quinnipiac staff have been sufficient in preventing cases from spreading.
Students are nervous about how they will still be able to enjoy their club activities and still feel safe with club activities and multicultural societies starting up this week. Nicholas Ciampanelli, a junior economics and political science double major and vice president of student experience in Quinnipiac’s Student Government Association, says students are adapting to the new system very well.
“In terms of academics, we’re doing pretty well adapting the Q-Flex model. Students have been generally pretty receptive to that and are accepting it as a new norm,” Ciampanelli said. “Due to needing additional space for classrooms, we will be exclusively virtual this year for all meetings, and we’re trying to stick hard to that to serve as an example to other student organizations.”
The Student Programming Board is also working on ways to stay inclusive and digital at the same time.
“We’re putting on a digital scavenger hunt as well as trivia and coaster designing in the south lot tents” says Shannon Flaherty, a junior media studies major from Marshfield, Mass. These events as well as the QR code used to sign up for the Student Programming Board gives students a better understanding of the methods that organizations are coming up with.
Some organizations took a large hit this year. Bobcats in the Community is an organization that provides educational, recreational, and social programs and activities to groups of people who have extended stays in healthcare facilities in the surrounding community. Many of the in-person events and activities will be cancelled this year due to COVID-19.
“We will have a lot more donations this year,” says Katrina Etts, a senior biomedical sciences major and activities coordinator for Bobcats in the Community. “We’d love to go out to senior centers and places like that but we understand that we need to follow school policy as well.”
Similarly, any club revolving around in-person lessons or tutorials, like the multicultural self-care and mental health organization NaturallyMe, will have a tough time continuing what they’ve established in previous years.
“Both of our larger events will have to be converted to COVID-19 policies,” Asiyah Neal, a senior health science studies major and president of NaturallyMe, said. “Our first event called Curlfriends meetup will be completely digital. Usually, we have a hair stylist come in and give a tutorial. We also wanted to have club members volunteer as models, but now the stylist will be in their own space giving the tutorial through Zoom.”
At the same time, some clubs and organizations on campus aren’t having that hard of a time adapting. For example, the student run radio station WQAQ will be running very similarly to last year. “This year, only two people are allowed into the booth,” says Andrew White, a senior journalism and economics double major and one of the heads of WQAQ. “We’re just happy we can still use the rooms, though.”
Although meetings and podcasts may not be too challenging through Zoom, many performance based organizations and clubs have it pretty hard this year.
“Most of our auditions and rehearsals will be through Zoom,” says Alexandra Bottari, a senior film major and a member of the Legends Acapella group at Quinnipiac. “We’re going to try and break up into groups for rehearsals because of the Zoom delay. We’re also going to try and utilize outside space as much as possible. Buckman Theater has a limit that will fit us as well.”
Buckman Theater is utilized for many performances at Quinnipiac, but what will be completely new this year is the digital audience.
Nick Fetherston, a senior theater major and president of 4th Wall Student Theater, is still looking for the positives in these changes.
“Buckman could only fit about 150 people before. Now that the audience is fully digital it allows for more than that.”