Kincart: COVID-19 Doesn’t Excuse Being Uninvolved
Students at the University of Utah are following the COVID-19 guidelines by wearing masks while working on campus. (Photo by Abu Asib | The Daily Utah Chronicle)
November 16, 2020
As we approach the end of a stressful semester, it’s important for students to find a community on campus. And it’s even more important during the pandemic. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, campus organizations have made adjustments to preserve students’ health. The University of Utah has over 550 recognized student organizations that range from pre-professional clubs to music groups to baking clubs. The U is home to clubs focusing on the environment, leadership, service, Greek life, activism, language, music and so much more. The benefits of student involvement are even greater during these trying times and despite the difficult circumstances this semester, students should get involved on campus.
In a normal year, students get involved to enhance their campus experience not just socially, but also academically. Students who are involved in campus activities are shown to have higher test scores, better attendance, better grades and a more developed self-concept. Activities give students a way to develop skills that are sought after by future employers and students can also gain leadership experience before graduating. Social involvement is not only good for our health but also helps us form a network that will boost us professionally while developing personal passions and interests. Every student knows how draining studying can be. There’s no better way to take a break from studying than spending time deepening our own individual and personal interests through campus extracurriculars.
On top of all this, campus involvement this year is even more important because of the pandemic. Being involved on campus helps students build a community when typical avenues are closed. A network of peers with similar interests acts as a support system during such emotionally trying times, and because students are facing more mental health challenges during the pandemic, this community is essential. Having a community of people to connect with can help to compliment the mental health resources already available to students at the U. We all need to be there for each other this year and campus involvement will help us find the support we seek.
Navigating a pandemic is new territory for all universities, so student input is immensely important. The University of Utah has plenty of committees for students to voice their thoughts on university operations during the pandemic. Students can learn more about these committees and apply by clicking this link. As students dealing with the hardships of the pandemic, our first-hand experiences are unmatched by the university’s administration. We have a unique voice and perspective that need to be shared in order for university operations to be improved.
The pandemic uprooted our lives — we had no choice but to adapt. However, involvement maintains a sense of normalcy that is crucial to getting through these difficult circumstances. Getting involved on campus, albeit virtually, gives us a chance to be in control and find some regularity despite these unprecedented times.
We are fortunate to be a part of such a tech-savvy generation. We are no strangers to maintaining social connections online and we know how to make friends online. In fact, 59% of teens video chat with their friends, and this source of communication remains constant during the pandemic. Our generation is more equipped than older generations to handle this transition to online involvement. In my experience at the U, most of my extracurricular activities are being conducted via Zoom — where I am still able to chat with members and have valuable social interactions, and I can still wear my pajamas from the comfort of my room. This also means that students are able to meet with an online organization while watching siblings or tending to other needs at home. There’s a real convenience when it comes to participating in activities online, including reduced transportation requirements.
Most importantly, we are all in this boat together. Everyone is experiencing the same complicated feelings about the pandemic. There is no need to feel awkward reaching out to new friends or stepping outside of your comfort zone by joining extracurricular activities — there’s a good chance that those feelings will be reciprocated. No one better understands the emotions surrounding this unusual semester than our fellow students.
During this pandemic, it is crucial that we get and stay involved. Although virtual involvement doesn’t have all of the benefits of in-person involvement, using campus activities to boost morale during the pandemic can be equally as beneficial. The U has so many opportunities for involvement and every student can find their place on campus. Students can find, join and connect with campus organizations by following this link. If students are struggling to find an organization they want to join, they can also create their own. Find a way to get involved that works for you and use it to get through this difficult school year. This semester is tough but if we stick together, we will get through it.
Brianna • Nov 20, 2020 at 10:12 am
I appreciate the other commenters on this opinion article. These are difficult times. Sydney may be coming from a place that recognizes a human truth: we all need community. Fear and anxiety capture has colored most of this year due to the pandemic. We’ve felt isolated and worried. The challenge to reach out and become involved is good and doesn’t dismiss the reality of our situation. It’s OK to find joys in hard, unprecedented situations.
Jenna Benson • Nov 18, 2020 at 2:57 pm
The sentiments in this article aren’t bad, but they definitely lack empathy at points and the title seems unfitting. I agree that it’s good to highlight the benefits of being involved—even virtually—within the campus community. This kind of involvement could truly help many students through this time. However, it’s bizarre to frame anyone’s lack of involvement as an “excuse”. That seems like a very shortsighted, privileged conclusion to come to when people are struggling with their health, potentially the deaths of loved ones, unemployment, financial struggles, and mental wellness. I can tell the intentions were good here, but it would be beneficial to attempt to understand why some students are avoiding involvement from perspectives other than your own.
Kirsten Wang • Nov 18, 2020 at 11:45 am
Whatever works for each individual at this time is what is right. If you can’t be involved because of mental health struggles or lack of resources or time – then that is okay. There should be no shame or guilt about not being able to do things that you might find yourself normally doing when we lived in a Covid-less world. Whatever works for YOU is right. Don’t let anyone make you feel shame when waking up is your biggest accomplishment of the day. Depression, stress, and anxiety are not excuses – they are legitimate and valid reasons that someone’s behavior may change. They are also deeply personal; not all people have the same feelings about things. If Covid has highlighted anything, it has highlighted the fact that we all have incredibly different opinions about things based on our own reality. While I understand the spirit of this article, it does come across as insensitive and naive to the reality that many members of our campus community are living while Covid is raging. Let’s come together any way that we can. There is no right way and there are no “excuses” – only valid, real, individual and important feelings that deserve support and recognition.
Andrea Uehling • Nov 18, 2020 at 10:39 am
This is beyond unempathetic. I am constantly worried about an aging family, an immediate family member having to work in person, and the inability to have in-person contact with any friends. I refuse to, as you’ve suggested, step outside my comfort zone to join an extracurricular because I would be extremely outside my comfort zone should family or friends die because I was careless in my day to day life. Perhaps if everyone in the extracurriculars you’ve mentioned wore a mask and quarantined when suggested, we would have the ability to “be more involved”; otherwise, I will continue to stay preoccupied with my families health, the reduced incomes, the stress of bills, how I will finish my classes, and even how I plan to pay for school, and the isolation of doing the right thing for the community. These stressors are all-encompassing, and honestly, probably take precedence over joining a group chat.
Sara Kenrick • Nov 17, 2020 at 9:46 pm
Honestly, this sucks to read. It also sucks to see it come up on my email inbox. Most days I’m just trying to wake up, most of my friends are doing the same. Mental health has gotten worse for a lot of students and the U has screwed us over in major ways.
The pandemic does not affect us all the same way even if it does affect all of us. This is obvious by the fact that there is a great divide just between people who are or aren’t willing to put on a mask. Don’t tell me that someone who can work from home feels the same as someone who has been unemployed and evicted due to a pandemic. People are mourning the loss of close family members.
If the U wants me to put more effort into making them thrive then they can waive all my tuition fees that I can’t pay because I don’t have a job anymore.
You obviously wrote this from an arrogant place of privilege with little empathy to those unlike you. Do better.