Evidence of in-person life continues to grow on campus.
The spring semester has seen renewed activity on campus, a trend that’s been increasing since the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic have slowly receded into our collective rear view.
“Now, there’s always an event on campus, there’s always something to do,” said senior Melanie Vugelman, president of the campus’ Doctors Without Borders student chapter.
Denae Bennett said the current mood is a far cry from her first semester on campus, Fall 2020, when most in-person activity was restricted.
“It’s definitely a lot more interactive,” said Bennett. “People are joining clubs, they’re going out, they’re leaving their dorms.”
Abigail Lee, the secretary of Doctors Without Borders, reflected that it has been a slow process moving out of the virtual lives we adapted to during the pandemic. Now, though, as more classes and meetings are conducted in person, people are looking for more and more opportunities to meet in real life.
“The more we move away from Zoom, the more people are wanting to be in person,” Lee said.
The students’ observations are backed up by data. According to figures presented by Student Government Association President Dom Lomonaco at the State of the College presentation on Feb. 14, there are 57 active clubs and organizations on campus now, up from 48 in the spring of 2021. Among the newest groups are the baseball and ping pong clubs. And Bennett has recently formed an interest group to create a new volleyball club; 17 students showed up for their first meeting.
A total of 230 unique students hold leadership positions – that’s after eliminating second and third posts held by the same people. That’s good news for the campus and for the students, too.
“These are positions of growth,” Lomonaco said. “Student engagement as a whole has a positive correlation to success in the classroom.”
During the academic year 2021-2022, there were about 450 total events on campus that were open to everyone, ranging from cookie decorating to a large-scale event like the Involvement Fair, explained Logan Gee, ACPHS’ director of student engagement and leadership. Last semester, there were already 500 such events.
Gee arrived on campus in November 2021, filling a previously vacant position in the Office of Student Affairs and providing resources to support student activities. But at ACPHS more than other colleges where Gee has worked, students take advantage of the support and really run the shows themselves, she said.