FIU Student Organizations Reinvent Themselves Despite Pandemic

Screenshot of FIU PRSSA Zoom meeting.

Kimberly Aldunate / Staff Writer

While campus remains quiet, many FIU organizations are working hard to keep students engaged during remote times.

Before COVID-19 forced FIU to close last year, university organizations hosted on-campus events for students. Now, university groups such as the Black Student Union (BSU) and Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) have had to find ways to stay active amidst a pandemic.

“We had to consider all the ways outside of social media to connect with our members and make sure that we still create that sense of community for Black students here at FIU,” said Jaquan Starling, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering, and vice president of BSU. 

BSU hosted a variety of engaging virtual events for its members from guest speakers events through Zoom to a virtual mentor series event. 

The organization aims to provide cultural, educational and social entertainment through leadership, involvement, and diversified programming for the Black community at FIU.

“COVID-19 disrupted the way BSU puts on events and communicates with the general public,” said Starling. “BSU had to quickly learn to adapt to this new virtual atmosphere while also being conscious of the social, economic, and health changes of our day to day lives.”  

As organizations faced challenges with having meetings fully online, many students had to find different ways to stay engaged with the events.

Kristy Galarza, a senior majoring in public relations and advertising, is the current vice president of PRSSA. She feels it’s been a challenge to host online events.

“All of our members are college students who have been in Zoom lectures all day and we had to come up with incentives on how we would encourage them to get on an extra late-night Zoom meeting that would benefit their future careers and professional development,” said Galarza.

These incentives included attending networking opportunities with public relations professionals, participating in public relations conferences and taking on leadership positions available.  

She considered how students have found ways to stay involved during these times by participating in several organizations through virtual events with their peers.

“[COVID-19] truly challenged my team and I had to step outside of the box and think of ways we can keep our members engaged,” said Galarza.

PRSSA had to pivot by hosting all virtual events to keep its members safe and engaged. This gave PRSSA the unique opportunity to invite guest speakers located in different states from New York and Vermont, something that would not be possible to do in-person. 

Events such as public relations agency tours, where PRSSA had the opportunity to learn about various industries, were all canceled as a result of the pandemic.

“I looked forward to every Friday because it allowed our members to visit some of the top [public relations] agencies in Miami and experience a day in the life of a public relations professional,” said Galarza. “You got to walk into a cool office with an amazing view, meet some talented professionals and unfortunately we could not do it due to COVID-19.”

College students are facing many challenges, not only their in-person college life experience has been stripped away but their mental health as well.

COVID-19 has significantly impacted the mental health of college students, according to a study from the U.S National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health.

The study surveyed 195 students, of which 138 or 71 percent indicated increased stress, anxiety and depressive thoughts among students. The findings suggested an urgent need to address the negative impacts of the pandemic on the mental health of college students.

Students such as Galarza, have tried to make the best from having their meetings fully online, but students simply want human interaction, according to an FIU director.

“[Students] want human interaction, they need normalcy,” said Jon Warech, executive director of FIU Hillel, an independent Jewish organization. “This is a difficult time affecting the mental health of a nation.” 

While the pandemic placed obstacles for student involvement, Warech said virtual meetings have brought unique opportunities to students, such as connecting people from across the world in celebrating traditional Jewish holidays.

“We did a program with Hillel Warsaw, heard from NBA legend Amar’e Stoudemire live from Israel, welcomed both candidates for Miami-Dade mayor into our virtual justice sukkah and we found unique ways to celebrate Shabbat and Jewish holidays together over the internet,” said Warech.

Student leaders say they were able to build stronger, more intimate connections with their members virtually.

“I was able to build a stronger relationship with our executive board team, said Galarza, “Our team consists of nine strong females and I’ve had the privilege of watching each of them grow and come out of their shell and show off their amazing skills and talent during these difficult times.”

COVID-19 setbacks forced organizations such as the FIU American Marketing Association (AMA), to recreate their entire programming curriculum to become better equipped with remote interactions.

AMA, is one of the largest student marketing organizations in North America.

Julia Reynolds, a senior majoring in marketing and the co-president of the organization, brought up the struggles faced with interacting through remote meetings.

“The worst part of being virtual is not getting to see and interact with members,” said Reynolds. “It’s hard to look at a Zoom meeting of 60 name boxes when I know there would normally be smiling, chatting people.”

As on campus student activities start to pick up, club members are optimistic about the future of their programming.

“We learned plenty about what worked and what didn’t work… in terms of student engagement and enjoyment,” said Reynolds. “So we’ll be taking that into consideration while we plan the next semesters.”

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