With so many students quarantined during this unprecedented semester, the Student Activities Council (SAC) has formed a quarantine committee that plans weekly events in order to create community among isolated and quarantined students.
Past events planned by the committee have included a virtual Netflix watch party and an Among Us remote gaming session. Members have also written letters to those in quarantine, encouraging them through tough times and recommending in-dorm activities.
The committee consists of three chairs—Kirbi Cochran, sophomore intercultural studies major; Katie Ayala, sophomore Spanish major and Monsae Edwards, sophomore ministry major— and six members.
According to Leah Campbell, senior music education major and SAC president, SAC made outreach to quarantined students a priority since the very beginning of the school year.
“SAC exists to foster community on our campus,” said Campbell. “This is especially important in our current circumstances wearing masks, social distancing and quarantining when necessary. We want to provide opportunities for students who are quarantined or isolated to stay connected on campus so that they are encouraged and supported during that time of physical separation.”
However, just as students find virtual classes and online learning difficult in an educational format, it is just as complicated to foster relationships and community through virtual events. But Kirbi Cochran, a committee member, said SAC is up to the challenge.
“What you do for 200 students in quarantine is going to be different than what you do for 70 students,” said Cochran. “But we’re taking it week by week and figuring out how to best serve students.”
SAC also hopes these events will encourage students to break out of a quarantine-imposed seclusion.
“When you get put in quarantine,” said Cochran. “It’s easy to forget about the rest of the world. But don’t close yourself off just because the world has said you need to set yourself aside… continue to seek out relationships and find a way to hang out with people safely.”
The next virtual SAC event will most likely involve a Halloween-themed Netflix or Disney Plus virtual watch party that is open for anyone to participate. In the future, Cochran hopes for more events involving raffles, gift baskets, and games, and she encourages anyone who has ideas for activities to contact the SAC Instagram or talk to a SAC member.
Make sure to check the SAC Instagram account, @uusac, for future events.
