www.cmu.edu/news: Carnegie Mellon University students and faculty are engaging with campus remotely this year, and those on campus are navigating strict physical distancing protocols. CMU students are nothing if not resourceful and optimistic, finding creative ways to enjoy their extra-curricular activities while building a sense of camaraderie. Student groups have innovated and adapted to operate during the pandemic.
8 comments:
It has been really interesting seeing how different organizations are still trying to foster community during the pandemic. I have personally found it rather difficult making connections. I've never been very good at phone and video calls, so I feel even more anxious talking to people than ever before. The most important connections I've made, whether forming bonds or networking, have been by chance. My roommate and I met on the CMU Facebook page over the summer and clicked almost immediately. She's so naturally become one of the most important parts of my life, and I don't know what I'd do without her. Other friends I've met after all being left last to join a group for a project, and now I can't wait to really get to know them. I've also met some real role models just while being here for a couple months. Of course, I wish things were different. I wish making connections was just as easy as walking through Purnell, but I just hold on to the idea of the moment we are all back in Purnell together again.
I love reading about how Carnegie Mellon University is engaging with this community remotely. I find it somewhat comical that this article is talking about how resourceful, optimistic, and finding creative ways to enjoy extracurricular activities. The majority of this article is focused on how the girls soccer teams have continued to learn and strengthen their skills during COVID-19. While I think the article is interesting, I think it’s not super representative of how the entire carnegie mellon community is continuing to engage during COVID. Wow! I loved reading about the originals. It’s awesome to read about how an acapella group is able to pivot and focus on how they can continue to gain members through video auditions and zoom rehearsals. I am definitely going to be on the lookout for the originals work in the future. I also think that the group dedicating time to social justice is super important.
One of the most important parts of college is the connections you make with your fellow students. The person you meet at orientation may become your best friend for the rest of your life, or even your business partner when you graduate. The pandemic certainly is making the process of making new friends so much more difficult than ever before, so it really warms my heart to know that CMU is really taking strides to allow clubs and organizations on campus to still meet under new precautions. I can’t even imagine being a freshmen or new to CMU and not have all the opportunities to meet new people and explore the campus, so its wonderful to know that they are still able to join clubs and experience new things. It certainly is a crazy time to be a student right now, and having a club or sorority to share your troubles and triumphs with is so important.
I’m not going to lie, COVID has been really challenging in terms of feeling like I have lost many of the communities that I really value (friends, school, theatre, etc.). On the flipside, I have found some new communities that I really appreciate. I have found a couple hand lettering classes, ASL classes, and painting classes that have been a really nice space to have a bit of low-stakes creative time. I think that part of what is making school so much more mentally challenging is the loss of the community. We are trying to maintain the same quality of work and handle the same load of work with far fewer people to be able to look to for support or to just take a breath with. I am glad that some CMU students are doing their best to still maintain the communities that they have spent so much time developing in their time at school despite the restrictions. I cannot imagine trying to deal with being a freshman in this situation. I feel like it would be especially challenging trying to make those connections while not having the opportunity to interact with people in person.
As a sophomore, I definitely felt like I dodged a bullet with my experience this year, as freshman are coming into a completely new environment without many of the social supports that CMU offers. Many experiences have been completely taken away, but I'm glad to see that some organizations have adapted, whether that be to adhere by safety guidelines in person or go entirely virtual. In my personal experience, I witnessed the transition of the phlounge (the physics lounge, which is a real place in the UC) to an online server format. It feels great to be able to immediately connect with professors and students throughout the program and has definitely broken down some of the walls of isolation, as it were. I've heard of many similar things, whether it be small groups having weekly zoom meetings or a minecraft server for the entire CMU community. It's so easy to hole yourself up this semester, too easy to get caught up in your own head. I'm glad that we've kept the CMU community spirit alive, one way or another.
To be totally honest, I feel as though it has been really hard to foster relationships and feel apart of a community this year. I have noticed this not just in my college life but in all aspects since this virus is demanding we all stay home for each other's safety. Although CMU has been having a ton of event and organizations that are completely remote, as a student thats not on campus, it has been really hard to connect in those events. The game playing events and such have definitely been fun but it is still so hard to truly know who you are playing those games with and feel close to those individuals. Definitely I have been feeling an intense lose of a community as this is my freshman year and I came from a really close and loving program that I have been a part of for the past 4 years. Not being able to see anybody face to face is definitely affecting my ability to feel fully part of the CMU community however I think these programs are helping people who were already in the community not feel like they have lost something.
This is so good to hear I guess. I’m really glad people are still able to find community during the pandemic. I’m just a little sad that this is the first time I’m hearing about most of these fun initiatives. I don’t really know what picture CMU is trying to paint, but I have made very very few connections outside of the 2024 DP’s. I can’t imagine what it would be like if I wasn’t a part of such a small, connected class. Orientation week was kind of a mess, but I don’t think anyone was expecting much. But from my perspective, after O week, all attempts to bring people together just kinda stopped. I don’t know if it was a publicity issue or that these initiatives were just not widespread, but I did not really hear about any clubs or extracurriculars I could join. I’d love to be more involved, but clubs were just kinda inaccessible this year.
Lilian Kim-
I thought the article was really lovely to read. I was still in my senior year of high school when everything was completely online, and I remember how tired and alone I felt being apart from the community. I am amazed to see how CMU was able to foster a community even on the screen, despite it being a difficult time for everyone. When I first came to this school, I was overwhelmed by the support and community I have received even before school started. I am a part of Tartan Scholars, which helps me connect with the overall CMU community, however, the SOD, by assigning bigs and littles, also helped me feel a sense of belonging and support before I even got here. I am thankful for the upperclassmen in our community for being so kind and open to us even though they must have had a long and stressful year.
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