Pitt State Student Orgs Struggle Post-COVID

Story by Amijah Jackson

PITTSBURG, Kansas—When the COVID-19 pandemic first started, it affected universities in many ways, leaving campus organizations to adjust to a new way of hosting meetings and events. Now, they say, they’re struggling to adjust back.

Pittsburg State University has 141 active campus organizations. During the pandemic, organizations had to figure out a way to make things work even while being away from campus. Some organizations were forced to shut down completely, but most made it work even with the distance and constant changes due to COVID.

In March 2020, when students were forced home, some organizations continued planning events and holding meetings through zoom. The Gorilla Activities Board (GAB) hosted a variety of events on campus for students to enjoy, one of them being the annual Foam and Powder Paint Party.

GAB committee member Jack Tenbrink said GAB moved almost entirely online during the pandemic.

“The Gorilla Activities Board chose to continue our weekly meetings virtually through Zoom,” Tenbrink said. “We also worked very hard to continue to provide events for PSU students virtually, like an online game of bingo.”

When Pitt State returned to face-to-face classes in Fall 2020, campus clubs had to incorporate things like masks and accommodate social distancing in the events they had planned.

“We reconfigured our office for social distancing,” Tenbrink said. “We provided a list of office guidelines for our members to keep them and those that visited our office safe. Events and meetings were all virtual during the fall 2020 semester.”

Now, organizers say they’re struggling to get people involved. Homecoming committee steering chair Hope Rainey said there have been struggles in scouting new members.

“Tabling in the oval or any in-person recruitment event, it has been difficult to recruit,” Rainey said. “I think students are still getting back into the in-person college experience, so it is hard to find students that will talk to you in person, especially for joining an organization.”

Not only have events and meetings have been altered but there were also in-office mandates that isolated members from each other within their organization. Student Government Association Vice President Khadija Ceesay said they had to make internal changes in their organization, including avoiding eating meals in common areas.

Getting Back to Normal

By the spring 2021 semester, mask mandates were still implemented at PSU, but more in person events were being held. Today, membership numbers are slowly starting to rise as more students are becoming more interested in joining a campus organization.

“In my two years of SGA I’ve seen many people of different backgrounds express their passion for student government,” Ceesay said. “That’s been the reason many of them have stuck around or have brought new members to join us each semester.”

In Fall 2021, Pittsburg State had different changes throughout the semester due to an increase in positive COVID-19 cases. In the beginning of the semester, mask mandates and social distancing were still implemented. However, half-way through the semester the mask mandate was lifted.

“We just keep an eye on the Covid-19 guidelines that the school has in place and make sure to do our part in following them to keep our team safe,” Rainey said.

In the beginning of the Spring 2022 semester, mask mandates were still lifted as there was a steady decrease in positive COVID-19 cases. In the middle of the semester mask mandates were reinstated for a short period of time as cases started to rise again.

As of right now, mask mandates are lifted, and the university is watching as the pandemic continues to change. Organizations spoke about how they will be prepared if another pandemic sparks in the future.

“The Gorilla Activities Board is prepared to continue our mission of providing safe and inclusive events for PSU students in whatever conditions are necessary for our classmates to be safe,” Tenbrink said. “I am proud of the Gorilla Activities Board’s response to the pandemic. If we were faced with another pandemic, we would have systems that could be reinstalled quickly if necessary.