BRIDGEWATER, Va. – The variety of clubs available is on the rise in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Bridgewater College Student Life official.
“We are back on the rise,” Sam Huyard, Director of Leadership and Belonging, said.
Huyard said that a number of clubs that did not persist through COVID are beginning to rebuild. Forty clubs hosted tables at the Campus Connections Fair, and 30 additional campus and community organizations hosted tables as well.
According to Huyard, clubs like Comitatus struggled to adjust to the digital spaces the pandemic required.
“How do you host swordfighting from home?” Huyard asked.
BC Rugby was one of the clubs that could not translate into a digital format. This year, Ed Lickey, Bridgewater professor, hosted a table for Rocktown Rugby.
Huyard predicts that BC will see more groups coming back as the campus moves past COVID.
“It’s really exciting,” Huyard said.
Ben Erickson, faculty advisor for Alpha Phi Omega, talks to students at the Campus Connections Fair. Alpha Phi Omega is a service fraternity at Bridgewater.
Events like the Campus Connections Fair and the more recent Volunteer and Service Fair are opportunities for students to physically go and see “what’s out there,” according to Ben Erickson, Director of Community Engagement and faculty advisor for two clubs.
“Stuff can get lost,” Erickson said.
Erickson said that the Campus Connections Fair is a safe opportunity to practice talking to others while finding organizations to join and passions to explore.
Erickson said that both events are also opportunities to practice networking and face-to-face interactions with “lower stakes.”
“It’s a valuable skill to go and talk to people and develop skills in face-to-face interactions,” Erickson said.
According to Huyard, students can start making a home for themselves at BC by making connections at these fairs.
“They feel like there’s something that they’re connected to,” Huyard said.
According to the University of California Undergraduate Student Experience Survey, students who were involved with campus extracurriculars felt a stronger sense of belonging and higher first-year retention.
Student Life could not provide an exact number of attendees at the Campus Connections Fair due to the fluidity of the event. Huyard and Erickson both estimated that over 150 students would attend.
Huyard said that some students may never hear back from clubs. Looking ahead, Huyard said that the challenge is in the clubs’ follow-through.
For information on Clubs and Organizations on campus and how to create a new club, visit: https://mybc.bridgewater.edu/home/student-life/student-engagement/
