With the ongoing Covid-19 Pandemic, instead of in-person classes, courses resorted to remote learning, sports halted to a pause, and all the clubs and organizations were forced to hold their weekly meetings via Zoom. As a result, many students steered away from extracurricular activities.
Despite students’ eagerness to return back to campus, some to finally get their first-ever college experience, Ithaca College campus groups are facing a challenge: low student engagement.
Ithaca College’s Television Station (ICTV) Manager Rachel Paskowitz, said “At student recruitment night we had many people sign up. But once they started getting offers for other clubs we really had to step up with promoting ICTV which we never had to do in the past.”
Paskowitz said she thought the best way for students to know ICTV was looking for more involvement was to send out an email to everyone in the Roy. H Park School of Communications.
Karen Armstrong, Assistant to the Dean of the Roy H. Park School of Communications sent out this message to students on September 16, 2021. Screenshot Photo from Rachel Paskowitz
Paskowitz added the overall turnout was better than last semester when courses were mainly online. “ICTV online was just a struggle altogether.” Her goal is to increase student interest in ICTV to the level it had been in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Paskowitz is not the only student who noticed the change in student involvement. Sydney Scheck, Ithaca College’s Hi Fashion Studios (HFS) Club President, said the club is experiencing a similar issue.
“It is tragic to see the club from when I was last on campus to now,” Scheck explained that the club used to have over 100 models signed up for model auditions for the on-campus fashion show, and this year she only has 14.
Senior Abi Vanderwoude & Senior Sydney Scheck hosting the first HiFashion Studios Club meeting of the semester. (Photo by: Melissa Megali / Ithaca Week)
Scheck and Paskowitz hope student engagement will be better in the spring. They are suggesting that more recruitment nights for the organizations would result in a better outcome for most clubs on campus.
Ithaca College’s Student Engagement Center is searching for a new approach for the spring. Mary Holland Bavis, Associate Director of Student Involvement for the Office of Student Engagement mentions “For the spring semester I want to try something new, organizations around the dining hall.” Bavis believes she will receive a better turnout since it’s more open to students while going on their whereabouts. She will continue to work on the feedback she receives from students to see what other methods will work within making student engagement overall better
The Office of Student Engagement. (Photo by: Melissa Megali / Ithaca Week)
Bavis encourages students’ feedback on what they could do differently transitioning to the spring semester. She recommends making a direct appointment with her via email or stopping by the Office of Student Engagement.
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