There have been many drawbacks because of the coronavirus pandemic. Events have been canceled and rescheduled. Students feel that their college experience is being ripped away. Hilbert college, however, is doing their very best to host events. Whether they are running virtually through zoom or held in person, while following proper social distancing guidelines, there are many opportunities still going on for students to get involved in.

Residence Life hosts RA events weekly this semester including, spa nights, make your own door decorations, virtual trivia night, and so many others. Students are highly encouraged to get involve and form relationships with other students at Hilbert.

Resident Directory, Brett Kane said his department has been trying to give resident students things to do, despite the challenges presented by covid.

“A big focus of ours this semester is doing service and social justice programming … we’re trying to get more speakers, we’re trying to support other department programs, and not focus on recreating programming, but supporting programming on campus,” Kane said.

One way students can do this could be by simply attending an event you would not usually attend, just to show support to peers, Kane said.

Some other events to look forward to include scavenger hunts, where your “home” unit on campus will work as a group so we are not mixing multiple living spaces at once, more virtual trivia nights, and additional socially distanced events.

The virtual events seem to have been very popular this semester. Events that are more convenient for students to attend make the participation steady as well. Within these programs, students might be pleasantly surprised with the relationships and friendships they can form with other students as well.

“The RAs have been focusing on building strong relationships, and giving students personalized invites,” Kane said.

ResLife is continuously working to get students involved, especially during times like this. It is highly encouraged for students to get involved and participate in events and programs in their college community, RA Jordan Salomone said.

“Put yourself out there and find new people to talk to…even if it’s something you’re not interested in,” Salomone said.

It will not hurt to stop by an event or click the zoom link and make some friends in a program that catches your interest. Kane explains that the virtual events in particular focus on “a connection that is focused on similarities, focused on support, and focused on bringing residents together in a different way.”