All on-campus events have been cancelled in response to SRU moving all classes to online instruction.
In an email with a document of FAQ’s about Student Engagement and Leadership, campus events include but are not limited to on and off campus meetings, performances, carnivals, celebrations, rallies, demonstrations, lectures, social gatherings, speaker presentations and conferences.
All student organizations must cancel their events.
In the email addressed to Student Organization Presidents and Advisors, social distancing, as outlined by the CDC can be an effective way to control the spread of COVID-19.
Student organizations that wish to move meeting related activities to online can do so, but there should be no face-to-face meetings or activities.
Rock the Weekend Events, Relay for Life, Burlesque Bash, Esports Tournament, Travel Trip: Urban Air and the Community Cookout have all been cancelled.
Lauren Moran, the director of Student Engagement and Leadership, said that she knew the office needed to do more communication with student organizations and found it important that Student Engagement and Leadership Office provided more specific details.
“We wanted to make sure that people knew what was going on with events that we knew were going to be big,” Moran said. “Particularly with the Roddy Ricch concert, that was going to be a hot topic for students, and we wanted to get ahead of that as opposed to fielding questions as they come.”
Moran said that students chose to come to Slippery Rock because they wanted that on campus experience, and not being around their peers is going to impact people in many ways.
“Cancelling events and loosing that feel of community, being on campus is a big [impact],” Moran said.
One of the major events cancelled was Relay for Life.
Alexis Adams, a senior exercise science major, leadership minor and president of Colleges Against Cancer, said that although Slippery Rock cancelled all campus events, the American Cancer Society (ACS) cancelled all nation-wide events until March 31.
Adams said that most of the fundraising is online, where those interested to donate as an individual or a team can put money into an account that goes towards the big donation.
All money raised goes toward ACS.
“Colleges Against Cancer means the world to me,” Adams said. “When I joined, I didn’t know anyone directly that had cancer, but my grandma died from stage 4 lung cancer and at that point it became personal.”
Adams said she has grown a love for Relay for Life and what it does for people.
Alongside the community aspect, Moran said that student organizations are also impacted financially, particularly those funded through SGA, which is funded by the student activity fee.
“Any sort of financial loss is really a hit to the students because that’s a fee you all pay,” Moran said.
Moran said that one of the reasons she is in her current job is to work with students and be around them.
“For me personally, it’s going to impact me, because the students are where I get my energy to do the work I do,” Moran said.
Moran said that the Student Engagement and Leadership Office is trying to find a way to rethink how they work with students and recently had a meeting to discuss ways to virtually engage students.
“I think it’s going to impact the way that we work daily,” Moran said. “Not just online but the way we have to think about what student involvement means, what student engagement is; we have to rethink that.”
Moran is the type of person who thrives on creativity and said that the new challenge will be exciting for the office to get out of the normal routine.
Moran stressed the importance of student organizations to continue working with each other and trying to meet and engage virtually.
“For so many students, their student organization or whatever they’re involved in on campus is really what connects them to the Slippery Rock community,” Moran said.
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