LSU clubs are tailoring the fall semester to keep students safe and preserve ties between members and the campus community through new and creative ways.
Some activism clubs have combined efforts to inform students about social issues and reach campus.
Political science junior Mia LeJune is the president of Geaux Vote, a club on campus that aims to engage students in civic responsibility and the political process. LeJune took a creative approach to the challenges of the online format and added a new social media position to the club.
“We’re really excited about the new opportunities the situation is giving us,” LeJune said. “It’s kind of putting the pressure on us to get involved with different organizations on campus.”
In previous years, Geaux Vote hosted a celebration on campus in Free Speech Alley on National Voter Registration Day, but the club had to alter their plans now that COVID-19 testing is conducted nearby.
Geaux Vote’s executive team is remaining positive and plans to form an informational hub in Free Speech Alley and possibly near the LSU Library to answer students’ questions and hand out stamps for mail-in ballots.
“It’s not what we wanted to do, but it’s a great opportunity for our new members or members who haven’t been as involved in the past to get comfortable with information,” LeJune said.
While online meetings provide the best option for keeping members healthy, the format can also present some obstacles.
Political science senior Laura Proulx, president of Feminists in Action, combated frustrations with the Zoom format with creative meeting themes such as show and tell, movie night and dinner party.
“It’s a little more difficult to convince members to attend Zoom meetings when they’ve likely been on Zoom all day for class,” Proulx said. “We’re working on making [meetings] fun so that members look forward to getting on Zoom at the end of the day.”
While FIA previously used social media to send out reminders, their Instagram now serves not only as a recruiting tool in lieu of in person events such as the Involvement Fair, but also an informational resource for followers.
According to their Instagram, the club’s mission is to promote intersectional feminist awareness and activism around LSU and Baton Rouge.
Caroline Dugan, political science junior and the vice president of Feminists in Action, said the club’s Instagram saw a spike in interaction and an increase to 1,300 followers.
“Since we’re in a virtual setting, a lot of people are looking to social media for their activism,” Dugan said. “We’re actually reaching more people than before.”
The Musical Theater Club (MTC) of LSU is an organization that aims to spread musical theater across campus. MTC normally kicks off the fall semester with a theme-based cabaret fundraiser, but due to social distancing guidelines and room capacities, a social media tournament replaced the event.
Biological sciences junior Kim Tran is the board chair of MTC. Tran said that after students submitted videos of vocal performances to the club, participants’ friends and family voted for their favorite act by donating to the MTC Venmo.
Tran shared that after only one bracket of the tournament, the club raised $400 and plans to donate any surplus to hurricane relief efforts.
“I think any student organization that can help out [the community] should,” Tran said.
Tran is currently working out how the club’s staged reading of “Twisted” will function this November.
Despite continued deliberations on whether the staged reading will be held at the Greek amphitheater or via Zoom, Tran knows her goals for the semester.
“I’m hoping to make up for the donation losses from last semester, but I also want to expand our club and make it more diverse. I just want to make sure everyone feels like they can be on our stage,” Tran said. “We will get through [the pandemic]. I hope and believe we can.”
