On-Campus "Parents" Keep Students Close... but Not Too Close
At Elon University, we are now experiencing the new normal: a new way of interacting with our friends, a new way of attending classes, a new way of being. While we all have a responsibility to uphold these new normal values, we are fortunate enough to have leaders in our community who are ensuring all rules are followed, and this includes our resident assistants and apartment managers.
For those who live on campus, or who have in the past, RAs and AM’s play a large role in the on-campus experience by acting as a support system and encouraging bonding among residents. But with COVID-19, those in this supportive and communal role have faced a pivotal question: How can we still encourage this residential unity when we are now unable to physically be a community?
It all comes down to creativity. Although it’s difficult, these res life rockstars have started using their innovative brains to foster bonding.
“It’s definitely been challenging trying to come up with ways to bring everyone together, but all the RA’s are just trying to work together to create fun things to do in a safe way,” said senior RA Jane. “We’ve thought of virtual movie nights, scavenger hunts, socially distanced picnics—all in hopes that we can still create that Elon community that is so pivotal to the school.”
RA’s have also said that including their residents in the planning process has not only been useful in the creativity department but has also fostered bonding in and of itself.
“In the beginning of the semester, I was having a hard time coming up with activities for my residents, so I had them try and come up with things to do. They were actually really open about sharing their ideas, and the more they talked, the more excited all of my residents became. I could see they were becoming a community, even though they were faced with this new and unusual living situation,” said RA Lily.
Luckily for on-campus residents, and the entire Elon community, RA’s have found that students are not only engaging in these socially distanced activities but are actually following the guidelines put in place by the university.
Dorm life has changed on campuses across the country. Photo from unsplash.com.
“It’s definitely been challenging trying to maintain the number of individuals in the dorms, but that said, people seem to be taking it very seriously and doing a good job following the university guidelines with masks,” said Lily. “I’m not sure if this is because people really feel responsible about COVID,or because of how hard the school is cracking down on people who break the rules. Whatever it is, it’s really good to see people doing what they’re supposed to.”
Jane said she just hopes that students continue this trend of responsibility.
“It’s definitely scary because even if just one resident is not being safe, our entire dorm could become infected,” she said. “It definitely puts significantly more pressure on my job to make sure people are following the rules, but I can only hope people do what’s right for the safety of our entire Elon community.”
If you are interested in learning more about the number of COVID-19 cases and people in quarantine on Elon’s campus, click here.