By Dasha Dolgopolova When we all switched to Zoom lectures AUBG Clubs Adapting to a Changing World Clubs that focus on a live audience like back in March 2020, AUBG clubs had to adapt to a hybrid world, finding ways to keep the clubs functioning. Those who are seniors now, though, have been through all the stages of the pandemic during their studies at AUBG. “Before COVID-19, it was very different, during the coronavirus it was entirely new and unexpected, and now we’re prepared for everything.” said Danny Toshev, a senior and member of TEDxAUBG. For Danny, the interpersonal connections in the club suffered the most during the pandemic. “Having these online meetings and not actually meeting in-person tore us apart as a club because we really lost that friendship and sense of family that we had before.” Danny said. “So that was a very difficult period for all of us.” This semester more club members were joining the meetings on-ground. Danny enjoyed finally seeing students communicate with each other, talk about things, and just connect. He says these connections keep the Rock Jamming Club (RJC), More Honors, TEDxAUBG, could no longer host onground events after the lockdown in March 2020. Radina Veleva, senior and current president of RJC, said that transitioning was demotivating. Nevertheless, the club stayed active through marketing and social media presence. Throughout this time, Radina grew fond of RJC because even with the restrictions in place, the club members still persisted. “They were just trying to keep the club afloat, which I resonated with because it was me as well with my mental health and the entire situation.” Radina said. “I was trying to keep myself afloat. And I rediscovered my love for RJC at that moment.” RJC also returned to the Band’s Room. Radina said the room is like a sacred place for the club because it holds a lot of history from the previous band members, going as far back as the late 2000s. “It was a very emotional moment for me specifically because I had been for long enough in the club to remember it.” Radina said. The second president of the club, Atanas Giew for Fine Acts. us from going.” said Mihaela Kafedzhiyska, senior and active president of the club. “It was hard to explore new places and bring a lot of new people, but the club was still functioning and we were still able to spend some time in nature.” Getting back to normal for the club meant motivation and emotions high. “I was glad that people are actually wanting to have onground meetings.” Danny said. “To be able to share laughs, be angry together, all of these emotions make us this incredible family, which we call La Familia X.” Senior Armela Gjylsheni, member of the Psychology Club, said that while the in-club connection was lost, the online meetings were a helpful and useful space because everyone was going through similar things. Human interactions were also affected in Sustainability Club, but they’d had to operate online from since the club started in April 2020, in the beginning of the pandemic. “That personal touch, getting to know the people you work with is still missing. Because everybody was so eager to do something in-person, it was pretty nice — this was a big success within the club.” Armela said. “Now they have to adapt to being on-ground, so this will be a slight challenge.” Going back to the new normal meant organizing more events. At the Earth Hour, for example, Armela did face-painting, which made her very happy. The Tree-Planting event was something that allowed Armela to see the impact that the club was doing. “All those volunteers coming and working to plant the trees. Our theme was ‘plant a tree, plant a friendship.’” Armela said. though, had never seen the Band’s Room, which to Radina was both crazy and sad. “I’m very glad we managed to do that, and to me, this is probably the biggest contribution because we had to fight for it.” After cancelling the More Honors’ ceremony in Spring 2020, the club came up with a solution of streaming the next show from three locations: Skaptopara Hall, BAC, and online. “It was something that had never been done before and we were very uncertain of what it was going to look like.” said Emma Kerencheva, a member of the club since her first year. Emma said that the club received positive feedback on being able to organize the event. Even though it was the first hybrid show and without a live audience, Emma said that this format allowed them to reach a lot of people. “It’s so nice knowing that people adapt quickly and, what really makes our community special, is that the clubs could think of ways how to sustain all these activities even when COVID-19 was very much a thing.” Emma said. Although functioning during the pandemic was not the same as it was before, Xaia Hiking Club still managed to meet and go on hikes. “There was a limit of how many people could join a hike, but since we were outside, in nature, there wasn’t anything that stopped that more people could join hikes. However, as a student that had been at the university through all the stages of the pandemic, Mihaela and her classmates felt like this semester was a ‘sneak peak’ to what it could have been if not for COVID-19. “I noticed that in a lot of, especially the more formal events, students are sometimes being a bit lost, and it’s hard for them to find out ways on what’s happening and when it is happening.” Mihaela said. “At first, I was concerned that our class might not be able to give the knowledge and traditions and things that we have established, but it’s good that things are working out.” Cachetejack for Fine Acts. SPRING 2022 | AUBG DAILY 3
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