The LGBTQ+ Alliance normally hosts events like “The Drag Ball.” This semester, however, it was unable to re-register with Webster University as a student organization.
The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped how millions of Americans approach their daily lives. At Webster University, students have become less involved with in-person organizations and activities on campus.
The university had 51 registered student organizations in fall 2019 and 56 in spring 2020. The numbers fell to 46 in fall 2020 and stayed consistent through 2021, before landing at 44 this semester, according to Office of Student Engagement director Jennifer Stewart.
One club that was not re-registered with the university for the spring 2022 semester was the LGBTQ+ Alliance. Currently, the university requires a student organization to register and re-register every semester with ten members, a president, vice president, treasurer and a faculty advisor.
Carolyn Aughey, a junior at Webster, became the president for the LGBTQ+ Alliance her sophomore year. As she planned events for the organization, the pandemic hit and threw a wrench in the process.
One such event was “The Drag Ball,” a drag show that allowed the students to celebrate their queerness in a safe and fun environment. Instead, the organization did a video meet.
Aughey and the LGBTQ+ Alliance are not the only organizations to struggle with involvement. Another organization, the Society Women of Color, is no longer registered for this semester.
Aughey explained that student organizations typically see the most members at the beginning of the semester, but attendance dwindles as time goes on.
“People get busy,” Aughey said.
Aughey said the LGBTQ+ Alliance had 25 members at the onset of the previous semester. When it came time to host their Halloween party, however, only eight people were able to show up.
As the spring semester came, the organization could not find enough members to take on the roles required to re-register the organization.
“I think the way students are choosing to be involved is what has changed more than the fact that students are involved or not,” Stewart said. “COVID definitely forced the initial shift from large public events to smaller, more niche programs and I think that a lot of students and organizations have found success in maintaining their groups using those new boundaries.”
Kamryn Moore, the president of Webster University’s Amnesty International student organization, said her club “really struggled during the pandemic.”
Moore was proactive with getting the organization registered during the pandemic but found it difficult to get the word out to other students.
“I was so excited this past fall to have an in-person involvement fair because I thought it would be the perfect time for people to learn about us and join,” Moore said. “I was so shocked by the low number of students attending the fair. I could not believe it, it was so empty.”
Blain McVey, Student Government Association’s comptroller, noted that the dangers of COVID-19 have forced many student organizations to choose Zoom or other remote options for this semester. However, Amnesty International has faced trouble with remote meetings, as students have grown angsty toward Zoom meetings, which can lead to dwindling student involvement.
“People do not want to Zoom anymore,” Moore said.
Moore has a less than optimistic view on the potential for things returning to normal at Webster University.
“There is no ‘normal’ to return to,” she said.
McVey believes student involvement is not only lower than his first year at Webster but also has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. He believes such inactivity can lead to a “diminished experience for students.”
“I’ve heard from newer students and especially international students that they expected more things to do and more people roaming the campus,” McVey said. “My hope is that COVID cases decline and students on campus take initiative to start new clubs or hang out in common spaces more. Even if it’s just perception, seeing people on campus at all times creates a stronger sense of community.”
Aughey believes that student organizations, such as the LGBTQ+ Alliance and the Society of Women of Color student organization, which represent students from historically marginalized groups, should receive separate designations from other student organizations that are “just for fun.” Aughey would like to see the university ensure organizations that serve marginalized groups do not disappear.
“I do think that they are important,” Aughey said, “and it’s not ideal that they don’t exist anymore.”
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