Once again, our clubs and societies returned to their Zoom activities, as physical operation was prohibited due to lockdown 2.0. However, during our first semester back at university, clubs and societies were able to operate fully – providing they did so under Government regulations regarding COVID-19.
So, how did the student union help our committees in the run-up to our return in September and, how did they guide them throughout the recent national lockdown?
With the majority of clubs and societies relying on physical interaction to run, it was bound to be a challenge to recruit and re-start while adhering to the Government’s regulations. Like many clubs and societies, the University Choir Society’s biggest challenge was not being able to meet up. A representative from the society stated that,
“Even though all of our members share a love of music and singing, which can be done alone, the best thing about being in a choir is singing with a choir!”
Alongside the inconvenience of not being able to meet physically, what a lot of people are missing is the social aspect – the very nature of being part of a group.
Meanwhile, University of Plymouth Football Club Vice Chair, Nathan Dear, accredited the SU to much of the club’s success in still being able to run effectively. Dear commented that,
“[The SU] have been key to our success with football this year. They asked us to complete an action plan for four different scenarios, for when football could start back up. This meant that we’d be prepared for when further information was released from the Government“.
Dear commented further by stating that the SU have made themselves available to arrange meetings at the earliest convenience for the club – despite having over 50 other clubs to help.
Following on from this, the SU have made exceptions for the normal membership threshold of 20, due to an expected lower recruitment rate. Additionally, a separate fund was provided for each club and society. This fund was set aside to help fund for the provision of PPE and any other health related items needed.
According to the Choir Society, the SU has also helped largely with publicity opportunities. The first semester back has seen plenty of Instagram and Facebook ‘takeovers’ from each of our teams. This has played a huge role in helping recruit new members amidst such an uncertain time.
Hopefully next year, with the introduction of the vaccine, we could see the return to something that feels more normal, although this may be unlikely. Whether we stay in the current form of events, or we start to transition back to reality, it is in our sports clubs and societies that we are surrounded by likeminded people and, hopefully, we can resume activities soon.