Ryan Marin
Campus Editor
When Broward College went virtual in March, one of the biggest questions that students and professors had was the status of clubs. With the closure of Broward College campuses, clubs could no longer meet in person and had to adjust quickly.
Many clubs managed to do so, as they quickly set up Zoom accounts, started Zoom calls and moved their in-person meetings online. After the spring ended, many clubs waited to know if Broward College planned to open in the fall. After the announcement that Broward College planned to have most students and faculty work remotely, many clubs took the summer to plan how they were going to work online.
Now that clubs have gone through the transition to online over the spring, they now have an idea of how to run a club online and what is needed from their members for that transition to be successful.
Laptops with microphones and cameras are ideal for meetings, but a phone with a camera and microphone can work as well. Zoom has become the go-to meeting tool, as almost every club conducts its meetings on the app. WhatsApp has also continued to grow in importance, as it allows members to communicate in group chats and discuss future meetings and events.
While some clubs are still planning their fall semesters out, others have already put on meetings and events to great success. GSA, one of the biggest clubs on South Campus, has already taken part in a virtual event where students could get educated about HIV and AIDS a few weeks ago. The Observer newspaper will publish editions of the paper online and has even started a podcast. They have been conducting weekly staff meetings and will continue to do so throughout the semester.
As clubs are an important part of the college experience, I strongly recommend that you consider joining a club. With the convenience of online you may have time for a club or event that you did not before, and it may change your college experience for the better.
If you are interested in joining a club this semester and do not know where to look, there are multiple ways to figure out which clubs on your campus are being held and when they are meeting. You can ask some of your professors, as there is a decent chance that one of your professors is a sponsor of a club and would be willing to help you join.
You can use this link that will give you information about Student Life on the Broward College website. There you can find the Student Life social media account for each campus to see what events are coming up or email the Student Life organizations of each campus personally to answer any questions or concerns that you may have.
