Re-imagining Meredith’s Events: Fall 2020

The Office of Student Leadership and Service has been re-imagining the fall semester for Meredith’s students. There will be a range of options, including virtual attendance opportunities, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Our plans for 2020-21 are being developed with the health and safety of our community as the highest priority. Each Meredith community member has a personal responsibility to protect the members of our community by upholding personal health safety practices and protocol established by Meredith College.

We know that this fall semester will look differently and we want to provide you with some highlights of some of the plans moving forward so you will know what to expect:

• Some events previously scheduled for the fall will be re-imagined into virtual events.
• Some new events will be fun virtual activities to engage students in creative ways.
• Some events will be outdoor events in many of our beautiful outdoor spaces.  Outdoor events will serve lots of purposes: entertainment, fellowship, celebrations (all with new protocols to RSVP for events, demonstrate physical distancing, and wear face coverings). We will use the latest CDC, local and state guidelines to guide us in the number of people able to participate in any outdoor event.
• Most student organization meetings will be virtual.
• Some events will be cancelled or rescheduled to another date in the future.
• There will be virtual options for others who are unable to attend in person or prefer a virtual option.

Recognizing that the broad and diverse nature of Meredith College’s nearly 100 student organizations significantly contributes to the educational experience, we are committed to fostering an environment that supports them while prioritizing the health and safety of Meredith’s students. To this end, we will do the following:

• Develop Student Organization Guidelines for COVID-19 for meetings and events that include details for physical distancing and other safe practices.
• Develop an online workshop for student leaders on new practices, including how to incorporate the Meredith College Community Standards and the Student Organization Guidelines for COVID-19 into their leadership and planning.  Information about these workshops will be distributed to organization presidents.
• Support the reformatting of activities to maximize safe practices, including providing a virtual participant engagement option for all organization meetings and events.
• Encourage student leaders to find opportunities for their fellow students to engage with others in innovative ways.
• Expect each student organization member to assume personal responsibility to protect the members of its community by implementing personal health safety practices and protocol and enacting health safety changes in physical spaces.

Meredith College recognizes the positive impact of social engagement and participation in campus activities and events. Meredith College will strive to provide students with opportunities to engage in campus events outside the classroom while mitigating the spread of COVID-19.  Given the fluid nature of COVID-19, event plans may need to be adjusted as conditions change to support the health and safety of the campus community and to adhere to federal, state and local guidelines.