The Show Must Go On: A Look into the SPC Events During the Pandemic

Marist's Student Programming council planned events this semester that catered to both in-person and virtual students. Source: Marist SPC Instagram

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, campus activities at Marist College needed to adjust in order to operate in any capacity this semester. For the past year, the Student Programming Council (SPC) has reimagined events — both in-person and virtually.

Julia Feigus ‘21, president of the SPC, stepped into the role this year with large ambitions. While those goals were slightly disrupted by the pandemic, she and her team at SPC were still determined to find ways to hold events for students to have fun in a safe manner, while following COVID-19 restrictions. 

All of the general board meetings for the club went virtual, along with many of the events on campus that were virtual or limited in size. At the beginning of the Spring semester, the campus green was limited to 50 students, while capacity in classrooms typically ranged between 20 to 35 people. The club introduced time slots in efforts to rotate students and allow for more involvement. 

The SPC also had to consider how to cater to all of the Marist population, including students who were completing their semester virtually. “We try and do [virtual events] as often as possible to really engage students that have stayed home for the semester as well,” Feigus said. “The whole purpose of the SPC is to try and create events for the entire student population.”

Feigus explained that the process of planning events this year had to take into account what students liked in the past. “Sometimes we get DMs or emails from students saying, ‘Oh I really miss this, I wish we could do this again,’ and we try and reimagine them.”

Planning events despite the pandemic, the Student Programming Council adapted their activities to fit within COVID guidelines—like this event, which was part of their Virtual Spring Tour. Source: Julia Feigus ‘21

One such popular event was bingo night, which Feigus said regularly had the largest involvement from students. Bingo nights during previous years were held in the Cabaret, with dozens of students grouped together using crayons to color in their bingo cards. Last semester, the club adapted bingo so that both in-person students and students at home could play. “We all sat down and decided we really wanted to do bingo, but how could we reinvent it?” Feigus said. “We found a website that allowed us to use virtual bingo cards so we could play over Zoom. Students could participate from anywhere. Those in-person played from their phones, so they didn’t have to touch anything.”

“Take and make” events became a popular activity this semester, where students could pick up an activity or an item and take it back to their dorm. Some past “take and makes” included bamboo plants, zen gardens, and paint-by-numbers kits. Juliana Caputo ‘23, attended many of those events because she enjoyed having the option to “grab and go.” “It’s a lot less of a time commitment to take back the kits. They’ve been really good for COVID, too, because I don’t have to worry about seeing anybody or being too close to them,” Caputo said. 

As of right now, outside vendors for events have not been allowed on campus for social events. Feigus said the “take and make” events are a great way to still work with companies because it allows them to bring new activities on campus. 

While there has been more in-person attendance as the semester goes on, SPC continues to receive positive feedback about their virtual events. “Students really liked the events where they could interact with other people and they could interact with us,” Feigus said. “But we’ve also been hearing from students who are home for the semester, how much they appreciate that we are doing virtual events as well.” 

While it is uncertain what the future semesters will look like, there is hope that the SPC will be able to bring back more in-person events such as the Spring Concert and Coffeehouse nights. “I think we will transition back into more in-person events eventually, but certain things might still stay virtual. The future SPC board might find that it works better to do things that way,” Feigus said. 

Marist students can find out about all the fun activities that the SPC is planning through their Instagram @maristspc.