It goes without saying that, with our new way of life, everyone from students to professors alike, has had much difficulty with the transition to online. Organizations and clubs are feeling this more, since they are formed on the basis of social interaction, and many leaders of these organizations, myself included, have felt the heavy burden of working within our new boundaries. This leads many of us to ask: How can we make our organizations appealing to students with the new online format?

It is no secret that going online has declined attendance across the board for clubs. After participating in one of the first SEC President’s Round Tables this past month, many organization leaders came together to discuss ways we could get more students involved in our club meetings despite the barrier of being apart.

Now, I am not here to list the things we discussed to draw in new and current members. I simply want to inform you that we understand the burden you feel. Many of us began preparing for the school year hoping to get back to normal and pick up where we left off in the spring. All we’ve known is how things were done in the past; follow the norm with little changes and carry on as usual. But now?

We’re treading new waters.

Being isolated in our apartments and dorm rooms has taken away the appeal and curiosity of trying to make new friends and interacting with others. We’ve gotten used to being alone in our months of isolation, and we’ve grown accustomed to online Zoom calls as just another lecture.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

With COVID-19 still playing a large part in our lives, we don’t have to wait until things get better. We have the power to make do with what we have and try anyway. Yes, we can hope and pray that things will get better, but that isn’t now, and organizations are hoping to meet our needs and give us the opportunity to learn something about our futures.

So go out and look for clubs to join! There are so many clubs that are looking for new faces, and only you, the student, can help rebuild our clubs. It only takes one for a club to feel more at home and get things rolling into a new norm.

Below is a link that can help you explore the many clubs in engineering, and for those of you who are freshmen, it can broaden the possibilities of the many majors and career paths where Texas A&M University can lead you.

Thanks and gig ‘em!

Explore Texas A&M Engineering Student Organizations