USUSA events move online
The Utah State University Quinney College of Natural Resources just finished its first week of virtual events on Friday. The event was part of USU Student Association’s new program to connect students online.
“We already had a whole week planned for student events and we were bummed that we couldn’t do it because of COVID-19,” Natural Resources Senator Rachel Chamberlain said.
Chamberlain, who initially came up with the idea to move USUSA events online, said they didn’t want to waste planning that already went into the event. As a result, she said they decided to “twist natural resources week into an online challenge.”
“We want our students to stay connected, it’s important right now,” Chamberlain said. “We also just want to get people outside.”
Natural Resources Virtual Week, which primarily took place on Instagram, asked students to complete a different challenge every day. On Monday students were asked to take a picture of themselves fishing and post their catch to Instagram or Facebook. One student posted a picture of a large rainbow trout sunbathing in a net after being hooked.
Other events encouraged students to take pictures of themselves hiking, find the tallest tree in the canyon, identify different plants and go on a “wildlife safari” to find an interesting animal.
“Doing this was a good way to reach a big audience,” Chamberlain said. “We could promote our college and show we have awesome things going on.”
Students who participated in the photo scavenger hunt every day were eligible to receive a prize once they verified their university A-number.
Chamberlain also said she knows students pay extra fees to the university for USUSA events, so they want students to feel like they are actually getting a benefit from their fees.
“We want them to know their money is going somewhere,” Chamberlain said. “Making sure people come together right now, even if it’s just through pictures, seemed like a good way to do that.”
According to USUSA Student Events Vice President Cooper Low, all future virtual events will be advertised like any normal event, by posting graphics to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
While many of these events will take place via Instagram, Low said USUSA will use Instagram and Facebook Live to broadcast whatever content they are working on.
“For example, a virtual paint night on March 23 was advertised as: use your own art supplies at home, and if you’d like you can tune in and watch someone doing art live at a specific time on a specific day,” Low said.
Some events also have a cash prize. The March 23, paint night offered a $50 cash prize to the most upvoted art piece. This upcoming week from April 6th-April 9th, students who participate in a “Roommate Lipsync Contest” can win up to $300.
Low said virtual events will likely be a temporary situation until the coronavirus pandemic has passed.
“However, we have discovered we can now reach different types of people,” Low said. “There are people who don’t like the hustle and bustle of in-person events and want to do things from the comfort of their own home. This could be a game-changer.”
Chamberlain said it may be too much work to do in-person and virtual events in the future but said they have received “all positive feedback.”
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