The switch to remote learning has put an end to many things. Namely, all of the on-campus events that had been scheduled this semester have had to be postponed or canceled. However, Student Development & Campus Activities (SDCA) has been hard at work to bring virtual events and workshops while students are stuck at home. 

SDCA has created the Remote Living Series on the Pace University website, which has lists of upcoming virtual events, previous recording of events, student resources, how to host a virtual event and information on the coronavirus. 

“Our aim with the Remote Living series was to continue to tradition of engagement and campus programming to promote social connections with students while learning from a distance,” Shawn Livingston, the interim director for SDCA said. “Our hope is that this is not the new normal, but in fact has taught our teams, both here and in NYC, that there are some really great opportunities for online/virtual engagement that we had not explored before. We continue to encourage our student organizations to host meetings, run online events and discussions as well!”

This past week, SDCA hosted Cyber Spirit Week in an attempt to bring the Pace community together through various challenges and displays of school spirit. Monday started off with music, where students could send in their best motivational playlist to win a $25 Amazon gift card. Tuesday was the Tik-Tok challenge, where students submitted their best short videos on the popular app, Tik-Tok. On Wednesday, students wore their best Pace gear and sent in pictures to be entered in a raffle. On #ThrowbackThursday, students sent in old Pace photos on Instagram. Finally, Friday involved sending in pictures of students with their families for a chance to win Pace gear. 

Pace and SDCA hope to continue to be there for students during this difficult time. Many clubs and student organizations are continuing to hold virtual meetings and events, as well as electing new board members for Fall 2020.

“We know that during times where students are by themselves at home that they likely are missing the community engagement side,” Livingston said. “By hosting virtual programs, we continue to educate and engage our student body and give them something uplifting to consider logging into.”

In addition to the popular Cyber Spirit Week, Pace and SDCA arranged for a DJ, DJ Zeke, to takeover Pace’s Instagram story for two hours on April 9th to host a virtual dance party. It was very successful and received positive feedback from students. Another popular event was the Fortnite Tournament, where one hundred students competed for up to $250 in Amazon gift cards. 

“We have been receiving small notes here and there but the general consensus is that students are really focused on their studies but appreciate the ability to take a break and engage with others in a fun way,” Livingston said. “We have really seen the staff and faculty be excited, some of them are even hosting programs collaboratively with us!”