Emma Maple | Staff Writer

From college hangouts to class sizes, every part of life at Whitworth has been affected by COVID-19 restrictions. Whitworth clubs are no exception.

Katie Rose, club coordinator for the Associated Students of Whitworth University, has watched how clubs have struggled with having events that meet COVID policies and guidelines.

“COVID policies kicked us all in the butt,” Rose said.

The approximately 50 clubs at Whitworth haven’t been able to do as much during the 2020-2021 school year because of the university’s pandemic-related restrictions. According to Rose, about ten clubs chose either to not recharter or take a temporary hiatus this year because they felt like “face-to-face interactions or close quarters really mattered.”  

Prior to the pandemic and COVID-19 restrictions, club events were a regular occurrence on campus.

“You could hardly go a week or a weekend without seeing a club event. There was always so much going on, clubs were always having fun,” Rose said. “This year, in terms of club participation, I think the entire campus can say there hasn’t been much going on.”

COVID-19 safety protocols for the fall semester restricted club participation to a maximum of 30 people indoors and 50 people outdoors. This spring, both indoor and outdoor events were capped at 100 people. Those number includes both club officers and club advisers, who must attend club events.

Maya Markillie, president of the Environmental Action Coalition (EAC), said that the weather affected the club’s operations.  “COVID friendly” events were much harder during winter, mainly because it was too cold to be outside.

While COVID-19 has presented difficulties, Rose attests that many clubs  are still working hard to hold events. The Environmental Action Coalition (EAC) was able to hold their annual Earth Week, which consisted of an event held every day on the week surrounding Earth Day.

Markillie said that 2021’s Earth Week had more events than ever before. She said that participation levels for these events did not differ very much from participation during a regular Earth Week.

Additionally, there has also been quite a bit of interest in starting new clubs. Rose said she’s received at least five club charters this school year.

Rose hopes that “for the sake of the clubs, and for the sake of the health and happiness at Whitworth” it will be easier for clubs to hold events next year. But she can’t say for sure what club protocols will look like in the future.

Rose did mention President Beck Taylor’s hope to have Whitworth resume normal operations by fall 2021. She believes that clubs should still be cautious with holding events.

“It would be smart for [clubs] to still have some kind of COVID protocols in place so that we can continue to keep our campus safe during events,” Rose said.

To learn more about ASWU clubs, log on to www.whitworthaswu.com