By: Emily Conn
As soon as the weather warms up and plants start to bloom, SUNY Brockport students begin celebrating spring. You walk across campus passing by people sunbathing, playing football, throwing a frisbee and blasting music from portable speakers. Eagle Day is the peak of the spring celebration when Brockport Student Government (BSG) bring food trucks, carnival rides, inflatable games and more to campus. As one of the largest events they host, it’s become a spring tradition. Unfortunately, this spring the tradition had to be broken.
As SUNY Brockport transitioned to distance learning due to COVID-19, BSG was forced to cancel all of their events including Eagle Day. Students were sad to hear the news.
“I’m obviously upset by Eagle Day being canceled since it’s my senior year and it was always super fun for the entire school. I feel like it’s the first time after winter and all the snow that everyone comes out and see’s each other for the first time. It’s a celebration,” said SUNY Brockport senior Mary Fish.
BSG acknowledges the disappoint students are experiencing and is working to provide alternative programming.
“Due to COVID-19 we have moved to online programming and had to cancel the remainder of our in-person events for the year,” said BSG Activities Director Sarah Martelle. “It was necessary to do this to keep our community safe. We are aware that we cannot replicate the experiences that students would be getting through our traditional events. We do hope that we are still able to reach the students online and still offer resources and some form of entertainment for them.”
Instead of holding their normal in-person events, BSG is engaging with students through social media.
“We shifted our focus to be completely digital and have heavily relied on our social media,” said BSG Communications Director Tori McLaughlin. ”We have found new creative ways to interact with our followers including, informative infographics, social media contests, creating an Instagram highlight containing all COVID-19 resources, DIY videos and interactive stories (bingo, crossword, etc.).”
Although BSG’s digital programming won’t make up for events like Eagle Day, students are appreciative of their efforts.
“It’s nice to see that even though all events are canceled, BSG is still trying to engage with the student body. By making Instagram posts and stories, they’re trying to connect with everyone even though we are social distancing,” said Fish.
By posting about COVID-19 resources, activities to do during quarantine and creating interactive challenges, BSG continues to support the students at Brockport during this difficult time. Even though we can’t celebrate spring by gathering outside, BSG is working hard to provide ways for the student body to stay connected remotely. Check out how by following them on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat.
