Clubs Paused During First Weeks of Digital Term

By Tina Huang and Maxine Park

While the cancellation of in-person classes has affected the faculty’s curricula, student clubs and organizations have also borne significant hurdles. As they look ahead to the coming term, co-heads hope to replicate some on-campus club experiences.

In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the Academy paused all student club and organization activities between March 24 and April 8. According to an email sent by Director of Student Activities Joanne Lembo, this decision was made to allow for adjustment time to online learning and create equitable opportunities for all students.

With the exception of The Exonian, all clubs were asked to pause major events, club head turnovers and virtual competitions. In lieu of these usual activities, various clubs found ways to maintain a supportive environment online while looking to the future.

Though some regular activities are now permitted, Lembo stressed that clubs should still focus on community. “We realize many of you are eager to connect with one another and forge ahead working with your clubs. Club advisers will be reaching out to club leadership to begin a conversation about what this will look like,” her all-club head email read. “The purpose of the work of clubs during the pandemic should be on making connections and to ensure that any work that is Academy sponsored or endorsed is equitable for all students. Please make sure you work with your Advisers on any club activity this term.” 

Many clubs used the pause time to plan ahead for the coming term. While the suspension of club activities did not have a major impact on the Phillips Exeter Academy Notebook (PEAN), members of the senior board have had to consider different ways to format the turnover process while essential technology remains at school. “The majority of challenges for us lies with the fact that we aren’t on campus,” senior and co-head Asha Alla said. “For applications, us editors-in-chief—Alexander, Helena and I—are trying to be more creative considering the circumstances and offer an optional drawing instead of a mock page.” Senior board members will remain active as they prepare for turnovers and develop a plan for their annual spring supplement.

Due to the Exeter Student Service Organization’s (ESSO) frequent involvement with the local Exeter community, the ESSO Board is meeting weekly to discuss plans of action. “The board is currently reaching out to club heads to discuss the feasibility of conducting their clubs virtually,” board member and upper Ellie Griffin said. “ESSO Tutoring could possibly use Zoom meetings to work with their tutees, and clubs such as Pen Pals are still possible.” According to Griffin, there is no expectation that all ESSO clubs must continue this term.

As turnovers for ESSO clubs just passed, the ESSO Board has been working on virtual club-head training. “Future club head positions will hopefully not be affected, besides one less term of club membership,” Griffin said.

In large clubs, club heads have opted to utilize web services and applications to accommodate coordinating communication between many different students. Model United Nations (MUN) and the Kirtland Society have created Discord group chats for club members to meet informally.

MUN will continue its weekly Sunday meetings via Discord. Attendance is not required during these meetings, and all students are encouraged to participate regardless of club experience. “We have been focusing on inclusion and equity because we know that many cannot come to every meeting,” upper and co-head Phil Horrigan said. “So none of what happens this term will have any impact on club position[s] in the future.”

In addition to its weekly meetings, the co-heads are working on continuing the club’s regular in-houses, allowing members the chance to practice their skills in a mock Model United Nations conference setting. “Our tentative plan for this term is to run a series of online, mostly asynchronous in-house[s],” Horrigan said. “We're trying to make these in-houses as fun as possible while requiring very little preparation.”

With the cancellation of its conference at Dartmouth College, MUN hopes to continue its sense of community away from campus. “We are all saddened to miss DartMun this year,” club adviser and History Instructor Eve Southworth said. “Our priority is to continue building community and sharpening our skills.”

Similarly, the Daniel Webster Debate Society (DWDS) will continue to have its weekly Sunday meetings in consideration of student time-zones and mental health. “All involvement with the club this term is 110 percent optional,” upper and co-head Hassane Fiteni said.

Like previous terms, DWDS members will continue to work in mentorship groups with co-heads, where they are encouraged to practice public speaking throughout the week on Messenger and FaceTime. “Six months is a long time ... and having meetings allows debaters to continue to maintain their skills while also having a community to belong to, which I think is very important when people may feel isolated or alone away from Exeter,” Fiteni said. 

According to the DWDS club adviser and English Instructor Chelsea Woodard, “It's impossible for any of us to know what the fall brings for clubs, especially clubs that travel, like Debate, given the current COVID-19 situation.” Despite the challenges, Woodard commended the dedication of both co-heads and student members.

Prior to the announcement, multiple clubs had already cancelled their events due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the Exeter Computing Club (ECC), its annual hackathon for high school students, HackExeter, was cancelled. As someone who has been a part of HackExeter planning since her lower year, senior and co-head Penny Brant described it as an integral part of ECC. “It feels like part of ECC will be missed due to the cancellation of this event, which club members had been working hard towards for the past few months,” Brant said.

Chinese Language Society (CLS) also voiced their disappointment about the cancellation of their tournament this term. However, the co-heads hope to hold the tournament again in the fall. “Since we already worked hard to plan this tournament, we have the expertise and experience to do it again in maybe a better way,” Fiteni, also a co-head of Chinese Language Society, said. “We will continue to break barriers and build the infrastructure of competitive Chinese speaking among American teenagers in America.” Members of the club plan to continue meeting over Zoom and group chats to keep kids they teach engaged with the Chinese language. 

Despite the circumstances, Fiteni hoped that CLS and other clubs would continue with their roles within the Exeter community. “My goal is for us to offer the opportunity for kids to still better themselves and engage in the activity that they love, while also being there for my members and being there for anyone that just needs some structure and support in these uncertain times.”