As VanCougs worked diligently over the summer months to create exciting events, WSU Vancouver is eager to make a fresh reappearance in students’ lives again. The Office of Student Involvement, Center for Intercultural Learning and Affirmation and the Associated Students of WSU Vancouver are ready to return to campus with a positive outlook when providing students with fun activities, while prepared to maintain the safety of students, staff and faculty members.
Starting with the Center for Intercultural Learning and Affirmation, there are several returning and new events planned throughout the year. This includes the popular Cultural Arts and Equity Hip Hop Series, which hosts several guest speakers and intercultural community healing workshops. Julie Mercado, CILA’s manager, says her goal will be to focus on building the community in an effort to provide resources and a space to acknowledge the trauma students, staff and faculty had faced during the pandemic.
“I think we have to really focus on acknowledging all the losses that happened during COVID-19. So many students lost their loved ones, and even the losses for the incoming class from high school to college, they didn’t get to have a [normal] senior year. … So our programs and activities are at the very center of healing but also rebuilding the community that we have. There will always be food, music and ways to reconnect the mind and body together,” Mercado said.
“I believe here at CILA, we take a very holistic approach, we want to make sure students are doing successfully academically, and successful with their wellness.”- Julie Mercado
As for OSI, they are responsible for connecting VanCougs, while promoting several events associated with different clubs on campus. Kylie Sickles, OSI’s front desk intern and an incoming sophomore majoring in computer science, is responsible for organizing OSI’s operations behind the scenes. While Sickles’ freshman year was spent learning online, she is now looking forward to working with the Student Activities Board to plan and host events that even she will be attending for the first time.
“I’m really looking forward to all the welcome back things, like the welcome back BBQ. … I’m someone who, in high school, was very involved and I love clubs and big events. Because my first year [at WSU Vancouver] was online, I never got to do any of those welcome events, so it’ll be like I’m a freshman again,” Sickles said.
The Associated Students of WSU Vancouver are also organizing several events that some students might remember before the university shut down last year and transitioned to online instruction. Armando Antonino, ASWSUV’s student body president, says he and his team have been working on organizing events around Week of Welcome, including an all-inclusive job fair, scavenger hunt and other unique plans to enhance WSU Vancouver’s vital role in students’ first experiences on campus.
“Something I think we’ve all sort of noticed after the year that we just had was the idea of being civically engaged, and taking ownership of what happens in our community. One [returning] event that I’m working really closely on with our internal director of legislative affairs is Floats for Votes, and it happens in October. We bring local politicians, advocacies and political groups from all sides in every spectrum to the Firstenburg Student Commons, and it’s really an opportunity to get to know your local community members who are running for elected offices,” Antonino said. “Due to COVID-19, we’ll see how the layout is, but just that opportunity to empower students to take charge of their communities and be more civically involved locally is super exciting.”
Among all the events and exciting new developments happening at WSU Vancouver, Antonino and other organizations are also keeping safety in mind. While attending classes in-person is likely to remain a static plan, there are still ways Antonino anticipates the university will preserve the health of staff, students and faculty when gathering together in person.
“Making sure that we do what we need to do on campus is important, there’s been a lot of encouragement to create an environment where masks are the standard, regardless if you are vaccinated or not, just so everybody feels invited onto campus,” Antonino said.
Student organizations are all looking forward to what this academic year has in store, and as they continue with hope and confidence, the campus is sure to become alive again.
Olivia is a senior studying English at WSU Vancouver.