By Lauren Runkle, Staff Writer
Greek life has always been a large part of the Susquehanna community. While phased move-in, online classes, social distancing, limited room capacities and more may seem to prevent many organizations from functioning normally, online formats still allow for a sense of togetherness.
As a member of Alpha Phi Omega, I was worried that the required 30 hours of community service for active members would feel overwhelming and that our community partners would not allow us to attend our usual projects. Although I was correct about the latter, Alpha Phi Omega has decided to cut the hours down in half, only requiring 15 for active members and seven for new members.
You may be wondering how a member of this service fraternity provides service from a limited online platform, but there are many resources that allow Alpha Phi Omega’s members to give back to a broader community. From donations, to using websites like Free Rice and Ecosia, members can provide their time from the comfort of their home or dormitory without putting the Selinsgrove community at risk.
While I cannot speak on behalf of other Greek organizations, Alpha Phi Omega is doing chapter meetings online, meeting with Suquehanna’s COVID-19 specialist, encouraging members to review the code of conduct if they are on campus during the semester and more.
It does not feel the same as other semesters, where I could see everyone’s smiling faces in person and look forward to carpooling to projects every week, but it will still be the best experience that it can be under the current circumstances. Though we do not rely as heavily on social aspects like other sororities and fraternities, it is still a part of the fun being on campus.
In addition to our chapter and service projects being virtual, we will be conducting a fundraiser, recruiting new members and attending the activities fair virtually and socially distanced. I hope that other Greek organizations are following the same protocols so that we can keep the campus’ COVID-19 cases at zero and come closer to reaching our old “normal.”
