It’s a question almost all educational programmers have pondered: Do we continue to host national leadership programming in winter when travel conditions are uncertain for much of the continent? Or do we try to move things around to calmer weather seasons, perhaps at the expense of missing new officers at the beginning of their term?
With another successful leadership weekend in the books where a noticeable percentage of registered participants canceled or no-showed because of illness or winter weather, I find myself visiting this conundrum once again. I have to admit, I am a bit envious of organizations whose officer terms run on an academic year – May and June programs make sense! However, for those of us with officers elected for a calendar year, training those students at the beginning of their term means weather, flu season, and cancellations galore.
Over the years, I’ve considered several options:
- What about early March, before spring break? (Midterms.)
- How about early summer before internships start? (Some campuses aren’t out of school; officers are halfway through their term.)
- Could we consider mid-December for a day or two? (Virtual, perhaps; in-person, too close to finals, holidays, etc.)
- We did it virtually during COVID, why not revert to that permanently? (Cost savings are huge; more students could participate; it’s not the same as in-person experiences, which students crave.)
- Hybrid option for those who cancel due to weather? (Do we have the resources to effectively execute a meaningful hybrid experience? Over time, does the in-person population wane and eventually put us back to all-virtual?)
Of these options, virtual or hybrid programming seems the most reasonable [economical], but we’ve all seen the truly compelling feedback from students who attend in-person calling out the human connection and friendship components as their favorite part of the weekend.
Many organizations don’t have the resources to host a worthwhile hybrid event, plus the looming question I posed above: does the hybrid idea give students the permission to be “lazy” and take the virtual way out, ultimately deflating the in-person experience altogether? This would leave us with virtual-only, where students’ lower level of commitment and participation stifles the known benefits of fellowship and connection gleaned from an in-person experience.
After careful consideration of the factors impacting these events – especially direct feedback from students – each year I arrive at the same answer: keep hosting it in-person. I recently visited my 19-year-old cousin who is a college sophomore, and I asked what experience he’s had at college that most surprised him. His answer? “Meeting people, making new friends, and having social connections I look forward to, because that’s not something I really did in high school. Not many people did.”
Fraternities and sororities aim to provide an elevated experience for collegians – opportunities they likely wouldn’t have if they weren’t members of our organizations. Even if weather gets in the way or students get sick and can’t come, providing the opportunity for those who get to experience it is our purpose. Now more than ever, today’s college students need reason and opportunity for relationship building, face-to-face camaraderie, and personal and professional development they missed in their formative school years because COVID interrupted their middle school and early high school experience.
Years ago, a close friend and colleague – Zack Pfeifer – told me “dance with who comes to the party,” which might be the most memorable event-related advice I’ve received. Anytime I feel discouraged or ineffective, I remember to live by Zack’s mantra in all programming endeavors.
About the Author
Morgan Brickley is the executive director of Triangle Fraternity and a co-editor of Essentials. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications from the University of Wisconsin and a master’s degree in higher education from the University of Louisville.