Student clubs are responding to the challenges of a remote school year with creativity and enthusiasm, with students finding ways to adapt social events and support each other in the new academic environment.

The Brock University Historical Society (BUHS) has been thinking about how they can adapt their traditional social events, such as peer exam prep sessions and Latte and Lectures, to a virtual format. They have expanded their executive team to help tackle the challenge.

“This is our biggest team that I have seen in my four years at Brock,” says BUHS Club President Emma Facca. “I wanted to get a big team this year because I think it’s important to have more voices. We’re going to face a lot of challenges with being online.”

Facca, a fourth-year student in Concurrent Education and History, says the club is looking at ways to host virtual talks and lectures that allow students to learn about historical topics in a fun and engaging environment.

They’re also adapting their peer workshop events, like exam prep and essay writing, to an easily accessible online format, with a particular focus on helping first year students.

“We want to provide those resources and hopefully connect them with professors in the program who can also help guide them,” says Facca. “Our main goal this year is to help students navigate the Humanities under the new normal.”

BUHS currently has 12 members in their leadership team and are hoping to add two first year representatives, but it has been challenging reaching first year students virtually, says Facca.

“My big goal this year is to get the word out that we’re around and you don’t have to be in History to be in the club,” she says. “You just need to have an interest in history. Any students can join.”

More information about the club can be found on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Students interested in being on the club executive as a first year representative can apply by sending their resume to brocku.buhs@gmail.com by Sept. 30.

Brock’s Dungeons and Dragons group, Westmarches, has also moved to an online format this year.

“There are lots of platforms out there that support online play for our club’s hobby,” said the club’s president, third-year GAME Design student Jordan Carl. “It’s certainly not the same as playing in person, but it’s something that plenty of people have always done already.”

The group will continue using their Discord server for club information and chat, as well as other dedicated websites to facilitate virtual play. Information about upcoming games and events can also be found in their Facebook group.

Other student clubs active this year in the Faculty of Humanities include the English Students’ Association (ESA), Brock University Archaeology Society (BUAS), Brock University Medieval and Renaissance Society (BUMARS), and Creative Writing.