Zoom has taken over our lives, ranging from class to interviews to office hours, wine nights, family reunions, and more. I think it is safe to say that most of us expected Zoom to be a thing of the past by this time of the year, but Covid-19 continues to spread while masks and social distancing continue to be a way of life.
Personally, I have struggled with my life becoming completely online. I have talked to my Elon peers and I think most students feel the same way. In class, I feel a disconnect from my professors and find myself distracted (or focusing on literally anything but class) during times where I should be engaged and learning. I watch as some of my friendships, that I used to cherish wholeheartedly, dwindle as I can no longer spend quality time with the people that I love. While I know that I am not alone in feeling this way, it is hard to not feel sad about how unfair my life has become. Finding new ways to stay in touch with my friends and family I couldn’t see and acquiring new hobbies definitely made this crazy world a little easier.
Looking back, sorority recruitment during freshman year was one of the most terrifying things of my life, but it was also a time of extraordinary personal growth and relationship building. Now, as a junior, I am on the other side of the recruitment process and I wanted nothing more than to provide freshman girls entering recruitment with the same experience I had in when I was in their shoes.Unfortunately, the pandemic has made it challenging and it has felt the opposite. Elon had no choice but to move recruitment to be completely virtual. Sometimes the cookie just crumbles in undesirable ways I guess.
Based on my personal experience as well as some feedback from some other members of greek life, here are some pros and cons from Zoom recruitment:
Cons:
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Whether it be because of wifi issues or computer crashes, there was constant anxiety something would go wrong.
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The whole point of recruitment for PNM’s (potential new members) is finding the place they see themselves most, and that can be hard to determine in a 20-30 minute breakout room conversation via Zoom.
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Talking to someone during what is supposed to be a very personal conversation can have the potential to be awkward when your roommate is sitting next to you.
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I have never felt closer to my chapter than the time we spent together in between rounds, and when cameras are off and mics are muted, that obviously isn’t happening.
Pros:
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Virtual recruitment is Covid safe (obviously) and helped keep Elon’s positive cases down.
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Wearing a stylish shirt on the top and sweatpants on the bottom was relaxing and much easier than standing in heels for hours on end.
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Being in your own bedroom was definitely less stressful, as well as a fun conversation starter.
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Zoom breakout rooms made the experience feel much more personal because you could actually hear each other!
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The option to mute all participants makes for a smoother process and less distractions.
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Endless access to iced coffee. Enough said.
Sometimes finding silver linings is hard, but during this new and different looking recruitment, finding the good in things was more important than ever.