Due to social distancing guidelines, this year’s Fall Activities Expo, hosted by the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life, will be held virtually, giving students a new way to explore their interests and discover organizations. The Expo will be Sept. 6, and organizations will be available on Zoom for a two-hour time slot throughout the day, running from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will also be an International Student Recruitment Session from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., so students who are currently located in different time zones can conveniently access the event.

LBC staff will be available on Zoom throughout the day to answer any questions students may have.

In previous years, the Activities Expo has been held in the Reily Student Recreation Center, where many student organizations would set up tables and advertise their organization, and potential members walked around and learned about different organizations. With the Expo happening on Zoom, however, students will have to be more intentional about which organizations they learn about. This might seem overwhelming, considering there are more than 140 organizations currently signed up for the Expo. A good way to get involved is to research organizations you’d like to get involved with before the day of, so you know what you want to learn more about.

Lily Mesnik, the match secretary for Tulane’s women’s Rugby team, thinks the new format will have some positives. “I think it’ll definitely be more difficult to get people,” Mesnik said, “but the people we do get are going to be more committed to rugby.” The rugby team has turned to different ways of drawing in new members, such as filming a recruitment video for their Instagram.

Leila Buehler, ambassador of Tulane CHAARG, is also excited for the Activities Expo. “I definitely think that it’s great that they’re doing it over Zoom because I still want to advertise my organization and have people learn about it,” says Buehler. “It’s definitely not going to be the same over Zoom, but I think it’s a great way to reach out.”

Many organizations are having to rethink how they will be running this fall, with some switching to completely virtual and others incorporating in-person events with social distancing.

Although this is going to be a different semester in many ways, organizations are making the best of it. Buehler is optimistic about the future of CHAARG. “I think this is a really unique opportunity to think outside the box … It’s like we’re creating something new,” Buehler said.