A Glimpse into the Health of Societies during the Pandemic: An interview with Salma Maliha Maisha
Written by Natasha Fernandes
Thumbnail photo by SMUSA
The pandemic has left many of us with feelings of isolation and despair. During a time like this, students often feel a loss of connection, and the uncertainty of the pandemic has affected student's mental health. There are many ways to get out of a slump. One option is to take a break from your courses (and the constant stress they bring) by engaging with clubs and societies on campus. Of course, societies today look and feel a little different than they used to, because of the virtual environment. This article will discuss some of the ways societies have been coping with virtual operations while ensuring that their members and their executives do not lose motivation. Hopefully, this article will give you some insight into these changes, and help you feel inspired to step out of your comfort zone, extend a hand to a friend, and become more involved in society events this year.
I had the pleasure of conducting a zoom interview with a dear friend of mine, Salma Maliha Maisha, who is the Director of Societies & Engagement at SMUSA. I really enjoyed our conversation as we shared stories of our own successes and failures while dealing with virtual classes and the stress of the pandemic. Salma is a motivated young woman who has inspired many students to engage in leadership positions. Our conversation mainly focused on how societies have had to evolve and battle challenges while facing a switch to a virtual environment.
Many of us are used to seeing society campaigns and posters all over campus which ignite our curiosity and make us want to know more about these societies and their planned events. But with this virtual environment, we don’t get these same kinds of advertisements and opportunities.
I spoke to Salma about how this shift to virtual must have also deeply affected the members and the executives of various societies regarding supporting their student engagement and motivation during the pandemic. It was evident that a lot of societies have taken the virtual shift with a grain of salt and have not let this stop them from hosting events and seeking new members. Many societies have used the power of social media as a tool to ensure societies can keep going these days. Salma did mention that SMUSA promotes various society events on their own instagram page, which has a big following, thus boosting a society’s morale.
One benefit of being in a virtual environment is the fact that students can now be omnipresent. Societies do not have to bother about event clashes since attendees can now easily hop in and out of events. This gives students an opportunity to explore even more options than was previously possible. This accessibility is different from the traditional mediums that society events have had to use in the past. There is now an opportunity for students to attend and engage in new events from the comfort of their home, and can come and go quite easily. Nonetheless, there is still hope for face to face engagement soon. As she spoke about SMUSA’s contribution in supporting the various societies on campus, Salma noted:
“With the return of a working campus committee, the possibility of the campus opening up for societies and society events looks promising. Maybe by next semester we will have a few more in person events for societies, there will definitely be a capacity [limit] of how many people can attend, but we are really pushing to have more in person events for societies on campus.”
Given that there are actually quite a few benefits to virtual platforms, such as accessibility, maybe this situation isn’t as bad as we originally thought it was. Campus societies have learned the art of adaptation and are looking at this challenge with a half-glass full perspective. When I asked Salma what she thought was the best domain for societies to blossom successfully, she said,
“In my perfect world, a hybrid model would be the best option because in that way members who can’t physically attend could still attend an event from the comfort of their home. My goal for next year would be to have an alternative way for students who can’t be there in person to still be able to attend an event. We just want everyone to feel involved and to know that they are a part of the SMU community, and to be honest Zoom burnout is real and exhausting thus it is good to have in person events once in a while as it brings about more engagement, thus ideally I will still push for an hybrid version of both so no side misses out.”
Enactus at SMU, photo from Instagram
I felt in sync with this point as one can truly get the best of both worlds. While through our conversation we were surrounding ourselves with positive outlooks, I did want to point out the thorns we are facing during this term. Isolation and low motivation are rampant in the minds and hearts of students. Societies are at an all time low trying to maintain their member’s dedication, loyalty, and participation. It is very easy to lose touch when everyone is hiding behind their screens. Salma did agree with the fact that there is a sense of doom and maybe even impending failure as society leaders fear their events won’t succeed. But in the end, the only way to stay afloat is not to give up. No matter how many people attend an event a society organizes, one must still give it their all to make the attendees feel it was worth their time.
I asked Salma if there were any societies she could think of that managed to successfully combat the challenges of a virtual environment. She mentioned there are actually a few successful societies that are still alive and well this term. For instance, Enactus started two new projects this year, despite being in a virtual environment. That puts them at eight successful projects this year, and they have not forgotten to host their bi-weekly project update meetings. The Commerce society has also been successful in hosting their weekly events and trivia nights, and SMU Unicef campus club is organizing a soccer game on the SMU campus field. This is definitely evidence that it is possible to come out of this vicious circle of isolation, and stay involved in social groups this year. All hope is not lost.
The Commerce Society at SMU, photo from Instagram
It is normal to feel nervous or a bit hesitant before doing new things or meeting new people. It is not easy to step out of your comfort zone and to push yourself. But it is important to stay resilient in the face of change by exploring different avenues in life and not limiting yourself. Joining a society can allow you to connect with amazing, like-minded people that share the same passions that you do and thus can motivate you and act as stepping stones to go above and beyond to achieve your dreams. I would like to add an excerpt from the zoom interview with Salma that really resonated with me and hopefully allows you to see that you can achieve great things as well if you set your mind to it :
I am a very socially anxious person, to be honest when you pressed that record button for this interview I couldn’t speak for five seconds, but when I joined a society on campus (Enactus) I had the opportunity to do a presentation which gave me such a big confidence boost and I was later selected to give a presentation on a national scale. So I always ask students to try and engage with different societies as you won’t even realise how a society is benefitting you”
If you’re wondering where to start looking for societies, or if you’re interested in creating a society of your own, you can visit the SMUSA website. Through the website you can learn about the new happening events, and what resources SMUSA provides to budding leaders that want to build a society of their own. Do not be afraid to try new adventures, and drag a friend along too so that your journey is much more sweeter!