Graphic courtesy of UTEP Student Engagement and Leadership Center.

UTEP’s Student Organization Advancement Program hosted a virtual discussion on how to make the transition back to campus safer on April 15. 

Transitioning back to campus was a discussion led by Adriana Villegas, student organization intern at the Student Engagement and Leadership Center (SELC), on how students and student organizations can make the transition back to campus safer and easier. 

SELC began to host events on campus during the month of April with Movies on the Lawn and Music on the Plaza. Both events, as well as any other that happen on campus, are required to follow CDC guidelines such as social distancing and enforcing mask use.

 “You can expect to see more events like this, where we are considering being mindful of all the guidelines and everyone’s safety,” Villegas said. “We’re still trying to provide you all with the opportunity to hang out and see one another.” 

For student organizations, Villegas gave a list of guidelines that organizations should enforce when hosting in-person events on campus.  Events, should be of no more than 50 people and all CDC guidelines must be followed. All attendees should complete UTEP’s pre-screening prior to attending events. 

 “The SELC director is the one who oversees and gets the final say on these event submissions,” Villegas said. 

Villegas gave some tips to student organizations on how to ease the transition back to campus. She suggests starting with surveys to get feedback from students, making it an opportunity to reconnect with the campus, and trying not to do too much initially.

“Now we’re kind of starting to ease into more in–person events, but you want to make sure that you’re  slowly transitioning back,” Villegas said. 

When making the return to campus Villegas explains that all students should continue to follow CDC, city, and state guidelines doing so will keep campus safe for students and faculty . 

Staying up to date with announcements from UTEP and the SOS team as things open and move into recovery levels is important for students too. Villegas suggests that if students have any questions about the transition back to campus, to email the SOS team and go to their office hours.  

 “We’re here to help you all and we’d be happy to do so,” Villegas said. 

Katrina Villarreal may be reached at  [email protected].