Navigating safe spaces on campus during the COVID-19 pandemic

Finding safe and affirming spaces during the pandemic this year has been more taxing on students than ever. Student groups are rising to the challenge of supporting students during this difficult time, and they have been creative in their delivery of events. Some have included Among Us sessions, online scribble, trivia, and even open mic nights. Online events like these have given me a platform to meet new people, have a good laugh, and maintain a sense of community from home. Virtual student life, in its many forms, has represented a way for students to exist in a space with other people without the pressure to speak or heavily engage. Students can participate in any way they see fit and leave without interruption.

At the beginning of the pandemic, finding online spaces that aligned with my interests and personality were few and far between. If it wasn’t a long lecture about the perils of the pandemic, it was events pressuring people to take advantage of this time and practice “productivity.” The constant pressure convinced us that if we were not acing our classes, learning new languages, or working in several prestigious internship positions, we simply were not doing enough.

When university started again in the fall, I was determined to find an escape from my heavy workload. If I could not find an outlet that fit my needs, I knew I had to foster a space that did for myself and others. My mind was constantly going back to a pre-COVID-19 time when campus events had always added a bit of casual joy in days that felt dismal and busy. From eating free pancakes at commuter lounges to performing slam poetry at the Cat’s Eye to my countless naps at the JCR, I had to remind myself that the life we are living is the new normal, and constantly yearning for in-person events would not help me enjoy this new way of life.

Co-leading the Diaspora and Transnational Studies Union as the Vice-President has kept me motivated and excited as we planned online webinars such as our most recent one on “Queer Intersectionality on Campus”; spoke to dozens of students online; and acted as a liaison for DTS students and the Center for Diaspora and Transnational Studies. Finding a niche community like the DTSU was one of the few ways I socialized with others this semester, and it helped ease a great deal of the loneliness I experienced being at home.

I asked students on campus what safe spaces they have found throughout the past year that have kept them sane, and the responses were not exactly what I anticipated. Many students who were previously active on-campus  claimed that they had taken a step back from campus life to better care for their mental health from home, turning to workouts, exercise, and activities like ice-skating to get themselves out of bed and stay active. Many students referred to online activities such as campus theatre, program-related unions, and college councils that they had been a part of before the pandemic.

Campus theatre in particular has taken a drastic shift in the way that shows have been performed and streamed online. Campus theatre groups like the St. Mikes Troubadours have held auditions and performances online. I interviewed an executive member of the St. Mikes Troubadours, Nour Ramzi, to learn more about the campus theatre community this year: “Being a part of virtual campus theatre this year has been strange to say the least. Especially since I know exactly what it’s like to do theatre in person, not virtually, it took a LOT of getting used to initially—a lot of things I took for granted, like having a community you could have fun with every day in rehearsal, was suddenly so different.”

When talking about how the virtual format impacted the streamline of performances, she said: “It’s honestly a lot harder to do just because of all of these virtual logistics we didn’t have to consider before, but now I have this sure-fire space that I can turn to, to feel like a part of something in a time when we’re all so isolated.”

As a new semester begins, students are actively working to build communities on campus to better support each other during this challenging time. My experiences within my own student union has allowed me to be part of a safe space of people who I could turn to for advice, have study sessions with, and seek comfort from. This virtual format continues to pose challenges to student engagement on campus, but also provides students with increased accessibility to join different communities and socialize from home. If you are also a student struggling to meet new people during this pandemic, I encourage you to look for your unique safe space, or try to build your own community on campus that fosters a safe space in order to support yourself and others going through similar issues.