Virtual Events: Any Person, Any Party

Virtual Events: Any Person, Any Party I organize recurring events for the Cornell Club of DC. Before the pandemic, we would gather every month to knit big red scarves, run three miles, and try new cuisines. For each recurring event, I would build up a core group of regulars, and the event would run itself. My goal was to have a Cornell event every week in DC where any Cornellian can come and meet other Cornellians. Any person, any party! But in March, all the recurring events came to a stop due to the pandemic. I started to organize virtual recurring events instead. Every Saturday over video chat, we solve a crossword puzzle together off one shared screen. This event engages Cornellians of all generations from across the country. We have a core group of Cornellians who come every week, and a few more Cornellians join each time. The event runs itself, and we now have a streak of eight Saturdays. Last month, we learned virtual engagement was a challenge faced by Cornellians everywhere (thank you Cornell Alumni Affairs for organizing the meeting!). Before the pandemic, Cornell Clubs were separated from each other by great distances, but now, Zoom is just a click away. During this time of isolation and quarantine, we have the opportunity to make friends with Cornellians from all around. Last week, we organized our first Cornell Club mixer with the Cornell Club of Mid-America and the Cornell Club of Monmouth and Ocean. We created breakout rooms around Cornell themes of winter activities, Dragon Day traditions, and how Cornell changed over the years. For each theme, we split into random 6-people groups, so everyone can meet each other in a small group setting, all the while reminiscing about Cornell. A recurring event needs structure so the core group can get into a rhythm. After our first mixer, we received strong positive feedback on our themed breakout room structure. A recurring event also needs variety, so the core group would not get bored. For our future mixers, we plan to vary the themes and clubs. We are starting to build up a core group of regulars in DC, and we hope to organize more mixers with Cornell Clubs everywhere over the following months. The pandemic may have stopped us from knitting big red scarves together, but in its place, we now have virtual Cornell events where any Cornellian anywhere can come and meet other Cornellians. Any person, any party!