The MSA (Mohawk Student Association) hosted the first on-campus event of the winter semester Monday, March 14, at The Arnie. Students finally had the chance to come together after two years of COVID restrictions.
The COVID-19 pandemic doesn’t want to leave, the war in Ukraine is getting worse, and rumours of a possible teachers’ strike have been increasing. Despite that, Mohawk College students are coping with schoolwork, which is why students Tara Gould and Simone D’Angelo organized the Pottery Hangs event, where students got crafty and painted mugs.
Gould clarifies that it is not just a question of randomly sprinkling colours, without any objective. On the contrary, this type of activity has a “science behind it.”
“Doing creative activities get both of the brain hemispheres communicating with each other,” Gould explained. “The left side starts to work because you are organizing and planning how are you going to do the activity, which colours are you going to use, which pencils are going to work the best. The right side starts to spark with the creativity because you are allowing yourself to express yourself freely.”
However, this event was not just about painting and relaxing. It also brought together students eager to socialize and meet each other after a long pandemic.
“School has been a lot, very overwhelming,” Arianna Waytowich said. “These kinds of events have been something that I’ve been looking forward to through all of the craziness of school. I think it is good to take a few hours of break and do something fun with new people.”
The event was the first face-to-face event of the year, so organizers were cautious and applied some restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. To attend, students had to register in advance on the MSA website, and only 26 people were allowed to take part, including the MSA staff and the student organizers.
The COVID pandemic has had a huge impact on students. After a long wait, Mohawk students were able to come together and enjoy an on-campus event.MSA Engagement Specialist Melaine Extance says they have been planning the event since January. They aimed to get students together in person and avoid the “Zoom burnout” in a safe space.
“Having those face-to-face interactions in a safe environment improves people’s overall wellness and their ability to make friendships,” Extance said. ” We are all experiencing online difficulties, so we tried to take the students together following and respecting the COVID guidelines and Mohawk College’s events policies regarding health safety.”
Students can also participate in the next MSA event, to be held in two weeks. For more information about upcoming events, visit https://www.mohawkstudents.ca/, or follow the MSA’s social media @msamohawk.
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