Written by Manaal Shuja.
While we plummeted headfirst into this global nightmare, our Student Council members were busy making sure we’d have a cushioned landing at the end of it.
General Secretary Abdullah Haroon describes how their prime goal was to help students feel “at home”; since students can’t go to LUMS, LUMS had to be brought to the students.
For many amongst us, the first couple of weeks spent in lockdown were full of anxiety-ridden thoughts of the future. These were compounded by the inescapable realization that everything would have to change.
Haroon says, “We had to keep people feeling like they were part of the community – and that’s where our online activities program came in. I was happy to see that many societies took up the initiative on their own.”
Aside from pitching activities such as Esports, Book club, and fitness classes, the Student Council also took it upon themselves to register LUMS on Coursera so students could gain access to thousands of free courses. This is not only a great way to keep busy but also an all-inclusive platform where you can pick up new skills. Needless to say, this is one venture the student body absolutely loves
.
Moreover, in stabilizing the academic process, Haroon affirmed that the council remained committed to play as representative a role as possible from the get-go. “We’ve been trying to ensure this semester and the upcoming summer semesters are done in the right way – that the learning process is a productive one. To that end, we remain proactive on LDF; all concerns are communicated directly to the VC or Provost.”
Haroon states it has been this way from the start, what with emergency meetings with the Vice Chancellor and the faculty as well as stringent cross-questioning of proposed policies. He says, “During these meetings, we had one goal – take the students’ side.” What’s more, he was happy to note that the administration was fully receptive to the council’s suggestions.
When asked how the council was coping in such a high-stress environment, Haroon admitted it had not been smooth sailing all the way. “We’re worried just like everybody else but then we have this huge responsibility to fulfill. It’s been difficult adjusting and making sure everyone’s voices are heard. But a lot of our council members are doing amazing work on the field also. We tell them you focus on this work; it’s tremendously important.”
With a complete lockdown and global pandemonium, there’s no possible way to feel the way we did before. All that can be done is find a new ‘normal’. Haroon also ruminated on this, remembering especially how so much had been planned for the seniors’ send-off:
“Seniors are very sad they didn’t get the send-off they wanted. Juniors too. We had so many plans. But we’re getting along; we call each other, we have Zoom and group chats. There are always issues to be dealt with. It’s been tough adjusting to the new dynamic but we’re doing okay.”
Everyone is doing their part – our Student Council more than most. At this point, it’s important to mute thoughts of the future and zoom (no pun intended) full speed ahead to whatever awaits.